Weekly Trinity journal., 1874-06-13
NUMBER "a.
DEATH AMONG THE CALIFORNIA
INDIANS.

contemplate il without terror. There is
a strange morbid sentiment among them
which sometimes causes an aged woman
10 wear wound around her for months
the rope wherewith she is to be wrapped
when a corpse. There seems to be also
in this act piteous plea for little toler-
alton or perhaps the poor old wretch,
bitterly conscious that she has outlived
her beauty, and her usefulness as slave,
seeks thus to remind her relatives, impa-
tient for release, that She will burden
them now only little longer. When
dead, the body is doubled up and wrapp-
cd with grass ropes, skins, mats, and the
like into ball. A wealthy Indian will
have enough strings of she'll money pass
ed under one shoulder and over the 9TH
or to make the corpse nearly round. All
the possessions of the departed that caa
be conveniently got into the grave arc
crowded in nowadays including knives
and forks, vinegar cruets, old whisky
bottles, oyster cans, etc. In the case OF
an industrious squaw, several bushels OF
acorns will be poured over her in tho
grave. All is east out of sight and out of
mind, and what cannot be buried is burn
cd. When an Indian of rank departs
this life his wigwam is burned down.
Squaws with tarry faces dance on the new
rounded grave, with their arms now up
lifted, now wildly wrung and waved to-
ward the West while their cries and ul-
ulations are mournfll to hear. Tho name
the dead is never mentioned more, forev-
er and ever. He has gone to the sky, no
has assembled, (otieh hon hdrd) and gone
to the Happy Western Land. Standing
beneath the blue vault Of heaven, little
groups Of mourners, with bated breath
and whispering voices, point out TO one
another the imaginary spirit-roads,"
(cieSh yemmet among the stars. With
vague longings and futile questionings
they seek to solve the time old mystery
Of death and the grave. But the name il
heard no more ON earth. Ii some one ia
group Of merry takers, assembled to
while weary hour and patter the gossip
OF the campoody, inadvertently mentions
the name, another in hoarse whispers
cries out, " kedatcheda," Qt is dead
person.) and straightwoy there falls .
dead silence. No words can describe the
shuddcring and hoart.sickening terror
which seizes upon them at the utterance
Of that fearful word.
Wicked Indians ghosts Git would DO
difficult to determine exactly what con-
stitutes wicked lndian,) return into tho
grizzly bear, for tha is the most evil and
odious animal they can conceive Of
Hence they will not partake Of the flesh
Of tho grizzly, lest they should absorb
some wicked soul. Tho strongest curs-
ing with which Wintoon can curse an
other is, May the grizzly bear eat you,r
or May the grizzly bear bite your ia
theirs head Off" On tho contrary
black bear is II lucky and sacred beast.
In former times, the YulSics used to car
ry black beNr-skins over the mountains
and sell them 10 the Nome Lackees at S2e
and $50 apiece, to be- buried in. When
ever member of II village is so FORUM
ate AS to kill one, they celebrate the
Black Bear Dance, at which the lucky
hunter is the hero. They suspend the
hide and dance around il in circle,
boating it with their fists as if tanning it
then they send it to Il neighboring Will
age, that they may do likewise.
There is a word for the Almighty some-
times heard among them NomekteStoVG
which, as near as it can be analyzed.
signifies "Great Spirit of the West" 1t
is singular fact that this is the only in
stance in California where tho word for
the Supreme Being denotes "spirit"-it
ia everywhere else man" Thus the
Trinity Wintoons say Boheny Wetd,
THE Great NAM They have nothing
that can be considered II religious cere-
mony, unless it is the dance in the sweat
house, wherein they act in an extraordin-
airy manner, running around naked, leap
ing and whooping like demons in the ex-
ecrablc smudge, and heat, and stencil,
until they are reeking with perspiration,
when they Chamber up the center pole
and run and plunge neck and heels into
tho water. Some fall in a swoen like the
plantation negroes in revival, and lie
unconscious for two or three days. can
} not believe this is religious frenzy, but
simply the exhaustion resulting fiom
their savage passion for the dance, COM
bined, perhaps, with asphyxia brought
on by the hellish stink Of the sweat house.
OUertand Monthly Jor June.