Show Why w 5 hT Ind Indians ans Paint Paint The question why Indians paint their faes faces st so 59 hideously has long puzzled people interested in the habits of ot the aborigines The he other other night the the question question queston came up at a club in ir St. St Paul Paul S S S A former Indi Indian n agent said that he had heard but one legend be bearing on I Ithe the point S SI S I I Iwas was sitting at a campfire one night night said he In a viage village of ot Jacarilla Apaches listening to the stories and legends that were being torn iota when benI I propounded propounded pro pro- pounded the old question queston again gain hardly hardly expecting even th the expression of ignorance ignorance igno ignorance igno- igno rance that hides so many of the thoughts of the Indians To my surprise however I received the answer that I least expected An Anold Anold Anold old fellow who had sat all aU the evening listening to the stories w without changing his attitude grunted and straightened up as as he heard the question Proceeding with with viti all aU du dus solemnity he told the following legend following legend Long ago when men were weak and animals were big and strong chief of the red men who lived In these mountains went out to get a deer for his people were ere hungry S 'S K S SSi I IY Y Si After walking all aU day he saw a deer and shot at it i but the arrow was turned aside and wounded a mountain lion lon which which was also after the deer When the lion lon felt tel elt the sting of ot the arrow h he Jumped S S up and bounded after S the theman theman theman man who ran for his life I He was almost exhausted and when he felt el his strength giving way he ne hefEl fell fEl to the ground calling on the big bear who bear who you know is the grandfather S of men men to to save him S The big bear heard the call caU and saw aw that to save save the fhe te man he had to act at quickly ly so he scratched his feet and sprinkled his blood over the man Now ow you must know that no animal will eat of the fhe te bear or taste of his ts blood So when the lion lon reached the man he smelled the blood and nd turned the face of the man leaving tile marks awa away but as he did so his foot scraped tie of his claws on the smeared blood-smeared face When the man found that he he- was uninjured he was so thankful that he left Ifft the blood to dry dr on his face and never washed It at all aU but left lef It until it peeled peelEd off S I Where There There of the claws of ot the lion lon scraped it off of there were marks maka that turned brown biown in the sun and where the b blood stayed on an n- n nit It was wa lighter Now all al men paint their faces that way with blood and scrape It off In str streaks ks when they hunt or go go o to war war St. St St. Paul Minn Correspondence New York Sun |