III. PHYSICAL SETTING

C. Human Figures

3. Colbert’s Partisans

b) Dress Worn and Arms Carried by the Chickasaws and Mixed-Bloods

(7) Ear Ornaments

Adair reported that the young Chickasaws “cut a hole round almost the extremity of both their ears, which till healed, they stretched out with a large tuft of buffalo’s wool mixt with bear’s oil: then they twist as much small wire around as will keep them extended in that hideous form. . .”

These slits were “adorned with silver pendants and rings.”[73]

(8) Waist Bands

Adair observed that strings of beads were worn around their wrists by the Chickasaws.[74]

(9) Leg Ornaments

Most southeastern Indians wore beaded garters, made of buffalo hair, opossum hair, or other materials.[75]

(10) Use of Grease

Adair observed that the Chickasaws “constantly anoited themselves with bear’s oil, or grease, mixt with a certain red root.”[76]

(11) Body Paint

Body paint, according to Swanton, was “resorted to particularly in preparing for war and ball games, but was part of a man’s make up on all official or semi-official occasions.” Red was the most popular color, followed by black and blue.

Bartram reported that the head, neck, and breast of the Indians of his acquaintance were painted with vermilion. Writing of the Chickasaws, Adair stated that the amount of vermilion was one of the criteria on which the traders made their estimate of a man’s wealth.[77]

A warrior habitually wore his breechclout and belt, and moccasins, and was painted red and black. He carried a blanket, cords, and leather with which to repair his moccasins, and some parched corn for his sustenance.[78]

(12) Speck’s Summary of a Yuchi Costume

At the time of the 1783 attack on Arkansas Post, the Indians and mixed-bloods were probably attired in a fashion resembling the Yuchi costume described by Speck, except for the turban:

A bright colored calico shirt was worn by the men next to the skin. Over this was a sleeved jacket reaching, on young men, a little below the waist, on old men and chiefs, below the knees. The shirt hung free before and behind, but was bound about the waist by a belt or woolen sash. The older men who wore the long coat-like garment had another sash with tassels dangling at the sides outside of this. These two garments, it should be remembered, were nearly always of calico or cotton goods, while it sometimes happened that the long coat was of deerskin. Loin coverings were of two kinds; either a simple apron was suspended from a girdle next the skin before and behind, or a long narrow strip of stroud passed between the legs and was tucked underneath the girdle in front and in back, where the ends were allowed to fall as flaps. Leggings of stroud or deerskin reaching from ankle to hip were supported by thongs to the belt and bound to the leg by tasseled and beaded garter bands below the knee. Deerskin moccasins covered the feet. Turbans of cloth, often held in place by a metal head band in which feathers were set for ornament, covered the head. The man’s outfit was then complete when he had donned his bead-decorated side pouch, in which he kept pipe, tobacco and other personal necessities, with its broad highly embroidered bandolier. The other ornaments were metal breast pendants, earrings, finger rings, bracelets and armlets, beadwork neckbands and beadwork strips which were fastened in the hair. . . .[79]