Origin Of Dyes Traced To Pilgrim, Native American Use
November 4, 2001

Although the Pilgrims are pictured as attending the first Thanksgiving feast in somber garb, the Native Americans were undoubtedly wearing colorful clothing, because whatever the Native American wore was decorated.

Materials and designs varied with the rank of the individual and the ingenuity of his wife. Colors depended on availability of natural materials.

It wasn't until the mid 1800's that the brilliant failure of a 18-year-old English chemist's assistant resulted in the discovery of the possibility of coal tar as a synthetic dye material. He was attempting to produce a source of quinine, but instead discovered a precipitate that produced a purple dye.

A "mauve decade" followed, as well as further development of other chemical substances and the wide variety of synthetically produced colors that we take for granted today.

Craftsmen, however, often turn to natural dyes because of their softer colors. A study of the materials and methods is likely to make one appreciate why the Pilgrims might have confined themselves to black, white and gray!

Using plant and animal products for dyeing is of ancient origin. Perhaps the first color was obtained by staining with colored juices of fruits and flowers. The leaf juice of the indigo plant was used as a blue dye about 3000 B.C. Tyrian or "royal" purple (actually a deep crimson) was a precious dye prepared by the inhabitants of the ancient city of Tyre in Phoenicia, from the secretions of a marine snail.

One of the most ancient dye stuffs on record is kermes, a scarlet dye used in coloring linens and wool. It was derived from little scale insects which infest an oak abundant in the mountainous regions of southern Europe and the near East. The insects were gathered, killed by the exposure to the vapor of hot vinegar, and dried.

Cochineal, which also produces shades of red and orange is derived from the female of a scale insect that feeds on species of cacti in Mexico and Peru. With the discovery of the New World, imports of cochineal from Mexico replaced kermes as it was a stronger coloring material, requiring only one pound of dried insects as compared to 10 to 12 pounds of kermes for the same results.

Madder, obtained from a plant related to the bedstraws, produced alizerin crimson. The Blackfoot Indians obtained the same effect from the roots of our native bedstraws. Weld, now found in this country as a naturalized weed of the Migonette family called Dyer's Rocket, was grown in Europe for a supply of yellow dye.

Fustic, a member of the mulberry family is still used to produce shades of brown in the dying of woolens. The bark of a dye material call "young fustic", related to our sumac, is also used.

Reds, yellow, orange, browns and blacks were colors easily obtained by the Native Americans. Blues and greens were not so commonly available. The Ojibwa made blue dye from larkspur flowers and blueberries.

The Chippewa, boiled old, very rotten wood, from maple trees and added a little sandstone dust to get blue and purple. Algae, leaves and twigs yielded greens. Browns and blacks were obtained from green hickory nuts, walnuts and wild grapes. The Potawatomi used various barks for yellow, red and brown dyes. The roots of the sandbar willow produced scarlet, while those of the bloodroot were used for orange and yellow.

The Native Americans knew and used a wide variety of plants, and pioneers with a yen for color explored their natural surroundings for dyestuffs. In our family a dull-gold heirloom couch cover barely escaped being dyed brown with butternut shells (Grandmothers idea, Mother vetoed it.). Lists of these materials may be found in many craft books. They include such items as onion skins, various berries and barks, lichens, roots, leaves and twigs, and many plants of woodland and wayside.

Preparation of these materials is a time-consuming process which includes gathering them at the best time breaking them into small pieces and mashing and smashing them to release the pigments. They may be dried and stored until ready for use.

When used for dyeing the macerated pieces are put into an enameled pot and covered with water, and simmered for hours until all color is extracted. The liquid is then thoroughly strained to remove all particles.

From here on, the craftsman is on his own as results vary with the materials used, the length of time they are left in the dye bath and the type of mordant (color-fixing substance) used. Many books and articles are devoted to these details.

But, it might be difficult to make a living by dyeing.