ocher

A naturally occurring mineral derivative that was, and remains, in use by many indigenous peoples around the world as a pigment for marking bodies, hand tools, ceremonial objects, animals, and cave walls or other ceremonial spaces. The two most often used ocher colors are red and yellow. The red is derived from hematite and the yellow from limonite, both of which are iron rich minerals.

Photo Credit

 
"Red ocher, July 28, 2011" by Bob Richmond is licensed under CC BY.

Manuscript Occurrences
Published Works
Term Type
References

 
Bailey, Flora L.
     1950   Some Sex Beliefs and Practices in a Navajo Community: With Comparative Material
         from other Navajo Areas. Cambridge: The Museum.

Lamphere, Louise
     1969   Symbolic Elements in Navajo Ritual. Southwestern Journal of Anthropology. 25:279-
         305.

Waldman, Carl
     1994   Ocher. Word Dance: The Language of Native American Culture. New York: Facts On
         File, Inc.