The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1883-06-28

landlord. IL said tell you where I got
'em," the small boy replied, as he
walked to the door. II didn't ketch 'em
traded six fly hooks an that ches'n nut
fish pole O. mine to Bill Smiths boy fol
'em."-Milford, Pa, Letter.
INDIAN BURIAL CUSTOMS.
Destruction of Personal Property
| Treatment of Widows.
The belief of these Indian tribes is
universally, it should be understood,
that the dead man is. in sense. still
living. He has, indeed, gained access to
another world, but he is constantly revis-
iting the world OF his former life, in
which he lets himself be seen by his
tribesmen and his family during their
dreams and visions. His powers have
been increased by his death, to some
extent for good, but to far greater ex-
tent for evil. He is peculiarly apt TO ex-
ercise these malefrient powers in pun
ishing neglect, stinginess, or disrespect
| on the part of his surviving kinstolk, for
in the other world he is just as much in
need as he was of what during his life
made up his wealth, and his place in
the spirit society to which he has gone de-
! subsequently, in great measure ON the
! honor paid him at his funeral. Out Of
this belief arise two customs-one of de-
| stroying the dead mans property 80
| that he may enjoy it in the ghost world,
the other of paying him respect by fun
eral ceremonies and funeral feasts of in
| ordinate splendor and cost. The primi-
tive usage appears to have been that the
whole of the property of the dead was
| destroyed by burning it or rendering it
| unfit for use. Among the COmanches:
! 'All the effects of the deceased, the
tents, blankets clothes, treasures, and
| whatever of value he possessed, besides
the. articles which have bHen buried
with the body, are burnt, SO that the
family is left IN poverty. The practice
has extended even to the burning of
wagons and harness since some of the
civilized habi:s have been adopted. 1t
is believed that these ascend to the
service to the owner in the other world"
These Comanches have dreadful
story that some rationalizing members
| of their tribe once persuaded it to act on
| the assumption that any horse would do
| to convey dead man to the other
world, and thus to kill no horse at the
funeral Of an old Comanche except
broken-down pony. The result was
| that the old man reappeared on his aged
pony announcing that he had been re-
fused admission to the land of spirits
while he WAS 80 mounted; and he began
riding up and down the villages of his
kinsmen till they were compelled to de-
sert them. The same practice of total
destruction survives among the Indians
of Colorado, with a qualification which
deserves to be noticed:
Gin conformity with a long established
custom all the personal property of the
deceased is Immediately destroyed his
horses and his cattle are shot, and his
wigwam, furniture, ETC., burnt.
Occasionally the destruction of horses
and other property is of considerable
magnitude, but usually this is not the
case, owing to a practice eXlstin! with
them of distributing their property
among their children while of very
tender age, retaining for themselves
only what is necessary to meet every
day requirements"
But of all the valuable possessions of
the dead man, there is one which he
would perhaps most desire to have with
him in the world of spirits. This is his
wife. We need scarcely say that, even
at so late date as the first thirty years
y,
Hindoo was burnt on the funeral pile of
her husband. There are Indian officials
still alive who have attended at the GER
emonv on the part of the governmental
the British law about half a century
old, has forbidden the self-immolation,
the widow is practically condemned
70, the rest of her life to humil-
iation and servitude. 1t is most singular
to find among these Indian tribes the
traces of similar course Of reform. 1t
was burnt or buried with her husband.
But the spontaneous change of ideas has
modified the institution. The widow is
no longer burnt, butamong certain tribes
to keep up the principle she is subjected
to a process of $50 to speak) smuggling.
Here is somewhat repulsive picture of
what goes on among the Indians OF Ore
gon:
"During the nine days the corpse is
laid out, the widow of the deceased is
obliged to sleep by its side from sunset
to sunrise, and from this custom there is
no relaxation, even during the hottest
DAYS of summer. While the doctor is
performing his last operations she must
| lie on the pile, and after the fire is ap-
piled she cannot stir till the doctor or
ders her to be removed, which, however.
is never none till her body is covered
with blisters. After being placed on
her legs, she is obliged to pass her
hands gently through the flame. When
the friends of the deceased observe the
to contract, they compel the unfortunate
widow to 90 again on the pile, and by
dint of hard pressing to straighten those
members"
Having, however, under the modified
custom escaped from actual burning, she
is condemned to some years of cruel hui
initiation, in some respects curjously like
that which the Hindoo widow is under.
stood still to suffer. ''Shs i, now con.
sidered and treated as a slave" "she
must obey the orders of all the women.
and even OF the children belonging. to
the village" If weeds appear on her
husbands grave she must root them up,
anil always with her fingers. But her
having to collect the larger bones of her
velope of birch bark, and to carry them
for some years on her 2back. Many wi
dows commit suicide under this compli-
cation of cruelty, but if the faithful wi
dow lives and perseveres for three
or four years, her husbands friends and
relatives agree to liberate her from. her
servitude. There is great feast;
speeches are made in her honor; her
husbands bones are buried; and if she
pleases, she can marry again. Few wi
dows, however, significantly adds the
observer, are willing again to encounter
the risk.
Among several tribes the widow of an
Indian merely carries about with her a
roll Of bark or cloth without any enclo-
sure this is called her Husband" It is
fastened to her side, and she retains it
night and day for two years, at the close
of which she may throw it off and marry
| again. It amounts to no more than the
European widows cap. At the same
time it undoubtedly represents the roll
of bark containing the llusb and's bones.
All these cruel rites have, by the natu-
raj transformation of usage died down to
this innocent survival'-London Times.
The Popularity OF Great Men.
It is all nonsense to say that because
the people at large love cakes and ale
as of course, they do-they will not tol-
crate any one who does not love cakes
and ale too. They will not tolerate any
thing that looks like ostentatious virtue.
But they will love all the better, the
man who, not being in love with such
| delights himself, shows himself simply
as he is, without the smallest deprecia-
ton of those who care more for such in