Strange Indian Funerals.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXI, Issue 8959, 7 December 1905, Page 1 (Supplement)

Strange Indian Funerals.

(Naw York Sun.)

Wbutavvv pnrtai;»3 »f tlu> mystHridus «pp«uls Ni tlui mind u£ th« Tmimn. Super •titiuus bt tut uxtreine, nil that is unknown *n<i unf.itlloinuil is iitwouiuftxi with tlio miraculous umt supuruiitunil. tuwl he livws ill, im> iLtmo«ph«ro of inysticmnu Dvntli is t<i him uirtjumßtitnuif of thi? hiifh-«i. >ifgrew <>t myntvty, guys th» !•<'« Timt's, ami tho uurmnonu's »tt»n<lii:jf tlu;

funcr.'il iuxl buriul urn, tlicrcfort", vlal.or:vti> olid in miiny cast's imposing. 'l'h» surviccs ov«r tint (lend vary greatly with diffortnt tribvs. and tlu? muthtxfs of disposing; of the t>o<lii'» arn nrnay. tnhiunution in, pvrhupn, tin; most mminon mi-thod of putting invay the d«iwi. but «vun here there is u varinty of custoißß. S)ome bury the duud in u. sitting posture. ♦Hhtuw double the body together and; bind it with coixk. Still others atiui<l the body upright, mid in other cuars the corpse iu given a recumbent position. Slirvvral of the tribes of the South, west practise eremuti«>n; some dispose of their dead by ptucin# the bodies upon elevated: platforum; others entomb them in stone cysts, caves, hate or other buildings, while some of the const tribes sink the bodies in the waters of the orriin. Tim Pima Indians bury their dead im mediately, or as soon after death as possible. 'file burial generally takes place tit the night time. The bixly is prepared; tor the gravo by being tied double with ropes passed under the knees and around the neck. When the medicine man of the tribe pronounces death inevitable, the grave is prepared. This is it, perfectly round hole, four or livt? feet deep, just large enough to receive the body, ft often happens fchab the medicine man makes a mistake in the diagnosis of the case and the patient recovers. Etis grave is then left nntill«d till such time as he is ready to occupy it. Should other members of the tribe die first, new graves are prepared for them, the other being left to yawa till it. gets the one for whom it was made, tt therefore happens that nearly evury Pima cemetery contains several open graves. The burial is accompanied by chanting by the mourners, words laudatory to the departed being improvised. The grave is filled while the weird songs are being sung and: a polo fence or covering is thea constructed to protect the grave from the depreciations of coyotes or other wild animals- The immediate relatives of the departed cut th«ir hair as a sign of their mourning, and they cense their occupations several weeks, tmmcdia.tely after the scr vices at t.he grave the house and personal effects of tho departed are burned and his or h«r cattle and horses are slaughtered iind cooked. A great feast is then made ia which all members of the tribe in the vicinity take part. Tile Navajos have a liwrror of death, and will not approach a. corpse save of necessity. When death occurs in a. dwelling it in immediately abandoned, and as soon as practicable a, new li mie :r. built, ta the meantime the surviving members oi the household camp out or take refuse with otller members of the tribe. Sometime,* the house when; the death taVs pi n e is made to serve as a tomb for the dead, the doorway being filled with sticks and mini. It. iu more usual, however, for the body to bo buried in a *ra.ve prepared for it. the remains being conveyed- to the grave thil next day after death by two perfectly nuked Indians who. after the funeral, purify themselves before resuming their apparel. Tho body is followed by a. long procession of friends and relatives who march about tho grave chanting songs and wiui. upon departing, deposit each upon the grave somo article which the departed will need in making his journey to the lowur wnrid—the lucatioiv of the Navajo spirit land. The Etopi tndians have one burial custom for adults and another for children. They be lit* v u that, the spirits of the latter return to their mothers and that they are fom again. They, therefore, dispose of the bodies of the young by putting them in, the clefts in the rocks in the mesa, in

uny cimTcnicnk ptiwr. Kllinif thi- crrvU-i? with sticks, stones and mail. Tht* hniEit-s of imhilts art" l:u<i ia tfw.v™ at tlu- foot of t.ho riK'sa. After brinif iinrefnlly (Iressrd nn<l prt'piiXMi for a. lontf journey .'i. prayer is fni<t with t.lic beily, h> which is a.tl:wlieil' ;t. lony striiitf. ami the ho<iy i.s theil e.overed »mt a. pile of stones lai«l on tin* ifr:iv(». Tlu* stri.nif. whieh is left pr»* jei;tin(f from the jrra.ve. is then la.id in iv lonif treneh ntnninif <lue west from th« eairn. Tt is the belief of tho Ffopis that tlu* spirit of the departed, which is thought to he asleep with the hu<lv in. the iyr:ive, a.w;tkes at the expiration of the fourth 'lav. when it is supposed to follow the string up out of the grave and along the trench, when, hnving been started In the right direction, it continues on its westward way till it comes to the (trund ('anon, in the depths of whieh they believe to be the house of rthe dead, to which they ha-ve Uiven the name of "M.mlti." The A pitches put their dead a.wuy in the clefts of th» rocks, in shallow gni.ves, .ind. in tlu* east* <if children, in the tree tops frequently. They cha.Ht the virtues of the departed' at. tlu* time nf the burial, a.nd th« immediate friends of the deceased give themselves tip to mourning for .i period. The Pala. tndians of Southern California, have hud the advantage of more than a. century of religions traininif. one of the early missions ha.ving been located in, their midst. Tlu>y have assimilated the g(>Rera.l iden of the resumption of the body and tlv life beyond the gr.'i>ve. ami have blend ed this doctrine and the burial customs of the Catholic church with the original rit.es ol' paganism. It is now their belief that the body is destined to lie a. certain length of time in the grave and at the expiration of that period the resurrection takes place. For this reason, they are very particular to record upon tile rude board cross or stone slu-b with which they murk, the grave the exiirfc time at. which thi* decasi-d mised |o live. The inscription will state that such a. person died on the t9th day of .fitly,. 1800, at. t o'clock in the morning." fn some cases cheap alarm clocks arc lung to till* cross, the ha.nds being set at the hour ajr<i minute at. which death occurred. til, the OiahuilU Cemetery, in, the Colo.

fadn Desert, is a curious litter used by the truiians ti> convey their dead to their last resting place, ft consists of two pules, the handles of which are cunninifly mla,i<l with tiny pieces of llorn and bone, the poles bei'njf jointed together by stringers of horse hide, upon which t.h» b'nlies are laid. 'Hie burin.) of the deml is aceom piuiiiil bv ufaborati; ceremonies. including tlin chanting of sooip? ami prayers and the giving of i*ift« to the departed, and the burning of th«» pulm trre which wan planted u-t the birth of Uh> departed ;wd which l«iri» his or her mime. Tlk> \unui Indians of the < 'olorado Desert. cremate their deiwl. A funeral pyre is erected us .soon ue, or before, death takes place, and the burninif of the body- takes place im soon after death a« the arranitt?menls e.'til b« completed. The elothinjf and peivsonal effects of tho departed are consumed with the body, together with a Uniuitity of foot! to last the spirit on its journey to the radm <>f pleasure, whence tt in bound, "l-he house is also burned, that, those who survive may not be reminded of one who is jjone for. they say, "memory is bwt sorrow ; therefore let us t'orsfet."

Tht> t'te tudiium pliwc tlii- bodies of their dead in caves, many bodies i'ti tombwl within a sinifie eavem. Afte* (UU'h entombment. thw mouth of the avi; is stopped- with sticks ami stones to keep out animids, tuid tht» placo in not .tjpiiiv visited till thw n«xt inturment. takes place. I'bo preparation of the body for buriiil is simple. SJo chunge is made in tlUv clothinkf.. liso limbs beintf straightened and th<? wnapoiiH of thi> deceased, if a man. or house liold implements, ii a woman, beinif placet beside tho body. The male friends of the deeeiised slloot tllp horses iind cattle- which belonged to him .aid ham his house. ;ui<l personal effecta. Thw female friends. w|io«« duty it is to prnpii.ro the body for tlu» tomb. tHiur the rsmuins to th«ir last rcslmjf place, atturinjf hidwus cries during th»» march to tht» sepulchre. fa th« west urn part of I'tah. ia th« lirejit Suit Liks. Desert, is a volley called Skull Valley. bec:ine» of th» great number "f human skulls and bo««s found thers. This locality is the home- of thw Closh-tTftt fiidiims. who have one of thi> most tiniqrtH burial customs known. Til's consists ift weighting- thw body with ston«i and sinking it ia thw mtul and watwr of thw few springs '« be found ill that region of thirst.

The JCojavn Indians crwmute theij dead | upott |» funeral pyee, *imilo* to that of the | umas,. While- the body a being tsti- < sunusdv certain priest* or pest singers run f about the pyre chanting the- praises of th<? I night. and the ceremonies art? weitd and f uncanny ia the e.ttreme. !

Tho Aiiiiooriawt tmtmn> of Oktif«rai:i hitv* iv culiotiu custom, which is part brin.U itn<i purt crßtniUion. They rfijf » h«t.- in etlf gctumii nt autfici-nt cfcptb to luiant ehtf«»ly sfamiitiif, hjuwing- only Ch« hewl u.f>o*v thtf Utvul: of tilo gr<>ur,»i. fhe hea*l ia then cut off. thw weapons an«l p«rs«tot efEects of the <kc«u-wl are placmi in the gr»v»bi'siit<» tl\« btxty. together with a> (|a,»ntity of foo«l v uJiti the griivß ia then 6IW. 'lhrrt art pl.w:t<f npoa the gr*«e a.«i the head ia fcnrocft to ashea tiieneoo. I>wrintf the burning the friends iiwl rebtiv«a »ta.n«£ u.fK>ut tuut cfuiftt a ni'-irrtifot »".ny. 'fhc a incluwia praetise «rß«a.»tuk.i aixiimpunifxt by «la.boratß' «f«nwmßtt»tir.(u of grii:f iinil the cfuintiruf of sowp. They visit Ch<;r uhoifp ol the (ippurtiffl «iiily for In sprinkling meal upon the jjroiin«l tm Bcsvi* as food for the spirit. When a «»- maft lodes hor hnsbtWMf. shf mixes his aah<»» : with pitithv diitkiag a, whits- p;wte r «o>l shi> smfa-rs it Mnmiil her head, makinix a white bund about two inchtra widf\ which : sin- wi-urs aa a of mourning.

The Kelta Indians believe that when ons <:E their tribe dit-s a. title bird takes th--spirit, and starts with it for the spirit world. tE the spirit hj«« departed a wurttiy life the bin! readies the nappy land and the spirit dwells there forever. If. however. the life has been aa evil one. a cruel hawk ciitches the bird ar.d devours it. together with the soul which it is bearing, and both perish miserably. The Karok Indians of California, perpetuate the memory of their departed friendsby abstaining from- all mention of them. If one ia so forgetful a« ti» mention the name of one of the dead. tto» others are shocked, for it is their belief that the mention of the namo causes the body or bones ia tflu grave to- turn and moan, and the spirit i» halted on its journey toward the- spirit land. In fact, the mention of the name of a departed friend is a deadly insult to thw living relatives, ami is punishable with the same penalty as mtvrd«-r. a very heavy fine, known aa "blo.xl money."