406 PICTURE-WRITING OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 
Other notices about the tattooing of the Indians of the Pacific slope 
of North America are subjoined. 
Stephen Powers (c) says the Karok (California) squaws tattoo in blue 
three narrow fern leaves perpendicularly on the chin, one falling from 
each corner of the mouth and one in the middle. 
The same author reports, page 76: 
Nearly every (Hupa, California) man has ten lines tattooed across the inside of the 
left arm about halfway between the wrist and the elbow; and in measuring shell 
money he takes the string in his right hand, draws one end over his left thumb nail, 
and if the other end reaches to the uppermost of the tattoo lines the five shells are 
worth $25 in gold, or $5 a shell. Of course, it is only one in ten thousand that is long 
enough to reach this high value. 
Also on page 96: 
The Piatawat (California) squaws tattoo in blue three narrow pinnate leaves per- 
pendicularly on their chins, and also lines of small dots on the backs of their hands. 
On page 148, of the Kastel Pomo: 
The women of this and other tribes of the Coast range frequently tattoo a rude 
representation of a tree or other object covering nearly the whole abdomen and 
breast. 
Of the Wintuns he says, page 253: “The squaws all tattoo three nar- 
row lines, one falling from each corner of the mouth and one between.” 
The same author says, on page 109: 
The Mattoal, of California, differ from other tribes in that the men tattoo. Their 
distinctive mark is a round blue spot in the center of the forehead. The women 
tattoo pretty much all over their faces. 
In respect to this matter of tattooing there is a theory entertained by some old 
pioneers which may be worth the mention, They hold that the reason why the 
women alone tattoo in all other tribes is that in case they are taken captives their 
own people may be able to recognize them when there comes an opportunity of ran- 
som. There are two facts which give some color of probability to this reasoning. 
One is that the California Indians are rent into such infinitesimal divisions, any 
one of which may be arrayed in deadly feud against another at any moment, that the 
slight differences in their dialects would not suffice to distinguish the captive squaws. 
The second is that the squaws almost never attempt any ornamental tattooing, but 
adhere closely to the plain regulation mark of the tribe. 
Blue marks tattooed upon a Mohave woman’s chin denote that she 
is married. See Whipple (/). 
Mr. Gatschet reports that very few Klamath men now tattoo their 
faces, but such as are still observed have but a single line of black run- 
ning from the middle of the lower lip to the chin. Half-breed girls 
appear to have but one perpendicular line tattooed down over the chin 
while the full-blood women have four perpendicular lines on the chin. 
In Bancroft’s Native Races (c), it is stated that the Modoc women 
tattoo three blue lines, extending perpendicularly from the center and 
corners of the lower lip to the chin. 
The same author on pages 117 and 127 of the same volume says: 
The Chippewas have tattooed cheeks and foreheads. Both sexes have blue or 
black bars or from one to four straight lines to distinguish the tribe to which they 
