War coloring of the Indians for children. Combat paint on the face of the military. War paint and its types in different tribes

Mustaches, sideburns, hairstyles Under Nicholas I, all the lower ranks of the Russian army wore mustaches, which had to be fabricated, as well as sideburns. At the beginning of the reign, the regiments still had companies without mustaches, but gradually all the soldiers acquired mustaches. Since 1847 mustaches have been relied on

Tattoo Scratching tattoo has been an important part of body decoration, as evidenced by the chronicles and confirmed by numerous sculptures and clay figurines. This type of tattoo, in which the scars caused by cutting through the previously painted skin form

". Usually they applied red-colored paint that protected the skin from the effects of the frosty wind in the Northern Plains and the scorching sun in the Southern Plains. In addition, it was believed that she makes a person more beautiful and brings good luck. Crow men usually covered their faces with red paint, lightly staining the eyelids in yellow.

With the advent of white traders, the Indians began to buy ocher from them in large quantities, and when this was not possible, they used various natural dyes... To apply on the face, the warrior took a little ocher and fat, rubbed it on his palms until the required consistency was obtained, and then, closing his eyes, rubbed it into the skin. According to William Clark, it was for this reason that the Indians of some tribes plucked out eyebrows and eyelashes - so that the paint that dried on them would not irritate the eyes. Lipans and Pawneys devoted to plucking eyebrows Special attention and the Comanches also plucked their eyelashes. Crowe, by contrast, did not pluck eyebrows or eyelashes. Wislicenus wrote that the Kansas, whose village he visited in April 1839, "like all Indians, love to paint themselves with ocher, especially to paint red circles around the eyes." Sarsi men and women painted with ocher or cinnabar upper part faces.
Belden reported that the paint is sold in small boxes and that traders are making a 500% profit on it. He wrote: “In last years there is a firm specializing in Indian paint in St. Louis, and every tribe in the Plains knows their brand. Their colors are great, and the Indians are willing to pay any price for them. Merchants supplied the Indians with paint in black, red, yellow, green and blue.

Despite popular belief, the purpose of painting the Indian warriors was not to intimidate enemies. The war paint served as magical protection for the warrior and his horse, and also, as the Indians believed, gave or strengthened certain magical and physical ability... Usually, each warrior had a different coloring method. Different kinds the colorings were mostly the result of visions and were individual. There were also certain methods of painting, which signified military merit or intentions. Denig reported that the Assiniboins, going on a military campaign, painted their entire faces with bright red paint. Dr. Hoffman, who accompanied General Stanley's Yellowstone Expedition in 1873, argued that the Crow, according to military custom, when going on a campaign, usually painted only the forehead with red paint, while the Sioux applied red paint to lower part faces - from the line of the eyes to the chin. But this information is questionable and can only relate to the coloring of individual warriors. Thunder Bear, Oglala Sioux, reported that a forehead dyed red with black horizontal lines on one side of the forehead (over red paint) signified intent to fight enemies. Pawnee for body painting used different colors... Members of the same military society did not have to paint the same way or the same colors. Some have applied white paint all over the body, others painted left side face in blue, and the right - in red. However, representatives of the Bear Cult of Assiniboins, going into battle, painted their faces with red paint, and then made vertical "scratches", symbolizing the marks of bear claws, removing some of the paint from both sides of the face with their nails. After that, they drew black circles around the mouth and each eye.

Oglala Sioux Thunder Bear in 1912 told about the following types coloring pages of the warriors of his tribe. Horizontal wavy colored lines drawn on the warrior's wrists meant that he was captured by the enemies, but managed to escape. Red spots on any part of the body - wounds from arrows or spears. Red horizontal lines on the arms or body, as well as red vertical lines on the neck - the warrior has been in battle. Each line meant participation in one battle. Black circles around the eyes gave the warrior magic opportunity defeat the enemy at night or surprise him and defeat him. Black horizontal lines on one cheek also indicated that the warrior had killed the enemy. Diagonal black lines on the hips - the warrior fought on foot. Black crosses on the hips - the warrior fought on his steed. Vertical red lines running down the cheeks along the temples to the jaw in Sioux and Cheyenne meant that the warrior had killed the enemy in hand-to-hand combat.

For most tribes (Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Pawnee, etc.) black was the color of victory. It meant the end of hostility, symbolizing the extinguished coals of enemy fires and enemy lives that have left the spirit. Returning from the battle, the warriors painted their faces black before triumphantly entering the village, waving their scalps over their heads. Victorious Crow have always covered their faces with black paint, and the phrase “with a black face” has been a stereotypical term for a victorious return. Cheyenne often painted even ceremonial costumes in black and red - the colors of victory and renewal of life. Many Sioux war songs contained the phrase: "I'm looking for black face paint!" In the victorious Sioux troops, in which none of their own died, it was allowed to paint their faces black, not only the first four warriors who killed the enemies, but also their relatives who took part in the Dance of the Scalps. According to Thunder Bear, a Sioux returning from a campaign with an enemy scalp could not paint the entire face black, but only the area around the mouth and chin. Among the Omaha, if the soldiers killed the enemy, the leader of the squad painted his face with black paint. Later, upon arriving at the village, all the participants in the campaign did the same. The Mandanas and Assiniboins, returning with their captured scalps and counting the ku, painted their faces completely black, leaving the tip of their nose intact.

The warriors could take the necessary paint with them or make it on the spot using various natural dyes. Plain Cree, to obtain black, mixed fat, charcoal and graphite. Graphite was ground into powder with greasy hands, then added a little crushed charcoal and rubbed the skin with the resulting mixture. The Skidi Pawnees covered their faces with soot from burning grass.

The Osage and Comanches, by contrast, often applied black paint before battle. Comanches usually drew two stripes - one along the forehead and the other along the lower part of the face. Pioneer reports often mention that the faces of the Comanche warriors who attacked them were "covered in black paint." James Thomas recalled the appearance of a detachment of hostile Comanches in 1810: “In the distance we saw the approaching Chief One-Eyed with his warriors. They were all painted black and armed with bows, guns and spears. " The Osage warriors, according to Laflesh, preparing to attack the enemy, painted their faces black with coal, which symbolized mystical power destructive fire and meant that the warriors would be merciless to enemies and expect them to treat themselves in the same way. This coal was scraped off the burning branches of the ceremonial fire before the military detachment set out on the road. According to James Dorsey, when going to steal horses, the Osage would paint their faces black with coal. While preparing to attack the enemies, the Hong clan members covered right cheek below the eyes with mud. This coloring was called the Decoration of a Young Bison Bull. They said: “My youngest grandfather (young bison bull) is very dangerous. So do I when I'm going to attack. " All the warriors of the tsiju clan, according to Dorsey, before the attack with their left hand, covered their entire face with a red paint, called fiery paint. They prayed to the fire: "As fire knows no pity, so we do not know it." Then they applied to left cheek under the eye, a layer of dirt two or more fingers wide. Dorsey also noted that those Osage warriors who behaved like bears painted their faces with only coal. Some warriors were painted to symbolize wind, lightning or puma. William Whitman reported that the Oto warriors, setting off to battle, covered their faces with black paint, after which they ran their fingers over it so that lighter stripes appeared. Noah Smithwick also mentioned that yellow, according to the Comanches, had "the power to turn away arrows and bullets directed at a body that was rubbed with yellow paint."

During ceremonies, the coloring of a man could speak of his belonging to a particular clan or of his military exploits. For example, all the old Osage who showed themselves on, painted themselves during ceremonies in accordance with belonging to one or another clan. The old men of the Tsiju clan first covered their faces with white clay, then they applied a red spot on the forehead and painted the lower part of the face red. After that, they ran their nails along the cheekbones and cheeks, scraping off the clay so that it would appear on a white background. dark skin... The coloring could be standard or should, in the warrior's opinion, reflect a certain action. The flathead leader, Moise, whose body was completely covered with yellow paint during the dances, except right leg below the red-dyed caviar, explained that by doing so he symbolized the great battle with the Blackfeet that took place by the river Yellow Stone(r. Yellowstone). In ponks, a warrior who struck an uninjured enemy painted the upper part of the body black, the first to strike a fallen enemy (wounded, killed, or prostrate on the ground without feeling) - unevenly covered the body with black stripes, removed his scalp - painted his face with a slightly red tint, on top of which black stripes were applied, and the one who captured the horses from the enemy - painted signs on the body in the form of traces of horse hooves. In the Sioux, a warrior's face, painted with 6 white spots, meant that he had done a brave deed in winter. The place of an injury received by a warrior or a horse was noted in most of the lowland tribes horizontal line with drops of dripping blood for an arrow and a red spot with dripping blood for a bullet wound. In the northern Shoshone body painting, right angles or angular images of horseshoes meant horse tracks, wavy lines along the entire arm and leg symbolized a rainbow. Short horizontal, curved, oblique, or vertical lines indicated the number of enemies killed. The traces of the hands indicated participation in hand-to-hand combat. Mandans have a coloring in which Right side body or shirts and leggings were painted in blue color, and the left - in red, meant that he killed the enemy far from home or counted the first or second "ku" on a lone enemy. Among the Assiniboins, they smeared their faces and capes with white clay only in case of grief.

Warriors who showed themselves on the warpath were allowed to paint the faces of their wives. But if a man did not have military merit on account, he was deprived of this privilege. “There is nothing better,” said the old Crow, “than to see a young woman with a painted face. She looks so proud and happy, holding his (husband's) spear and shield, sitting on his best war horse and showing everyone that her man is a warrior who has proved himself on the battlefield. "

Along with the development of language as a communication tool, non-verbal communication methods developed. Before learning to speak coherently, a person used the limbs of the hands and facial expressions for communication, unconsciously learning to put so much meaning into each arc and straight line on the face that all this was enough to be perfectly understood by the interlocutor. Going to war or hunting, he applied a symmetrical ornament on his face, emphasizing intentions, and with the help of mimic muscles, the coloring came to life and began to work according to specific rules.

In this article, we tried to raise the main milestones in the history of war paint, find out how it is used today, and also compose short instruction on application.

The history of the appearance of war paint

It is known that war paint was used by the ancient Celts, who used indigo blue for this, obtained from dyeing woad. The Celts applied the resulting solution to the naked body or painted its bare parts. Although it is impossible to say with complete certainty that the Celts were the first to come up with the idea of ​​applying war paint on the face - the woad was used back in the Neolithic era.

New Zealand Maori applied permanent symmetrical patterns to the skin of the face and body, which were called "ta-moko". This tattoo was extremely important in Maori culture; on "ta-moko" could be read social status person, but, in addition, it was an attempt to make "permanent camouflage" and at the same time create a prototype military uniform... In 1642, Abel Tasman first reached the shores of New Zealand and came face to face with local residents... In the diaries that have survived from that time, there is not a word about the fact that he met people with tattoos on their faces. And the expedition of 1769, which included the naturalist Joseph Banks, witnessed in their observations strange and unusual tattoos on the faces of local aborigines. That is, at least another hundred years passed before the Maori began to use tattoos.

Vaida dyeing

North American Indians used dyes to apply designs to leather, which helped them, as in the case of the Maori, to personalize. The Indians believed that patterns would help them get magic protection in battle, and the colored patterns on the faces of the fighters helped to look more ferocious and dangerous

Besides coloring own body the Indians used patterns on their horses; it was believed that a certain pattern on the horse's body would protect it and give it magical abilities... Some symbols meant that the warrior expresses respect for the gods or is blessed to win. This knowledge was passed down from generation to generation until the culture was destroyed during the wars of conquest.

Just as modern soldiers receive awards for their achievements in military affairs, the Indian had the right to apply a certain pattern only after he distinguished himself in battle. Therefore, every mark and symbol on the body carried important meaning... The palm, for example, indicated that the Indian distinguished himself in hand-to-hand combat and has good combat skills. In addition, the palm print could serve as a talisman symbolizing that the Indian would be invisible on the battlefield. In turn, a woman from the tribe, who saw an Indian warrior with a handprint, understood that nothing threatened her with such a man. The symbolism of the patterns went far beyond just ritual actions and social markings, it was needed as an amulet, as a bodily placebo that instills strength and courage in a warrior.

Not only were graphic markers important, but also color base each character. The symbols inscribed in red meant blood, strength, energy and success in battle, but they could also have quite peaceful connotations - beauty and happiness - if similar colors painted faces.

Black meant readiness for war, strength, but carried more aggressive energy. Those soldiers who returned home after a victorious battle were marked in black. The ancient Romans did the same, returning to Rome on horseback after the victory, but they painted their faces in bright red imitating his god of war Mars. White color meant grief, although there was another meaning - peace. In blue or green colors, patterns were applied to the most intellectually developed and spiritually enlightened members of the tribe. These colors signified wisdom and endurance. Green color closely associated with harmony and the power of providence.

Later, the Indians began to use the coloring not only for intimidation, but also as camouflage - they selected the colors of the coloring in accordance with the conditions. Flowers "treated", protected, prepared for a "new life", expressed internal state and social status, and, of course, the painting of the face and body was applied as decorative elements.

The modern interpretation of the war paint is purely practical. The military applies black coloring to the face under the eyes and on the cheeks to reduce reflections. sun rays from a skin surface that is not protected by camouflage fabric.

Those soldiers who returned home after a victorious battle were marked in black.

Coloring rules

When we look at an image, the brain processes a tremendous amount of information from the eyes and other senses. In order for consciousness to extract some meaning from what it sees, the brain divides the big picture into component parts. When the eye looks at a vertical line with green spots, the brain receives a signal and identifies it as a tree, and when the brain perceives many, many trees, it sees them as a forest.

Consciousness tends to recognize something as an independent object only if this object has a continuous color. It turns out that a person has a much higher chance of being noticed if his suit is absolutely monochromatic. In the jungle a large number of colors in a camouflage pattern will be perceived as a coherent object, because the jungle is literally made up of small details.

Exposed skin reflects light and attracts attention. Usually, in order to paint the paint correctly, the soldiers help each other before starting the operation. Shiny body parts - forehead, cheekbones, nose, ears and chin - are colored in dark colors, and the shadow (or darkened) areas of the face - around the eyes, under the nose and under the chin - in light green shades. In addition to the face, the coloring is also applied to open parts of the body: back part neck, arms and hands.

The two-tone camouflage skin is often randomly applied. The palms of the hands are usually not masked, but if in military operations the hands are used as a communication tool, that is, they serve to transmit non-verbal tactical signals, they are also masked. In practice, three are used more often than others. standard type face paints: loam (clay color), light green, suitable for all types ground forces in areas where there is not enough green vegetation, and a clay-white color for troops in snowy terrain.

In the development of protective paints, two main criteria are taken into account: the protection and safety of the soldier. The safety criterion means simplicity and ease of use: when a soldier applies paint to exposed parts of the body, it must remain resistant in conditions environment, perspiration-resistant and suitable for uniforms. Face painting does not reduce the soldier's natural sensitivity, has virtually no odor, does not irritate the skin, and is not harmful if the paint accidentally gets into the eyes or mouth.

Exposed skin reflects light and attracts attention

Modern methods

Currently, there is a prototype paint that protects the soldier's skin from the heat wave in an explosion. What I mean: in reality, the heat wave from the explosion lasts no more than two seconds, its temperature is 600 ° C, but this time is enough to completely burn the face and severely damage the unprotected limbs. As stated, new material able to protect exposed skin from light burns for 15 seconds after an explosion.