Western World Costume. Carolyn G. Bradley

      Primitive and Aboriginal Peoples

      CHRONOLOGY

      PALEOLITHIC PERIOD (Old Stone: earliest times-8000 B.C. or later): Oldest man-like remains Pithecanthropus erectus (Java) may be as early as 550,000 B.C. Homo Heidelbergensis (Germany) 150,000 B.C. or earlier. Homo Neanderthalensis (western Europe to Palestine) c. 100,000-25,000 B.C. Cro-Magnon, c. 8000-4000 B.C. Man a nomad, lived in crude huts and caves, followed food supply, hunted and collected vegetables for food. Tools of chipped stone, wood, bone. Development of culture during Ice Age.

      NEOLITHIC PERIOD (New Stone: c. 4000-2500 B.C.): Man located in one place, accumulated possessions; practiced agriculture, domesticated animals. Made pottery and tools of polished stone. Growth of large communities, social organization. Possible migration of people from a central locality in Asia to parts of Europe and Africa.

      BRONZE AGE (3000-1000 B.C.): Bronze implements.

      IRON AGE (after 1000 B.C.): Examples of iron tools date back as far as 2500 B.C. in Mesopotamia. In many cases this civilization resembled that of various present-day cultures.

      PRIMITIVE PEOPLES OF TODAY: Indian tribes of Latin America. Natives of Africa, Asia, Australia, South Pacific Islands, and islands off the coast of Alaska.

      CHAPTER 1

      Primitive and Aboriginal Peoples

      HISTORY

      There is much difference of opinion about the chronology of the early periods in the story of mankind, but it is generally agreed that man first appeared at a very remote date, possibly 550,000 B.C. The oldest human-like remains within our knowledge is the Pithecanthropus erectus, found in Trinil, Java. The next stage in development is represented by the Homo Heidelbergensis and other human skeletal remains from Java, China, and Europe. Evidence from the Homo Neanderthalensis (c. 100,000-25,000 B.C.) indicates a new type of man who used numerous and diversified instruments of bone, finished with skill, and lived in caves and rock shelters. It is thought that he painted his body and possibly practiced tattooing, as well as fashioned materials for dress. This race, which disappeared quite suddenly, was replaced by a fourth type of man—the Cro-Magnon (c. 8000-4000 B.C.). From evidence which has been found the latter possessed a very different kind of culture and apparently had unusual artistic ability as shown in little bone implements, crude needles and coloring materials, the latter denoting a development in costume.

      Paleolithic culture reached its peak in the last part of the Old Stone Age or Reindeer Period. In the Neolithic Period or New Stone Age, more highly developed men occupied Asia, Africa, and western Europe some 4000 years ago. They wore garments of skin and ornaments, and left us important contributions from their culture: the bow and arrow, the boat form, the wheel, pottery making, and the art of weaving. Body painting and tattooing were popular. Necklaces of shells also date from this period.

      The Bronze Age followed the Neolithic Age and continued from c. 3000-1000 B.C. These dates may vary greatly since in some locations the Bronze Age was not arrived at and in others this period was never terminated. Costume at this time was highly developed and accompanied by beautiful accessories.

      Our knowledge of the clothing of primitive man may be obtained through archaeological evidence, and from peoples living under like conditions at the present time.

      Less than a hundred years after Columbus discovered America, John White recorded in water color paintings the life of the Indians on the Carolina coast, and Jacques Le Moyne, a Frenchman, made memory sketches of Florida, after he returned to England. These records give an excellent idea of the primitive costume of the North American Indian.

      Opinions vary in regard to the origin of clothing, but the most important may be classified: (1) as a protection against the elements; (2) to satisfy the aesthetic sense; (3) as an expression of modesty.

      Exception has been found to the first theory. Nude natives have been seen in cold climates with sleet frozen on their bodies. The natives in the extreme south of South America wear very little clothing.

      Throughout centuries man has justified decorating himself in various ways in order to attract the opposite sex. The owner of a bear’s-tooth necklace, for example, was able to attract the object of his affection, not only because the teeth were thought beautiful, but also because possession of such a necklace signified bravery. He would be considered a valiant man and be recognized as a good provider.

      There are arguments against modesty as a reason for donning clothing. Tribes that wear the most clothing are not necessarily the most modest. The costumes of some tribes show the marital status of the individual, such as skirts of coconut leaves worn by Yap women of the Caroline Islands and the longer skirts of the Indian women of Chichicastenango, Guatemala.

      As the centuries of various costume unfold before us we are impressed with the repetition of certain costumes and new accessories suggested by those of ancient times. Permanent waving and straightening of the hair, in common use now, was considered an innovation a number of years ago, although these arts had been practiced by women for centuries. The primitive hairdresser when straightening hair used about two hundred sticks and a bowl containing paste made of black powder mixed with an oleaginous substance. First, the operator took a strand of hair, stretched it out to the length of a stick and then rolled the two between the palms of the hands. The application of paste caused the hair to adhere to the stick, and after drying, to be straighter.

      The position of woman in primitive cultures is usually that of homemaker. She often has a servile attitude toward her husband, sometimes helping him in the field. At other times, she may take charge of the financial affairs of the house and make decisions in important transactions. In one Indian tribe in the southwestern part of the United States, the wife asserts her authority by placing her husband’s belongings outside of the door when she has become tired of him and does not wish to have him around the house any more.

      Primitive man is an excellent hunter and often a very good agriculturist. He is accomplished in the handicrafts; the man of an Indian tribe in Guatemala does the expert weaving and embroidering and works with woolen fabrics, whereas the woman weaves only cotton.

      The costume historian is never surprised to find a counterpart of a costume of today in an illustration of primitive man in Africa, Australia, or other parts of the world, the difference being that the higher the stage of development, the greater the variety of costumes, and the greater the individual freedom with which they are worn.

      DRESS