516 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 137 



by him in central and southern Texas, were in the habit of boring a 

 hole in the lo^yer lip and inserting a piece of cane ( Cabeza de Vaca, Ban- 

 delier ed., 1905, p. 65). Certain of the coastal tribes farther east were 

 called "Bluemouths" because they tattooed the chin, and it is possible 

 that this particular attention paid to the lower lip was connected with 

 the lip piercing farther west (Swanton, 1931 a, p. 57) . 



Anciently, however, the use of labrets may have extended along 

 the entire Gulf coast, for Gushing reported at Key Marco, Fla., 



very large labrets of wood for the lower lips, the shanks and insertions of which 

 were small, and placed near one edge, so that the outer disc which had been 

 coated with varnish or brilliant thin laminae of tortoise shell, would hang low 

 over the chin. There were lip-pins too. (Gushing, 1896, p. 374.) 



NECKLACES 



Four sorts of neck ornaments are mentioned, necklaces proper, 

 collars, gorgets of shell, and gorgets of metal. The distribution of 

 the first was most general or, at least, there are more references to 

 this type of ornament. One recalls at once the many-stringed pearl 

 necklace which was worn by the "Lady of Gofitachequi" when she 

 came to meet De Soto on the Savannah River. A few weeks later 

 the Ghief of Ghiaha on Tennessee River presented the Spanish gover- 

 nor with a long string of the same precious objects and, indeed, the 

 use of pearl and bead necklaces extended throughout the Gulf region. 

 (See pp. 481-489 ; Garcilaso, 1723, p. 140.) Penicaut tells us that there 

 was a sacred pearl necklace kept in the Natchez temple and that two or 

 three pearls were tied around the necks of the infant nobles when 

 they came into the world, and that the latter wore them until they 

 were 10, when they were replaced in the temple (Penicaut in Margry, 

 1875-86, vol. 5, p. 452 ; Swanton, 1911, p. 56) . Hariot describes neck- 

 laces of pearls, beads of copper, smooth bones, or shell worn by the 

 coast Indians of Garolina, but more particularly by the women and 

 chiefs. These are shown in White's drawings. Often several strings 

 were worn at once, as in the case of the Lady of Gofitachequi, and differ- 

 ent kinds were sometimes alternated, for Hariot says that Secotan 

 girls of good parentage wore necklaces of "rownde pearles, with little 

 beades of copper, or polished bones betweene them." However, one, 

 at least of the chief ladies of Secotan was supplied with a false neck- 

 lace in the shape of a tattooed or painted design (Hariot, 1893, pi. 6). 

 Similar chains of beads are mentioned by Percy, Smith, and Strachey. 

 The weroance of Rapahanna wore such a chain when he came to meet 

 Smith, and necklaces of this character Avere observed about images 

 of the supernatural beings (Narr. Early Va., Tyler ed., 1907, pp. 14, 

 109; Strachey, 1849, p. 83). In later times, as is well illustrated in the 

 pages of Beverley (1705, bk. 3, p. 7), pearls are less in evidence and 

 there is correspondingly more said of roanoke beads, a native product of 



