Ever wondered why Red Indians are called so? They didn't have red skin, nor did they come from India but they painted their bodies and clothing with red ochre. Many of them used ochre as an insect repellant, but mostly they considered red as a sacred colour and wore it all year round. Hence the name.
Little stories like these and big activities like fire-lighting, target hitting, bow and arrow making and drum dancing all came alive at the Mercato Mall this week.
The decor represented a small Red Indian village with a big gate encrypted by Red Indian drawings of huts. It was the first time such an event was being held during Dubai Summer Surprises. Targeting children of all age groups, the event was the brainchild of the Dubai Ports Authority.
Ebrahim Fouad Hussain, supervisor of the shopping malls events for the Adventure Surprises Committee, said: "The Red Indian Adventure events opened to a great response. The children loved the ambience of excitement and thrill that builds around this place, depicting the Red Indians' lifestyle."
On location were fire-eaters, storytellers, dancers and drummers who kept the spirit alive. Children of different age groups and nationalities came together to enjoy the shows, and to learn how to shoot a genuine Red Indian bow and arrow from a wooden horse at a moving target, have their faces painted in the style of the ancient Red Indians, or even learn to write their names using the different tribal ways of picture writing.
Simple workshops such as beaded necklace and bracelet making for little girls and wristband making for the boys in Indian platted leather were also conducted.
A special set up was also created to give the feel of star gazing with Red Indians. Here the children could camp under the make-believe stars and better understand how the Red Indians used to hunt and navigate, using the positioning of star constellations such as The Bear, The Goat, The Great Hunter, and many others for directions.
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