St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1884-12-27

a Religious Rite in Conamemora-
ton Of the Dead.
How 1T Is Performed by a Remnant OF the
Nsnomonee Tribe i'm Wisconsin-The
Indians Inordinatc Desire for
Whisky.

"Would YOU ike to attend pow
wow" asked my friend Brown, at
whose camp in the pine wood party
of Us ws> stopping. for weeks rest
and a few trout.
"Wouldn't -" was my reply. L
have always desired to witness such a
ceremony" A powwow, As presume
most of nv readers know, is 4 sort of
religious rite performed annually in
cornmcmoration of the dead. 1t is gen
orally held at some place where a large
number of Indians are buried together.
We'll. then. if nothing happens. YOU
can crafty that desire tonight. said
Brown. Years AGO the smallpox
Killed of about half the tribe of Me-
nomonccS. and their burial ground-or
mound. rather, for they are all buried
together in a great heaps about three
miles from this place. | saw some In
tlians to-day. and. on asking them
where they were going. they told me
that powwow began tonight.
.'Are they willing to receive visitors?"
] asked.
%, yes" answered Brow. :, nothing
Dleascs them moro. = ------l '-'---s-%ss
We set off Just before dark. The trail
we followed led through the pine woods
and was so slight that an unframed
eve never would have known there
was one But Brown. who has spent
most of his life in the woods. has be
come almost an Indian i'll the tricks and
accomplishment of woodcraft, and he
seemed to find it easy TO keep in the
path without the aid of a lantern which
we had suggested, much TO his muse-
nlrnt. The night was not positively
dark. but as the sky was full of clouds
the WAY through the woods Was at best
"A very Shadowy and obscure one
..ilark," said Brown. as we climbed
to the top of ridge. We listened. and
heard family sounds that reminded me
Of the hnwling of wolves. rs remembered
from my childhood. which had been
spent in wild, unsettled country where
wolves and other wild animals were
things we We're so familiar with that
Familiarity almost bred contempt.
That's them" said Brown. 1t ;
always the same thing over'n over.
sh'd think they'd get tired of it and
have Il change some time, but they
don't.
AS we went down the long slope of
the ridge the sound began to grow
more distinct. Now il would come on
the wind from the valley and seem near
bv: then the wind would die away. and
the sound with it. until it seemed far
off 1t was sound between a howl
and wall. pitched in 4 minor key, and
very mournful. II suggested grief, and
WAS precisely the sound YOU would
expect a man TO make in expression of
his sorrw if he had no words to express
il in. All people express grief i'll sounds
very much alike when no words are
used. | think. There seems to he a
universal language for the various emo
-tions we experience, whether of JOY or
sorrow.
Presently we began to see lights shin
inc through the trees. A sharp turn in
the trail led us into a clear space on the
side of the hill. from which we could
look into the Indian camp, which was
situated on Il small stream running
through the valley almost beneath our
feet. The wi~wamS were at one side of
clearing OF perhaps IN acre III extent.
There were probably about thirty of
them. The once powerful Menomonee
tribe is reduced to about two hundred
men, women and children. and is
doomed to become extinct in few
wears. In front Of each wigwam
smouldercd a fire about which the cook
ing had been done. At the other end
Of the clearing was circle of fires. fed
from piles of reSinous pine split into
small strips. These ignited immedi-
atcly and sent out a brilliant blaze.
which gave out dense black smoke.
which rose and blended in with the
gloom of the pines encircling the little
camp. In the center of the circle of
fires rose large mound, overgrown
with bushes. In this the dead had been
buried in one ghastly heap.
''For years they wouldn't come near
the spot" said Brown. WAS afraid
they'd catch the disease that carried
the others off. You see There's moth
ing in the world the Injun's so much
afraid of as smallpox. And well he
may be, for ii goes hard with en-
Ii seems that one part of the ceremo-
nics Of the evening had been completed
gus. before We came in Si.rat Of the .amp