|
 |
Blue in the face
Face painting can help the Leafs win the war
 |
|
Maple Leaf fans show true colours by painting
their faces.
|
|
|
|
It's no time to save face.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are gearing up for war today and Leafs' fans
can take the call to arms by painting their mugs.
"If you can paint a maple leaf on your face, then you're showing identification
with that team," says Peter Donnelly, director of the Centre for Sports
Policy Studies at the University of Toronto (U of T). "It's another
way of showing your dedication to that team. You're showing a commitment."
Although he admits he doesn't know when it started at sporting events,the
history of face painting can be traced
back to early native American times.
"Most aboriginal groups in North America had
some form of facial decoration before the Europeans settled," says U
of T Professor of Anthropology Alexander von Gernet.
"It was a means to differentiate themselves from their enemies. But
there were also ethnic, cultural and spiritual reasons behind it," he
says.
"When you paint your face, you stand out more in a crowd," Donnelly
adds. "You stand out more than wearing just a shirt."
The use of colours
Painting your face and shoulders was an everyday and dress-up activity
for native men and women. Face paints were made by combining bear
grease with certain roots and natives painted each other, since
there were no mirrors.
The early 19th century Seminoles, a North American tribe, called
themselves the "Unconquered People." They painted themselves accordingly:
RED: The colour of war. The Red
Stick Creeks were the warrior villages who formed the nucleus of
the Miccosukee Seminoles. Red would be painted in bands or stripes
on the face, as well as on the backs of the hands and on knife handles.
WHITE: The colour of peace. The
White Stick villages were the peace party among the Seminoles. If
a group of Seminoles wore a strip of white, they were ready to talk
truce.
BLUE: This colour was for happiness.
BLACK: A "living" colour, black was worn
on the face to prepare for war.
GREEN: Worn under the eyes, green was
supposed to empower the wearer with night vision.
YELLOW: Yellow represented death, as it
is the colour of "old bones."
From www.nativetech.org
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
.gif){kind=small}
