When an Indian dies he must cross the river to get to the happy hunting ground. The happy hunting ground is the Indian's Heaven and the river to cross is the test he must pass to reach it. The downy feather so much a part of Indian garb, to the mind of the Indian, is a bridge from the spirit world to ours. Everything that has a spirit, must be honored and respected. The spirit of a person goes into whatever comes in contact with the grave.
Animals eat the grass, the spirit goes into the animal.
I recalled a story I'd found on my own in an early Scholastic. When an Indian was asked why he couldn't understand the white man's religion. Indian taught to honor his father and mother and creator everyday. When we die we replenish Mother Earth. Mother earth is where we come from and where we return.