The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1881-03-12
LIE, LOUISIANA, SATURDAY, MARCH u, 1881.
The New Ell Dorado.

The New FL Dorado.
Letter from New Observation-Disclosures Of An
tiquity-An Indian Funeral-A Splendid
Climate and \ Rich Country.
Ell PAsso. N. NJ, February, 1881.
EDITOR CHIEF:
In this strange old land of deeaying
monuments and ancient antiquities, the
traveller is constantly confronting evil
dences of the skill and taste Of races who
centuries ago occupied this great Missis-
sippi Valley. Who these people were,
whence they came, and how or in what
manner they were swept out of existence,
are facts that are lost in the oblivion Of
forgetfulness. The Pueblos have u known
history dating back $50 years, while the
Pecas Cathedral gives evidence of being
built i'll the 18th century. These strange
people were sin worshippsrs, and to-day
they keep up the same heather practices.
One of the most novel sights is an Indian
funeral. Wandering through the beauti-
fnl valley of tie Rio Grande a short time
since, in company with q fellow Bohe-
mian, chance as much as any thing, led
us to the Indian pueblo of Isleta, which
nestles OIL the rivers bank II dozen miles
from Albuquerque. 1t is a curious town,
resembling large collection of lime
kilns, wherein dwell good sized branch
Of the Pueblo family, who, though ayerse
to war and hostilities, are not i'll the
least Americanized. During one Of the
quiet days Of our sojourn, we were at
tractea to the placita Of the town by the
immense crowd gathering about little
mud hovel called chapel. We hurried
along with others, exercising that Amer
lean prerogative Of elbowing our way in
through the crowd. III front of us, lying
OIL the mud floor, was the corpse, with
head resting OH Il red bandanna. A hap
py and peaceful smile was noticeable
upon his stern and brawny features, and
in his hand was firmly grasped, not the
sword Of state, but instead q large goose
feather, dyed in all the hues of the rain
bow; upon his brow, not the crown of
power, bnt two or three red and yellow
ribbon rosettes. The nethermost ex-
tremity of his red cotton shirt (worn as
a sack), was festooned with ribbons
yellow, green and blue-and his tawny
limbs from joint to moccasin, were
swathed in the same. had observed all
these details while the crowd was sing
ing ~ want to be an angel" or "Mary
had q little lamb" couldn't tell which.
After tn jubilee was over, Mr.. Corpse
was carried out to the burying field and
gently desposited on the ground to await
the further action of the burial commit
tee. The grave was of decent dimen-
sions, and after short chant by the
medicine man, who was acting as
charge d'affaires," the deceased warrior
was handed down to the two braves who
had placed themselves in the grave at
either end. They laid him gently to his
rest, face to the East, and then climbed
ont. No sweet flowers were strewn upon
his form by loving friends, but instead,
the heavy earth, seized by hundred
hands, was thrown upon his inanimate
form, while the crowd joined in the c,,o-
rus "Good-bye, my Lover, Goodbye"
Let me say at this point, parenthetically,
that may not have given the hymns
correctly, owing to my being unable to
understand single word Of their Ian
gnage. Shovel soon succeeded the hands,
and when the body was covered by about
six inches of gravel a brawny brave got
down into the grave with q battering
post and to my utter astonishment, COM
menced Settling" the corpse by pound
ing down the earth with all the strength
of his sinewy arms. While he was per-
this aboriginal ceremony the
crowd was filing off toward two large
pottery jars Of water and cleansing their
hands, which were reverently held to-
ward the setting sun to be dried. These
jars were then brought to the grave and
the water emptied in it. More dirt was
in and more pounding done, and
thus was the grave filed and deponent
further witnesseth that that Indian was
so successfully planted that he will have
a poor show Of getting out when the last
trump shall echo in tao neighborhood Of
Isleta.
At the close Of these Impressive" ex-
ercises, a procession was formed, and at
its head tAe two braves carried the empty
water jars. The line marched outside
the limits of the town, fanked by my
fellow Bohemian and myself, and numer-
GUS children, the most Of whom, by the
way, were clad only in natures garb.
Once ont Of town the jars were broken
to pieces by the chiefs, and while they
were intent on their destruction, the
squaw of the deceased, with great show
of secrecy threw away some Indian bread
to feed his hungry soul upon its way to
the happy hunting grounds. How it
was going to got ont of that grave after
having been pounded in, is what has
since greatly perplexed my bohemian
friend.
Throughout all the ceremony l OBJ
served that there was spirit of interest
in the affair which snacked more of curl
osity than of sorrow. l was informed
that this habit Of decorating with rib
bons is general among the Pueblo tribe,
md that the wilasx nftan disnasas Of