18 THE INDIANS OF CAPE FLATTERY. 



it first with grease and rub it between the palms of the hands before applying it. 

 Another paint is made from hemlock bark found on decayed roots, or in the forks 

 of old roots that have been long under ground. This is dried at the fire, and, to be 

 vised, is rubbed on a stone with spittle and then applied to tlje face. They aU prefer 

 vermilion, however, when they can get it, nor are they averse to using blue or yellow 

 when they can procure those colors dry, which they occasionally do from the whites. 

 During the grand ta-ma-na-was or duk-wal-ly performances the face is painted 

 black, and a wreath of cedar bark dyed red is worn around the head. During the 

 tsi-ak or medicine ta-ma-na-was the face is painted red, and the wreath is of undyed 

 bark. This bark, which is prepared by beating it fine, is termed he-se-yu. The 

 name of the bark which has been dried but not broken is pit-sop. The war 

 paint is generally black, although some use red; but the braves use black inva- 

 riably. The hair is twisted in a knot behind, and green twigs tied up with it. The 

 tattooing consists of marks on the arms or legs, and does not seem to amount to 

 much. It is done by drawing a threaded needle under the skin, the thread having 

 previously been colored with charcoal and water. Some prick ui the color with a 

 number of needles tied together, as sailors tattoo themselves. Many of these marks 

 are merely straight lines, others show a rude attempt to represent an animal, and 

 letters of the alphabet are sometimes seen tattooed on the arms, the characters being 

 copied from any old newspaper they may get hold of. They seem to attach no 

 definite meaning to this tattooing, and most of it is done while they are children. 

 Many have no marks at all on their persons, while others have a few on the wrists 

 and hands, and some on the ankles ; but there is nothing in their tattooing which 

 is in any way distinctive of tribe. 



Some of the tribes on the northwest part of Vancouver Island have the custom 

 of wearing disks of wood or ivory in the under lip, and I have seen it asserted that 

 it is the custom of all the tribes from the Columbia River north. This however is 

 not the fact with any- of the coast tribes as far as I have seen, which is from the 

 Columbia River to Nootka. The practice of flattening the heads of infants, although, 

 as I have said, not universal among the Makahs, is performed in a manner similar 

 to that of the Chinooks and other tribes in the vicinity of the Columbia River. As 

 soon as a child is born it is washed with warm urine, and then smeared with whale 

 oil and placed in a cradle made of bark, woven basket fashion ; or of wood, either 

 cedar or alder, hollowed out for the purpose. Into the cradle a quantity of finely 

 separated cedar bark of the softest texture is first thrown. At the foot is a board 

 raised at an angle of about 25°, which serves to keep the child's feet elevated ;- or, 

 when the cradle is raised to allow the child to nurse, to form a support for the body, 

 or a sort of seat. This is also covered with bark, he-se-yu. A pillow is formed of 

 the same material, just high enough to keep the head in its natural position, with 

 the spinal column neither elevated nor depressed. First the child is laid on its 

 back, its legs properly extended, its arms put close to its sides, and a covering either 

 of bark or cloth laid over it; and then, commencing at the feet, the whole body 

 is firmly laced up so that it has no chance to move in the least. When the body is 

 well secured a padding of he-se-yu is placed on the child's forehead, over which is 

 laid bark of a somewhat stiffer texture, and the head is firmly lashed down to the 



