File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (18156355352).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo04amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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22 PRIMITIVE ART
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On an Arapaho moccasin (Case 20 //), a wide stripe embroidered on the instep represents the path on which the wearer travels. The two pieces of the transverse stripe, which dupHcate in minia- ture a part of the main stripe, are insects or worms which the wearer desires to avoid, and which, for this reason, are placed by the side of his path. The upper portion of the large stripe is light blue, which signifies, as in many other cases, haze. The red and dark-blue bands that edge the white por- tion of the stripe represent day and night. The winged triangle, which appears twice, signifies sunrise, and also the passage over a mountain. The explanation of painted designs of the Arapaho is quite similar to that of beaded designs. Thus, on one hide bag (Case 19 c) three wide blue stripes represent rivers, both form and color being symbolic. The red rectangles in them are islands, and the white border around these is sand. The triangles are bears' feet; the red portions of the triangles represent the bare skin of the sole of the foot; the projections at the base of the triangles are the claws. The unpainted back- ground represents the prairie; the black spots in them are coyotes. Blue lines enclosing the whole design are buffalo- paths; the white lines between them, antelope-paths; the yel- low line is an elk-path; and red lines are deer-paths. It will thus be seen that the interpretation of the designs given by the Arapaho is partly realistic, while a part of the de- signs express abstract ideas. The morning star, the life symbol, the path of life and other concepts which are intimately associated with the religious ideas

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