FACE PAINTING Traditionally, the Powhatan People, both male and female, painted their shoulders and sometimes their faces. On occasion, the entire body was painted. Colors available from our technology provided paint which was black, red, blue, yellow or white - the choice of colors depended on the occasion.
Sometimes the paint was sprinkled with a silvery dust or fine down from birds for added effect.
Face painting had various purposes. It could be a disguise, or it could express a person's feelings. Sometimes paint was applied according to individual design, and on other occasions, all members of a group had similar painting.
Today, only women seem to have retained this old custom.