Engelse tekst<BR> Paint bag (skinétsimani asani; Uhlenbeck and Van Gulik 1930); hide, pigment, cotton string; h. 6 cm., w. 3.5 cm.; can 1910-1911.<BR> <BR> This small paint bag, containing red ochre pigment, was given by the elder Eagle Calf (Pítàunista) to Mrs. Uhlenbeck for painting the professor's face during the sea voyage to Europe (RMV 1935), presumably to ward off sickness. After the Uhlenbecks returned to The Netherlands, Eagle Calf, whose official English name was John Ground, undertook a journey with a group of ten Blackfoot to the eastern U.S. He was later hired by the Great Northern Railway to greet tourists at the railway depot on their way to see Glacier National Park, and sold picture postcards of his portrait in traditional attire, adding his pictographic signature for an extra fee. Artist Langdon Kihn painted his portrait.<BR> <BR> Body painting with vegetal and mineral pigments was a common practice among Blackfoot men and women, both for aesthetic purposes as well as protection against the sun, wind, and cold. Various clays produced different colors: white, green, brown, yellow, blue, and black. Some were found in Blackfoot territory, others obtained in intertribal trade. The yellowish gray clay was called isaani, "paint before baking." When heated by fire it turned into red pigment and was called niyitsisaan, variously translated as "real paint," "burned yellow earth" or "many-times-baked-paint." The pigment was applied directly on the skin, or first mixed with tallow or glue boiled from beaver tails in a clam shell. Women used to paint the part of their hair with red pigment. Sometimes these pigments were used to paint skin clothing, tipi covers, bags, and drums, using pointed bone sticks. The pigments were kept in special skin pouches. The larger type of paint bags resembled tobacco bags in form, but was smaller. Those used in daily life had beaded and fringed decoration, but those meant for ceremonial body painting usually were plain (Wissler 1910:72-73,133-135; Ewers 1945:14-15).