Tattoo and Body Painting Designs Reflected in Women’s Beaded Collars Among
Lower Colorado River Yuman Societies
Presented by Katherine Brooks
PhD Student, Department of American Indian Studies
University of Arizona
GPSC Graduate Student Showcase November 4, 2011
Mohave beaded collar, National Museum of the
American Indian, Cat. Num. 090070.000, 1910.
Introduction
Research Focus
-Beaded collars hold cultural and historical significance for women
belonging to the Lower Colorado Yuman societies, which include
the Mohave, Cocopah, Piipaash (Maricopa) and Quechan (Yuma).
-Seed bead collars function as both a decorative clothing item and
as part of women's ceremonial attire, designs reflect body painting
and tattoo patterns, especially in the oldest pieces (Tsosie 1992).
-Beading techniques, designs, colors and collar length have changed
considerably since their first documented appearance during the
late-nineteenth century.
-My research focuses on a formal style analysis of beaded collar
designs, seeking to answer questions about changing styles,
patterns, design origin, symbolism and outside cultural influences.
Background
-First collected collars appear in 1883,
collected by Herman ten Kate, first
documentation of production is noted by
Edward Palmer in 1870 though.
-The collars were originally adopted as a
decorative clothing item by women
belonging to both Upper and Lower River
Yuman groups at the request of Euro-American’s who demanded
modesty, and although the women were compliant the beaded
collar was viewed as an “accessory” rather than a top (Tsosie 1992).
Ceramic Mohave effigy jar. National Museum of Natural
History, Cat. Num. 428911, 1975. Elmer Gates, CRIT.
-Yuman bead collars
extend to about shoulder
length and are comprised
of thousands of seed
beads, weighing nearly
ten pounds.
-Four studies have specifically examined beaded
collars in relation to culture, style or manufacturing
technique and only one article focused on women’s
facial tattooing and body painting among any of the
River Yuman societies.
-Through examination of bead
collars in multiple museum
collections it’s possible to document and view a
complete evolution of the collars across time
and space.
The Lower Colorado River Yuman Culture
Area is defined by the shaded in
turquoise area
-Collars experienced discontinuation by the
1940’s as part of the daily wardrobe of women,
but they continue to serve as an important piece
of culture history.
Recently Married Mohave Couple, Photograph by
Charles C. Pierce, 1900..University of Southern
California Libraries.
-Facial tattooing and body painting have always held great
importance among both men and women belonging to Lower
Colorado River Yuman societies (Taylor and Wallace 1947).
-When the face was tattooed, willow or
mesquite ashes were used and turned blue
upon entering the puncture wounds on the skin,
leaving behind a deep blue linear tattoo. This is
one reason, for the preference of blue seed
beads.
Portrait of Mohave woman with face paint in Native
Dress with Ornaments, Ben Wittick, 1880 .
-Research for this project incorporated material culture, photographic
collections, ethnographic records and interviews with contemporary River
Yuman bead workers as a means of explaining stylistic and symbolic changes
occurring in collar manufacturing.
-Analysis of collar designs was conducted through examination of objects
housed in ethnographic collections at museums and tribal cultural centers
across the United States.
-With the help of community members from the Colorado River Indian Tribe
(CRIT) documentation of contemporary beadwork has been possible, which
is extremely important in understanding the changing
techniques and patterns that have occurred over the
past century.
Heepa (Mohave Woman), Photograph
by Edward S. Curtis, 1907. NAA INV
03257800
-Tattooing of the face and body painting were
initially the key inspirations for collar designs but
tattooing was discouraged by missionaries,
Indian Agents and government officials, therefore
leading to the discontinuation of the practice by
about 1915.
-After facial tattoos were were prohibited on the body, the
designs on collars began to change from complex patterns
mimicking tattoos, shifting to less intricate geometric and linear
designs.
-Designs continued to reflect the
sacred landscape and connections
with the natural world, and current
designs still preserve that tradition.
Fourth generation bead worker Ginger,
demonstrates how she makes collars. This
will be a child’s collar upon completion.
Design Origins
Large ceramic vessel, used as
boat with turtle shell design.
Harvard Peabody Museum,
Cat. Num. 76-20-10/10121
43 cm x 44.4 cm x 45.2 cm
Above: Mohave bead collar at School of American Research, Cat.
Num. 1994-4-250, c. 1940. Below at right: Photograph “Chacha”
taken by Edward S. Curtis, October 1907. National
Anthropological Archives, Neg. 92-9171
-Motifs differ from item to item but a general
agreement on meaning extends across Mohave
and Quechan culture, placing emphasis on the
representation of natural elements such as
mountains and water (Spier 1978, Furst 2001).
-Origin stories for Lower Colorado Yuman
groups feature Coyote and his interaction with
natural world, a theme which transfers to
designs.
The Lower Colorado River Yuman Culture Area is defined
by the shaded in turquoise area
Significance of Findings
-This subject is greatly devoid of research and these collars are completely
undocumented which affects both the academic community and Tribal
community members.
Two Yuman Women. Photograph by Parker, n.d. NAA
INV 2245500.
-Glass beads were introduced in the
Southwest by the Spanish during the late
sixteenth century, immediately becoming
very popular and highly valued possessions.
Mohave beaded collar, National Museum of the
American Indian, Cat. Num. 193804.000, c. 1880.
-Events influencing Quechan collar style change may have
corresponded with the construction of the Yuma Air Base in
1941, likewise the Parker Dam, erected between 1934 and 1938
which may have had impact on the Mohave.
Above: Mohave Mountains with Lower Colorado River in foreground.
2011. Below: Mohave bead collar from collections at The Heard
Museum, Cat. Num. 205BE, c. 1978, maker unknown. This is an
excellent example of a river and mountain pattern.
-Understanding the importance of Coyote as a
cultural icon allows us to gather a deeper
understanding for the symbolism of designs
titled “coyote teeth motif” or “coyote and
river” patterns.
-Designs seen on pottery are also transferred as
patterns on collars, many of which hold ritualistic
meaning, such as the turtle design, and are not
just aesthetically pleasing (Kroeber 1976).
Above: Coyote teeth design on a Mohave bead collar, Harvard
Peabody Museum, Cat. Num. 44-40-10/27487. Manufactured
prior to 1944, maker unknown.
-Collar styles have greater variation in
color, length, width than they did prior
to the 1930’s (Tsosie 1992).
In conclusion, contact with outsiders greatly
affected the designs tradition-ally used in
collar manufacture but the practice of
creating collars experienced cultural
continuity. Today, collars are worn for many
ceremonial and cultural events
serving as a symbol of indigenous
identity.
References
Furst, Jill Leslie. 2001. Mojave Pottery, Mojave People: The Dillingham Collection of
Mojave Ceramics. Santa Fe: School of American Research Press.
Kroeber, Alfred L. 1976[1925]. Handbook of the Indians of California. New York: Dover.
Spier, Leslie. 1978[1933]. Yuman Tribes of the Gila River. New York: Dover.
Taylor, Edith S. and William J. Wallace. 1947. Mohave Tattooing and Face Painting.
Southwest Museum Leaflets No. 20.
Tsosie, Michael P. 1992. Historic Mohave Bead Collars. American Indian Art Magazine,
36-49.