160 



THE PIMA INDIANS 



I ETH. ANN. 26 



NAILS 



Finger nails were bitten off when they readied a troublesome 

 length. The nails of the toes received little attention, and in old per- 

 sons to-day they are seen of inordinate length, curled over the ends 

 of the toes. 



TEETH 



Many browai teeth were seen, 

 but no satisfactory information 

 was obtained as to the cause. 

 -Ul agreed that the red berry 

 of Licium fremontii would tem- 

 porarily blacken the teeth, but 

 as the Kwahadk's and Papagos, 

 who do not eat tliis berry, have 

 the darkened teeth, some other 

 cause must be sought. Rumex 

 berlandieri, Rumex hymen ose- 

 palus, and a thorny weed called 

 by the Pimas sdifiikam iavdic 

 are also said to blacken the 

 teeth. Charcoal was used to 

 clean the teeth before the ad- 

 vent of the wliites, and the prac- 

 tice is still contmued. 



PAINTING 



In bags of deerskin or cloth 

 (fig. 77, a, i) bright-hued ocliers 

 and other minerals were kept 

 with wliich to paint the face and 

 body." Baby Pima had liis face 

 painted immediately after birth 

 with red ocher mixed with his 

 mother's milk "to improve his skin." Thereafter the paint was 

 mixcil with grease or the grease was applied to the skin first and the 

 paint was added. In cold weather the grease and color were applied 

 to prevent chapping and even for the sake of warmth. Usually the 



c Upon the four samples of face paint that were collected at Sacaton and submitted for analysis the 

 foUowiiig report was received; "It was found that with the exception of traces of manganese in 24884 

 and 24887 the color of these substances is due to varying amounts of iron as modified by the pres- 

 ence of and combination with other substances which by themselves possess practically no coloring 

 power. 



''The percentages of iron (calculated as ferric oxide) found in these samples are as follows: 



No 24883 0. 13 No. 24885 13. 87 



No.24884 1.28 N0.248S7... 9.62 



Flu. 77. I'aint bags, a, Drcrskin: l>. cloth. 



