Boas, Franz: Primitive art (Oslo , Leipzig [u.a.], 1927)

96

Symbolism


(yellow, black and whitish) represent the sunshine. The green color
between these lines denotes clouds; the four following rings the
rainbow, and the external ring has no ascertainable meaning. On
the other side there is a star in the
center; the black circle stands for
night, the blue color at the circum-
ference for twilight, and the oblique
red, yellow and white lines for the
sunshine.”
Some Arapho designs are inter-
preted as representing geographical
features or a village in its geograph-
ical environment. In the specimen
shown in (fig. 88) “the two large tri-
angles at the end represent tents; the
center diamond two tents; between
them a white stripe with black dots
in it represents a buffalo path with
buffalo tracks in it. The four red
obtuse triangles along the sides are
mountains; small yellow triangles en-
closed by them are tents; the double
blue lines surrounding the entire
pattern represent mountain ranges.
Small rectangles in this border,
colored red and yellow, represent
lakes.”
Geographical interpretations are
quite common among most of the
Indian tribes of the Great Plains.
Mountains, caves, trees, streams, lakes, trails, and tents are commonly
symbolized in the angular forms of their paintings and embroideries.
As compared to these the association between abstract ideas and
geometric form is rater rare.


Fig. 87. Drum of the Assiniboine.