How to apply war paint, and its history. Indians on the warpath

In this material we will try to highlight the main milestones in history war paint, find out how it is used today, and also study short instructions for its application.

The history of war paint

It is known that war paint was used by the ancient Celts, who used indigo blue, obtained from the woad plant. The Celts applied the resulting solution to the naked body or painted its bare parts. Although it cannot be said with complete confidence that the Celts were the first to come up with the idea of ​​​​applying war paint to the face - woad was used back in the Neolithic era.

New Zealand Maoris applied permanent symmetrical patterns to the skin of the face and body, which were called “ta-moko”. This type of tattoo was extremely important in Maori culture; by “ta-moko” one could read the social status of a person, but, in addition, it was an attempt to create “permanent camouflage” and at the same time create a prototype of a military uniform. In 1642, Abel Tasman first reached the shores of New Zealand and came face to face with the local inhabitants. In the diaries preserved from that time, there is not a word about the fact that he met people with tattoos on their faces. And the expedition of 1769, which included naturalist Joseph Banks, witnessed in its observations strange and unusual tattoos on the faces of local aborigines. That is, at least another hundred years passed before Maori began to use tattoos.

North American Indians used paints to apply patterns to their skin, which helped them, as with the Maori, for personalization. The Indians believed that patterns would help them gain magical protection in battle, and colored patterns on the faces of fighters helped them look more fierce and dangerous.

In addition to painting their own bodies, the Indians applied patterns to their horses; It was believed that a certain pattern on the horse's body would protect it and give it magical powers. Some symbols meant that the warrior was showing respect to the gods or was blessed with victory. This knowledge was passed on from generation to generation until the culture was destroyed during wars of conquest.

Just as modern soldiers receive awards for their achievements in military affairs, the Indian had the right to apply a certain design only after he had distinguished himself in battle. Therefore, every mark and symbol on the body carried an important meaning. The palm, for example, meant that the Indian distinguished himself in hand-to-hand combat and had good fighting skills. In addition, the palm print could serve as a talisman, symbolizing that the Indian would be invisible on the battlefield. In turn, a woman from the tribe, who saw an Indian warrior with a handprint, understood that with such a man nothing threatened her. The symbolism of the patterns went far beyond just ritual actions and social markings; it was necessary as an amulet, as a bodily placebo that instills strength and courage in the warrior.

Not only graphic markers were important, but also the color basis of each symbol. Symbols painted in red denoted blood, strength, energy and success in battle, but could also have completely peaceful connotations - beauty and happiness - if faces were painted with similar colors. Black color meant readiness for war, strength, but carried more aggressive energy. Those warriors who returned home after a victorious battle were marked black. The ancient Romans did the same when returning to Rome on horseback after a victory, but they painted their faces bright red, imitating their god of war, Mars. White color meant sorrow, although there was another meaning - peace. Patterns in blue or green colors were applied to the most intellectually developed and spiritually enlightened members of the tribe. These colors signified wisdom and endurance. Green color was closely associated with harmony and the power of providence.

Later, the Indians began to use coloring not only for intimidation, but also as camouflage - they selected the colors of the coloring in accordance with the conditions. Flowers were used to “treat”, protect, prepare for a “new life”, express the internal state and social status, and, of course, face and body painting were applied as decorative elements.

The modern interpretation of war paint is purely practical. Military personnel apply dark paint to the face under the eyes and on the cheeks to reduce the reflection of sunlight from the surface of the skin, which is not protected by camouflage fabric.

When we look at an image, the brain processes a huge amount of information received from the eyes and other senses. In order for consciousness to extract some meaning from what it sees, the brain divides the overall picture into its component parts. When the eye looks at a vertical line with green spots, the brain receives a signal and identifies it as a tree, and when the brain perceives many, many trees, it sees them as a forest.

Consciousness tends to recognize something as an independent object only if this object has a continuous color. It turns out that a person has a much greater chance of being noticed if his suit is absolutely plain. In a jungle environment, a large number of colors in a camouflage pattern will be perceived as a complete object, because the jungle is literally made up of small parts.

Exposed skin reflects light and attracts attention. Usually, in order to apply the paint correctly, soldiers help each other before the start of an operation.

Shiny parts of the body - forehead, cheekbones, nose, ears and chin - are painted in dark colors, and shadow (or darkened) areas of the face - around the eyes, under the nose and under the chin - in light green shades. In addition to the face, coloring is also applied to exposed parts of the body: the back of the neck, arms and hands.

Two-tone camouflage patterns are often applied randomly. The palms of the hands are usually not camouflaged, but if in military operations the hands are used as a communication tool, that is, they serve to transmit non-verbal tactical signals, they are also camouflaged.

In practice, three standard types of face paint are most often used: loam (clay color), light green, applicable to all types of ground forces in areas where there is not enough green vegetation, and clay white for troops in snowy terrain.

In the development of protective paints, two main criteria are taken into account: protection and safety of the soldier. The safety criterion means simplicity and ease of use: when a soldier applies paint to exposed parts of the body, it must remain durable in environmental conditions, resistant to sweating and suitable for uniforms. Face painting does not reduce the soldier's natural sensitivity, has virtually no odor, does not cause skin irritation and does not cause harm if the paint accidentally gets into the eyes or mouth.

Modern tendencies

Currently, there is a prototype of paint that protects a soldier’s skin from the heat wave of an explosion. What is meant: in reality, the heat wave from the explosion lasts no more than two seconds, its temperature is 600 ° C, but this time is enough to completely burn the face and severely damage unprotected limbs. As stated, the new material is able to protect exposed skin from minor burns for 15 seconds after the explosion.

Man, as a herd and social “animal,” began to paint his body, including his face, from ancient times. Each tribe had different ritual makeup, but it was performed for the same purposes:

• Designation of tribal (family) affiliation;
• Defining and emphasizing your status within the tribe;
• Announcement of special achievements and merits;
• Designation of the unique qualities and skills inherent in a given individual.
• Determining the type of occupation at the moment (combat, hunting and supplying the tribe, reconnaissance, peacetime, and so on).
• Obtaining magical or mystical protection to support one’s actions, both during military operations and when participating in special rituals.

In addition to painting their own bodies (and a photo of an Indian’s coloring can be seen in our article), North American Indians also drew corresponding patterns on horses. And for almost the same purposes as on yourself.

Indian war paint

As you can guess from the name, not only graphics played a role in coloring, but also color, which denoted different phenomena:

• Red - blood and energy. According to beliefs, it brought good luck and success in battle. In peacetime, it emphasized beauty and family happiness.
• Black - readiness for war, striking aggressiveness and strength. This color was mandatory when returning with a victory.
• White meant sorrow or peace. These two concepts were very close among the Indians.
• The intellectual elite of the tribe painted themselves blue or green: wise and enlightened people, as well as people who knew how to communicate with spirits and gods. Green color also carried information about the presence of harmony.

Entering the “warpath”

“A great day to die” - with this motto the North American Indians greeted the news of the beginning of a military campaign and began to apply war paint to their faces. It confirmed the warrior's fierce courage and unshakable courage, his status and past merits. It was supposed to instill terror in the enemy, including those defeated or captured, instill fear and despair in him, and provide magical and mystical protection to the wearer. The stripes on the cheeks confirmed that their owner had repeatedly killed enemies. When applying war paint, factors were taken into account that not only terrify the enemy, but also provide additional protection, including camouflage.

The image of a palm could mean good hand-to-hand combat skills or possession of a talisman that gives the owner stealth and invisibility on the battlefield. Uneven, but uniform war paint gave a feeling of unity and kinship in battle, just like modern army uniforms do now. He also emphasized the status of a fighter, like insignia and orders today.

The war paint of the Indians turned out to be an effective means of raising their morale. He also helped to cope with the fear of death, since one had to die like a hero, with a thirst for blood overflowing the heart. It was impossible to let him be filled with the fear of death and the desire to live, for this is a shame for a warrior.

Features of horse war paint

After finishing the ceremony of painting, if the Indian did not fight on foot, they switched to horses. Horses of a dark color were painted with light paint, and animals of a light color were painted with red paint. White circles were applied to the horses’ eyes in order to improve their vision, and the places of wounds, like their own, were marked in red.

Symbolism

Almost every Indian, from the very beginning of his youth, thoroughly knew the features of the usual and war paint of both members of his tribe and related and allied tribes, as well as all known enemies. Despite the fact that the meaning and meaning of the same symbol or combination of colors could differ significantly among different tribes at different times, the Indians perfectly navigated this almost endless sea of ​​​​meanings, which caused genuine surprise and envy of the whites who came into contact with them. Some openly admired, but most “white-skinned” people only hated the Indians more for such qualities as loyalty to their word and unwritten code of conduct, honesty and frankness in demonstrating their intentions by the Indians, which was confirmed by the war paint on their faces.

An interesting fact: at present, there is a persistent stereotype that North American Indians received the nickname “redskins” for their skin color, which supposedly has a reddish tint. In fact, their skin is slightly yellowish and has a slight tint of light brown (this shade may vary among different tribes, especially those living far from each other). But the term “redskins” arose and took root due to the coloring of the faces of the Indians, in which red predominated.

Let us note one more interesting fact. Only warriors who distinguished themselves in battle had the right to apply paint to the faces of their wives.

The role of “pale faces” in the implementation of coloring

Naturally, even before the advent of the whites, the Indians, with their ability to produce on an industrial scale and, accordingly, supply anyone with paints of any shade, applied war paint. The Indians knew different types of clay, soot, animal fat, charcoal and graphite, as well as plant dyes. But with the advent of traveling traders among the tribes, as well as after the Indians began visiting trading posts, the only product that could compete with alcohol (fire water) and weapons was paint.

Meaning of individual elements

Each element of the combat, and not only, coloring of the Indians necessarily meant something specific. Sometimes it’s the same for different tribes, but more often it’s just very, very similar. In addition, being drawn separately, the pattern could mean one thing, and in combination with other elements of such “tattoos”, something generalizing or clarifying, and in some cases - the exact opposite. The meaning of Indian war paint:

• A palm print on the face usually meant that a warrior was successful in hand-to-hand combat or a very good stealth scout. For women of their own or allied tribe, this element served as a guide to reliable protection.
• For many tribes, vertical red lines on the cheeks and above indicated the number of enemies killed. Among some tribes, this was indicated by black horizontal stripes on one of the cheeks. And the vertical marks on the neck meant the number of battles.
• Some of the tribes painted their faces with black paint, in whole or in part, before the battle, and the majority after a victorious battle, before returning home.
• Very often the area of ​​the face around the eyes was painted over, or they were outlined in circles. Usually this meant that the enemy would not be able to hide and the warrior would attack him and defeat him with the help of spirits or magic.
• Traces of wounds were marked with red paint.
• Transverse lines on the wrist or hands meant a successful escape from captivity.
• On the thighs, painting with parallel lines meant that the warrior fought on foot, and with crossed lines - on horseback.

Peculiarities

The Indians, as a rule, really wanted to emphasize all their achievements in war paint, but did not attribute too much to themselves, but moved from one status level to another only based on victories, murders, scalps, recognition by fellow tribesmen, and so on. At the same time, the war paint of the Indians was applied to a minimum by young men who had just arrived at the appropriate age, as well as by young warriors who had not yet had the opportunity to distinguish themselves in combat battles. Otherwise, the spirits of the ancestors might not recognize their own and not provide them with the necessary help, or even worse.

The Indians, of course, were very well versed in the social hierarchy and knew their leaders, including the military. But this did not mean that the leaders did not emphasize their high status with clothing, headdress and war paint. Thus, the image of a square indicated that its bearer was the leader of a given military detachment.

Drawings in the form of heads of predatory animals

Separately, it should be said about tattoos or paint drawings in the form of heads of predatory animals, which were depicted on the head or body and which were very difficult to earn. In particular, they meant:

• coyote - cunning;
• wolf - ferocity;
• bear - power and strength;
• eagle - courage and vigilance.

Items of clothing and military weapons were subject to coloring. On the shields, if the warrior used it, there was a lot of space, and it was possible to put on it not only existing achievements, but those that he was striving for. And by the sewing, finishing and coloring of the moccasins, even a child could determine the tribal affiliation of its owner.

War paint on military faces

In our practical times, war paint is given a purely practical, down-to-earth meaning. Military personnel, including intelligence or special forces, need to reduce the visibility of the face and exposed areas of the body, including the eyelids, ears, neck and hands. “Makeup” must also solve the important task of protecting against:

• Mosquitoes, midges and other insects, no matter whether they are blood-sucking or not.
• Solar and other types of combat and (non-combat) burns.

During preparation, a lot of time is spent practicing applying camouflage makeup using improvised means. As a rule, it should be two-color and consist of parallel straight or wavy stripes. Earth, dirt, ash or clay is the main element. In summer you can use grass, sap or parts of plants in summer, and in winter you can use chalk or something similar. There should be several zones on the face (up to five). The makeup is applied by the warrior himself and must be quite individual.

Children's coloring

Indian war paint for children is now very often done, especially for boys. Therefore, having painted their faces and stuck a feather of any bird into their hair, they cheerfully chase each other, waving a toy tomahawk and shouting loudly, using the method of rhythmically pressing an open palm to their mouth. This makeup is perfect for children's carnivals and parties. Safe face painting perfectly imitates the war paint of Indians with photos of original drawings and is easily washed off with soap and water.

Conclusion

So, we looked at the essence and features of the war paint of the Indians. As you can see, each color and pattern has its own meaning. At the moment, it will be difficult to see Indians painted in this way (except at carnivals), but several hundred years ago great attention was paid to this nuance, and coloring had its own power.

" They usually applied red paint, which protected the skin from the effects of the frosty wind on the Northern Plains and the scorching sun on the Southern Plains. In addition, it was believed that it makes a person more beautiful and brings good luck. Crow men usually covered their faces with red paint, slightly tinting their eyelids yellow.

With the advent of white traders, the Indians began to buy ocher from them in huge quantities, and when this was not possible, they used various natural dyes. To apply it to the face, the warrior took a little ocher and fat, rubbed it on his palms until the required consistency was obtained, and then, closing his eyes, rubbed it into the skin. According to William Clark, it was for this reason that the Indians of some tribes plucked their eyebrows and eyelashes - so that the paint that dried on them would not irritate their eyes. The Lipans and Pawnees paid special attention to plucking their eyebrows, and the Comanches also plucked their eyelashes. The Crows, unlike them, did not pluck their eyebrows or eyelashes. Wislicenus wrote that the Kanzas, whose village he visited in April 1839, “like all Indians, love to paint themselves with ocher, especially to draw red circles around their eyes.” Sarsi men and women painted the upper part of their faces with ocher or cinnabar.
Belden reported that the paint is sold in small boxes and dealers make a 500% profit on it. He wrote: “In recent years there has been a firm in St. Louis specializing in Indian paint, and every tribe on the Plains knows their brand. Their colors are excellent, and the Indians are willing to pay any price for them.” Traders supplied the Indians with paint in black, red, yellow, green and blue.

Despite popular belief, the purpose of painting Indian warriors was not to intimidate their enemies. War paint served as magical protection for the warrior and his mount, and, as the Indians believed, it imparted or enhanced certain magical and physical abilities. Usually each warrior had his own method of painting. Various types of coloring were mainly the result of visions and were individual. There were also certain methods of coloring that signified military merit or intentions. Denig reported that the Assiniboines, when setting out on a military campaign, painted their entire faces with bright red paint. Dr. Hoffman, who accompanied General Stanley's Yellowstone expedition in 1873, argued that the Crows, as a military custom, usually painted only their foreheads with red paint when going on campaign, while the Sioux applied red paint to the lower part of their faces - from the line of the eyes to the chin. But this information is doubtful and can only relate to the coloring of individual warriors. Thunder Bear, an Oglala Sioux, reported that having a forehead painted red with black horizontal lines on one side of the forehead (on top of the red paint) signified the intention to fight enemies. The Pawnee used a variety of colors to paint their bodies. Members of the same military society did not have to be painted in the same way or with the same colors. Some wore white paint all over their bodies, others painted the left side of their faces blue and the right side red. However, representatives of the Assiniboine Bear Cult, going into battle, painted their faces with red paint, and then made vertical “scratches”, symbolizing bear claw marks, removing some of the paint from both sides of the face with their nails. Afterwards, they drew black circles around the mouth and each eye.

Oglala Sioux Thunder Bear in 1912 spoke about the following types of coloring of the warriors of his tribe. Horizontal wavy colored lines drawn on the warrior’s wrists meant that he was captured by enemies, but managed to escape. Red spots on any part of the body are wounds from arrows or spears. Red horizontal lines on the arms or body, as well as red vertical lines on the neck - the warrior has been in battle. Each line meant participation in one battle. Black circles around the eyes gave the warrior a magical opportunity to defeat the enemy at night or surprise him and defeat him. Black horizontal lines on one cheek also indicated that the warrior had killed the enemy. Diagonal black lines on the thighs - the warrior fought on foot in battle. Black crosses on the hips - the warrior fought on his horse. Among the Sioux and Cheyennes, vertical red lines running along the cheeks along the temples to the jaw meant that the warrior had killed the enemy in hand-to-hand combat.

For most tribes (Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Pawnee, etc.), black was the color of victory. It meant the end of hostility, symbolizing the extinguished embers of enemy fires and enemy lives that the spirit had left. Returning from battle, warriors painted their faces black before riding triumphantly into the village, waving their scalps above their heads. Victorious Crows always covered their faces in black paint, and the phrase "with black face" was a stereotypical designation for a victorious return. The Cheyenne often painted even ceremonial costumes black and red - the colors of victory and renewal of life. Many Sioux war songs contained the phrase: "I'm looking for black face paint h!" In the victorious Sioux troops, in which none of their own were killed, not only the first four warriors who killed the enemies, but also their relatives who took part in the Dance of the Scalps were allowed to paint their faces black. According to Thunder Bear, a Sioux returning from a campaign with the scalp of an enemy might paint not his entire face black, but only the area around his mouth and chin. Among the Omahas, if warriors killed an enemy, the leader of the detachment painted his face with black paint. Later, upon arrival in the village, all participants in the campaign did the same. The Mandans and Assiniboines, who returned with captured scalps and counted “ku,” completely painted their faces black, leaving the tip of their nose untouched.

Warriors could take the necessary paint with them or make it on site using various natural dyes. The Plains Cree mixed tallow, charcoal and graphite to make black. The graphite was ground into powder with greasy hands, then a little crushed charcoal was added and the resulting mixture was rubbed onto the skin. The Skidy Pawnees covered their faces with soot obtained by burning grass.

Osages and Comanches, on the other hand, often applied black paint before battle. Comanches typically painted two stripes, one along the forehead and the other along the lower part of the face. Often, pioneer accounts mention that the faces of the Comanche warriors who attacked them “were covered with black paint.” James Thomas recalled the appearance of a hostile Comanche force in 1810: “In the distance we saw Chief One-Eye approaching with his warriors. They were all painted black and armed with bows, guns and spears.” Osage warriors, according to Lafleche, when preparing to attack the enemy, painted their faces black with charcoal, which symbolized the mystical power of destructive fire and meant that the warriors would be merciless towards their enemies and expect them to treat themselves in the same way. This coal was scraped from the burning branches of the ceremonial fire before the military detachment set out on the road. According to James Dorsey, when setting out to steal horses, the Osages painted their faces black with charcoal. When preparing to attack enemies, members of the Honga clan covered their right cheek below the eye with mud. This coloring was called Decoration of a young buffalo bull. They said: “My youngest grandfather (young bull buffalo) is very dangerous. It’s the same for me when I’m about to attack.” All warriors of the Tshiju clan, according to Dorsey, before attacking with their left hand, covered their entire face with red paint, called fire paint. They prayed to the fire: “Just as fire does not know pity, so we do not know it.” They then applied a layer of mud two or more fingers wide to the left cheek under the eye. Dorsey also noted that those Osage warriors who behaved like bears painted their faces only with charcoal. The coloring of some warriors symbolized wind, lightning or puma. William Whitman reported that when Oto warriors went into battle, they would cover their faces with black paint and then run their fingers over it to create lighter streaks. Noah Smithwick also mentioned that the color yellow, according to the Comanche, had "the power to turn away arrows and bullets aimed at a body that was rubbed with yellow paint."

During ceremonies, a man's coloring could indicate his belonging to a particular clan or the military exploits he had accomplished. For example, all Osage old men who showed themselves in the ceremonies painted themselves during the ceremonies in accordance with their belonging to one or another clan. The elders of the Tshizhu clan first covered their faces with white clay, then applied a red spot on the forehead and painted the lower part of the face red. After this, they ran their nails along the cheekbones and cheeks, scraping off the clay so that dark skin appeared against the white background. The coloring could be standard or, in the opinion of the warrior, should reflect a certain action. The leader of the Flatheads, Moise, whose body was completely covered with yellow paint during the dances, except for his right leg below the calf, painted red, explained that thereby he symbolized the great battle with the Blackfoot that took place at the Yellow Stone River (Yellowstone River). Among the Poncas, a warrior who struck an unwounded enemy painted the upper part of his body black; the first to strike a fallen enemy (wounded, killed or prostrate on the ground unconscious) - unevenly covered the body with black stripes; black stripes were applied, and those who captured horses from the enemy painted marks on the body in the form of horse hoof marks. Among the Sioux, a warrior's face, painted with white spots, meant that he had committed a brave deed in winter. The site of a wound received by a warrior or a horse was marked by most plains tribes with a horizontal line with drops of flowing blood for an arrow and a red spot with flowing blood for a bullet wound. In northern Shoshone body painting, right angles or angular images of horseshoes meant horse tracks, and wavy lines along the entire arm and leg symbolized a rainbow. Short horizontal, curved, slanted or vertical lines indicated the number of enemies killed. Hand marks indicated participation in hand-to-hand combat. Among the Mandans, the coloring in which the right side of the body or shirt and leggings was painted blue, and the left side red, meant that he had killed an enemy far from home or had counted the first or second “ku” on a lone enemy. The Assiniboines smeared their faces and capes with white clay only in case of grief.

Warriors who proved themselves on the warpath were allowed to paint the faces of their wives. But if a man did not have military merit to his name, he was deprived of this privilege. “There is nothing better,” said the old Crows, “than to see a young woman with a painted face. She looks so proud and happy, holding his (husband’s) spear and shield, sitting on his best war horse and showing everyone that her man is a warrior who has proven himself on the battlefield.”

Along with the development of language as a communication tool, non-verbal methods of communication developed. Before learning to speak coherently, a person used the limbs of his hands and facial expressions to communicate, unconsciously learning to put so much meaning into every arc and straight line on his face that all of this was enough to be fully understood by his interlocutor. When going to war or hunting, he applied a symmetrical pattern to his face, emphasizing his intentions, and with the help of facial muscles, the coloring came to life and began to work according to specific rules.

In this material, we tried to highlight the main milestones in the history of war paint, find out how it is used today, and also create short instructions for application.

The history of war paint

It is known that war paint was used by the ancient Celts, who used indigo blue, obtained from woad. The Celts applied the resulting solution to the naked body or painted its bare parts. Although it cannot be said with complete confidence that the Celts were the first to come up with the idea of ​​​​applying war paint to the face - woad was used back in the Neolithic era.

New Zealand Maoris applied permanent symmetrical patterns to the skin of the face and body, which were called “ta-moko”. This type of tattoo was extremely important in Maori culture; by “ta-moko” one could read the social status of a person, but, in addition, it was an attempt to create “permanent camouflage” and at the same time create a prototype of a military uniform. In 1642, Abel Tasman first reached the shores of New Zealand and came face to face with the local inhabitants. In the diaries preserved from that time, there is not a word about the fact that he met people with tattoos on their faces. And the expedition of 1769, which included naturalist Joseph Banks, witnessed in its observations strange and unusual tattoos on the faces of local aborigines. That is, at least another hundred years passed before Maori began to use tattoos.

dyeing woad

North American Indians used paints to apply patterns to their skin, which helped them, as with the Maori, for personalization. The Indians believed that patterns would help them gain magical protection in battle, and colored patterns on the faces of fighters helped them look more ferocious and dangerous.

In addition to painting their own bodies, the Indians applied patterns to their horses; It was believed that a certain pattern on the horse's body would protect it and give it magical powers. Some symbols meant that the warrior was showing respect to the gods or was blessed with victory. This knowledge was passed on from generation to generation until the culture was destroyed during wars of conquest.

Just as modern soldiers receive awards for their achievements in military affairs, the Indian had the right to apply a certain design only after he had distinguished himself in battle. Therefore, every mark and symbol on the body carried an important meaning. The palm, for example, meant that the Indian distinguished himself in hand-to-hand combat and had good fighting skills. In addition, the palm print could serve as a talisman, symbolizing that the Indian would be invisible on the battlefield. In turn, a woman from the tribe, who saw an Indian warrior with a handprint, understood that with such a man nothing threatened her. The symbolism of the patterns went far beyond just ritual actions and social markings; it was necessary as an amulet, as a bodily placebo that instills strength and courage in the warrior.

Not only graphic markers were important, but also the color basis of each symbol. Symbols painted in red denoted blood, strength, energy and success in battle, but could also have completely peaceful connotations - beauty and happiness - if faces were painted with similar colors.

Black color meant readiness for war, strength, but carried more aggressive energy. Those warriors who returned home after a victorious battle were marked black. The ancient Romans did the same when returning to Rome on horseback after a victory, but they painted their faces bright red, imitating their god of war, Mars. White color meant sorrow, although there was another meaning - peace. Patterns in blue or green colors were applied to the most intellectually developed and spiritually enlightened members of the tribe. These colors signified wisdom and endurance. Green color was closely associated with harmony and the power of providence.

Later, the Indians began to use coloring not only for intimidation, but also as camouflage - they selected the colors of the coloring in accordance with the conditions. Flowers were used to “treat”, protect, prepare for a “new life”, express the internal state and social status, and, of course, face and body painting were applied as decorative elements.

The modern interpretation of war paint is purely practical. Military personnel apply black face paint under the eyes and on the cheeks to reduce the reflection of sunlight from the surface of the skin, which is not protected by camouflage fabric.

Those warriors who returned home after a victorious battle were marked in black.

Rules for applying coloring

When we look at an image, the brain processes a huge amount of information received from the eyes and other senses. In order for consciousness to extract some meaning from what it sees, the brain divides the overall picture into its component parts. When the eye looks at a vertical line with green spots, the brain receives a signal and identifies it as a tree, and when the brain perceives many, many trees, it sees them as a forest.

Consciousness tends to recognize something as an independent object only if this object has a continuous color. It turns out that a person has a much greater chance of being noticed if his suit is absolutely plain. In a jungle environment, a large number of colors in a camouflage pattern will be perceived as a complete object, because the jungle is literally made up of small parts.

Exposed skin reflects light and attracts attention. Usually, in order to apply the paint correctly, soldiers help each other before the start of an operation. Shiny parts of the body - forehead, cheekbones, nose, ears and chin - are painted in dark colors, and shadow (or darkened) areas of the face - around the eyes, under the nose and under the chin - in light green shades. In addition to the face, coloring is also applied to exposed parts of the body: the back of the neck, arms and hands.

Two-tone camouflage patterns are often applied randomly. The palms of the hands are usually not camouflaged, but if in military operations the hands are used as a communication tool, that is, they serve to transmit non-verbal tactical signals, they are also camouflaged. In practice, three standard types of face paint are most often used: loam (clay color), light green, applicable to all types of ground forces in areas where there is not enough green vegetation, and clay white for troops in snowy terrain.

In the development of protective paints, two main criteria are taken into account: protection and safety of the soldier. The safety criterion means simplicity and ease of use: when a soldier applies paint to exposed parts of the body, it must remain durable in environmental conditions, resistant to sweating and suitable for uniforms. Face painting does not reduce the soldier's natural sensitivity, has virtually no odor, does not cause skin irritation and does not cause harm if the paint accidentally gets into the eyes or mouth.

Exposed skin reflects light and attracts attention

Modern methods

Currently, there is a prototype of paint that protects a soldier’s skin from the heat wave of an explosion. What is meant: in reality, the heat wave from the explosion lasts no more than two seconds, its temperature is 600 ° C, but this time is enough to completely burn the face and severely damage unprotected limbs. As stated, the new material is able to protect exposed skin from minor burns for 15 seconds after the explosion.

Scientists believe that the first means of applying combat makeup was blood. Ancient people smeared themselves with animal blood not only before hunting, but also before raiding a neighboring tribe. And it is unknown what was primary in this - the creation of a kind of olfactory protection from one’s own human smell or giving oneself a creepy appearance that would plunge enemies into horror. Covered in the blood of the enemy, the warrior demonstrated his strength and aggression - and not only to the enemy, but also to his comrades and to himself.

Bloody masquerade

In some tribes of Africa, America and Oceania, warriors used their own blood for such terrible decoration. This symbolized determination and contempt for pain and death, a kind of “battle frenzy” - akin to that demonstrated by berserkers in northern Europe. Tacitus noted that the barbarians who opposed the Roman army in Britain deliberately “scratched their faces with a sword” in order to appear more terrible.

Pride in their wounds and their traces - scars - forced the ancient inhabitants of Europe, the Celts, to prevent them from healing without a trace. This is evidenced by Theodor Mommsen, describing the Celts in the History of Rome: “Everything was a reason for boasting - even a wound, which was often deliberately widened in order to show off a wide scar.” Sometimes, in order to prevent the memory of a wound from disappearing, mineral dyes were specially added to non-dangerous wounds, emphasizing them with blue, red or black colors. Clay, soot, ocher or coal dust helped to “touch up” the wound. (Perhaps this is exactly how the birth of the art of tattooing once happened - from the accidental entry of paint into a healing wound - to the deliberate violation of the integrity of the skin with the introduction of dye).

Blue-faced Picts

The name of a group of tribes living in the north of Scotland, given to them by the Romans, is directly related to this custom - the word “Picts” means “painted”, covered with drawings. The Picts were not of heroic height, judging by the remains found in their military graves - no higher than 170 cm. It was vital for them to give themselves a frightening appearance. Pictish tattoos depicted their patron animals (totems).
Clay with a high content of copper compounds - malachite and azurite, with bluish or greenish tints, was especially revered by the Picts for combat makeup. In addition, they achieved a bright blue color by using a dye made from a herbaceous plant called woad. The blue woad pigment could compete in the brightness and purity of tone with expensive indigo - it was known to people since Neolithic times, later it was called “German indigo” and was used throughout Europe and even in Rus' for dyeing wool. Not only the Picts, but also other Celtic warriors frightened opponents throughout Europe with their “cyanosis.” Caesar in his Notes on the Gallic War notes: “All Britons paint themselves with woad, which gives their bodies a blue color, and this makes them look more terrible than others in battle.”

The “dead” skin tone of the painted warriors was intended to show the enemies their lack of fear of death - since they were already, to some extent, “dead and blue.” The area for applying war paint was considerable: the Picts went into battle almost naked. In addition to the uniform blue background, the Picts painted totemic symbols on their bodies and faces - images of animals, birds and fish. Geometric and spiral patterns were popular, the meaning of which is still unknown to history. There is a version that these are also highly stylized images of totems.
Continental Celtic tribes, for example, the Bagaudas, more often used orange pigment for war paint on their faces.

Military make-up

Other northerners - the Vikings - at the height of their era - from the 9th to the 13th centuries. - they often also used war paint, but in it they were no longer interested in this or that color - they were varied, but in the graphic symbol of the totemic animal - the patron saint of the clan. It is known that the Vikings had a special passion for the color red, applying it with ocher, clay or blood.

Modern military personnel use combat cosmetics a little less frequently than their distant ancestors. As before, applying combat makeup has two main goals: to a greater extent, camouflage and, to a lesser extent, psychological impact on the enemy. A combination of these purposes is often used, for which bright blue is not very suitable: a combination of gray, brown, green and black in the form of a specific “camouflage” pattern hides much more effectively and is no less frightening. By destroying the color continuity of the visual image of a person’s face, combat makeup allows a special forces soldier to remain unnoticed for a long time, and when he jumps out to meet the enemy, he can frighten and demoralize him.