The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1853-06-18
INDIAN CUSTOMS OF MOURNING.

but until last night never attended 4 mourn
M festival OF the mountain tribes of Caitor-
nia Different tribes have customs that not
"nii'1uently differ in some respects from
others. but here the custom of mnurn;n., for
their dead at stated periods is universal. both
with the valley and mountain tribes. thonoh
the ceremonies vary little Grass Valley
Is the seat of ROYALTY. for it Is here that KIM
Wcimcr holds his Court. and from this c,vor-
ed spot ISSUES the mandates which control the
actions of several tribes or clans.
The territory of King Wcimar is bounded
on the north by the Yuba, on the south Iy
b'ar iivcr, on the east hv the lofty ride ot
! the Sierra Nevada, and on the west hv tlir
Valley ni the Sacramcn,o, embracing an cx-
tent "i country perhaps fifty miles in lrn-th
from east to west. hy something like from
twenty TO twenty-five miles in width. In an
i"ardnce and hamt- the subjects of this rrrl;
Napoleon are not more inviting than the 9th
CT Wild tribes of California. save that m,
great majority are now abe 10 sport a shirt
or ca>t-oif coat and pantaloons of some poor
INNER. Mcimar Is a man OF much good sense
ami hs early penetration discovered the pow
cr Of the whites, and except few early out
breaks, which perhaps he could not control.
he has been the warm and undertaking friend
OF The whites. In this he finds security for
hi~ weak subjects, for no American nolr>r>
them and they on their part are cautious in
gl'in" offence. "A "athrrin. nf the rlan>'
waS 10 he held 10 mourn toT their dead. lit
l. good to mourn over the ashes ut the dead,
sad Ncimar, The spirits OF our lrrnl>
are happy when the, see W. i" nnr tnr.tt
them. 1t was ~ our fathers did. IL Is ,o We
'io Tor them. and 80 will orr children do for
u>. They hover around Us when We mourn
they drink IN our grief with ,lrlinht. ami
they drive oil evil from our LODGES. 1t Is .ooi
10 mourn.
lhe tribes were gathered in. The trails
were filled with swarthy, ,lu>kv forms. and
the streets Of our little town w,.re alive with
men. holding IN one hand the cedar bow and
qmNcr nj >trnr-pointcd arrows which the,
invariably carr, III peace or war and WOMEN
ri all aG''>. from sweet sixteen thravrn save
the MARI } To The grey head OF sixty SHOWS.
with ihrir c"nIrdl ha>nrt. hanging un Their
ha"ks, pendant by a strap passing over their
torrhc'v!<. There was nofhnc unusual to
marx the men. but nianv of the women were.
prepared tor the mournful occasion hv an
external mark of grief. Their heads and IA
rrs were Smcar"d with black pitch, re>en-
bin" tar and their hair cut short, was filled
with hard, black resin. giving the covcrin"
an appearance of a >kull-cap,
Their rendezvous was little over mil,.
from town. higher up on the mountain: and
about o'clock in the morning. prompted by
curiosity, set out for the scene of mourninr
rs approached the place of mourning hv
solitary trail discovered on the ridge thro' !
the tall. dark pines, the glimmerin. "i many +
fires. and :oon the deep rr, oi waiin. reach ]
cd my ears. In the deep stiffness of =
night, and amid the prime,al forest
mountains, the mournfu sound of t.
produced a strange sensation W..
b.. | t,l,, "A -
the departed were haste M. hx ,o n,,.., -
gam their friends pf e.. l.
As Idrew "rArey the so.,n,l@ '., fc,,n,, mor,.
"'>','''' ''''' :" n | stood in the solemn a>-
i' .iar> four hundred mrin. women
'''" ''',''' n stood together in mass. weep
M ''''" wailing in accents of the mos; heart
'''' 'rrow, while cluS,rrin. around num,r-
I" fires were hundreds more, who were. ,.ii-
thcr fatisucd with weeping, or were awaiting
their turn when others Of their brethren
should become exhausted Altogether. there.
may have been from eight Ia ten hundred
souls
: Without Ios;ling the m"urncrS. crowded
III anon" them ~ far a> | could get towards
the ccnlcr, in order 10 have :. view oi what
was gong ON in the center oi the crowd. |
al first thought that two chiri, were ,lanrin,
for saw head dresses with tail feathers nlor-
in. up and down with icrI'>ichorran um,iula-
"a Int ,,l,, I
covered that they were rude images fastened
To board one of red cloth the other of
white, bound with colorcl "aitcrs spirallv
wound around them; and pendant from What
should be the breast. hung the she'll of a pearl
OYSTER, which Is among their most valuable
ornaments. he>e IMAGES Were I'm the hands
of two >IuawS, who gave them th,. motion of
dancing. ~ they moved slowly around, the
crowd gave way for them, extending their
arms towards the images or throwing out into
Vacancy, uttering at the same time the mos.
heartfelt sounds of grief, with tears strram-
ing down their checks which ever and anon
each wiped from the others ewes. Sometimes
one laid his hand upon anothcr's he'd, as If
invoking blessing. Then, a.3uu. extend
ing naked arm, with the hand flat made
slight motions in the air. Souetimcs the
women in double files. with their arms thrown
around the one before them. moved in the
procession with dancing images at their head
but never proceeded far in direction from
the main body.