The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1880-08-25

should betray such weakness. and With -,
oiow OF his tomahawk he cleft him 10 ~
oraln. be was immediately buried yyba~,
ne ieii- The women of his family crisC
over MS grave, but the warriors closed rbe
DAY with feast and a dance.
men d Choctaw committed homicide h.
was never put under arrest He knew IN,
ueol had 70 be paid, and how it was 10 h,
pau, ana there Is no instance in which h,
l4lleo 70 appear on the day and at the place
appointed. Re-adjustments, reductions snd
compromises were not tolerated II soma-
Times happened that if the party was
young man, with a family, his aged father
/ or uncle, or some one Of his blood wonlJ
offer to die in his place and this was slvvovs
accepted in satisfaction. The marty ah,,,,
TO die spent the preceding night in cbqnt.
/ ing ms death song, aud continued to sine
| until ne reached the appointed spot He
then calmly knelt, and was shot or toma.
| HawAed oy one of his kindred, and thus the
teud was extinguished
Homicide and witchcraft were orI,, ori,,,.,-
punished capitally.
IL was point of honor not To hermit
thelr fallen braves TO be scalped. They
would risk their lives to carry off ar c,o-
ceal their bodies. AncientIv. when ono ,yas
Killed or died long way from home they
buried HIM IN sitting posture, to indicate
that he was only resting, and would return
In ancient times, the bones We're enyeloped
III cover of bark, and deposited in a shallow
grave near and often in, the house. The
ShrlFe!ied lhteguments stripped off by the
bone-plckers, were buried in a senarate nlace
over which pole was planted, to which was
suspended thirteen hoops, make of Crane
vine, to represent the thirteen lunar months
winch they counted year. To the ton of
the pole was attached 4 small streamer or
nag. The spirit of deceased was supposed
TO ascend by these hoops to the top of the
pole, where it fingered till the funeral cere
monies were over At certain intervals the
kindred came to cry over the grave. each
time removing hoop. When the last hoop
was removed, the ceremony of the pole
pulllngs and dancing home took place
The two Oldest men that could be found
were employed to take up the pole. receiv-
ing fee for the service, Two supple.footed
young men then seized and bore it of. and
buried or concealed it where it could not be
seen again. Then the spirit takes its flight.
and the warriors dance it home. This
dance lasts all night, and often continues
until the whole party is exhausted, because
it IS long journey the spirit has to make.
AT length he comes in view OF the happy
hunting grounds, and finds it encircled by
river of whirlpools, dark and deep, and the
my NiOoolliS - Il sHHdll slippery pole, from f
which the bark has been stripped. Two
ierce-looking giants, armed with clubs, +
guard this crossing, and assail all who APP
oroach. If the spirit is that Of brave war
rior, he escapes the blows, walks boldly
over, and is there met by a knd-ooking
nan, who presents him with superior weap-
,ns, and conducts him where there is
abundant game.
The bad spirit plants his foot on the pole
is knocked into the angry stream-is
wept a long way down, aud at last finds
himself in a cold, desolate country, where
IN old, ill-natured man gives him a worn-out
'ow and broken arrows, and with this he
las to provide scanty subsistence, and live
N roots and very poor meat.
They believed that the souls of women
nd children went direct to the happy
rounds.
The scatiolding of the dead was abandon {
d many years since; the pole and hoops
ontinued much longer, and the cry over I,
ne grave-an affecting spectacle-continues t
ven to the present day. Ii
To be Continued !