Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-03-10
A DIGGER INDIAN BURIAL.
AN IMPRESSIVE FUNERAL CEREMo oNY
SCENES Al TIE GRAVE.


SCENES Al TIE GRAVE.
A Graveyard ON hillside The Ritter
Anguish OF a Mournrr N"hiIity OF
MANLY Grief Incamtsti"n. of An Old
PrIest-ss The Last Rites.
All my visits to the settlements. "a well
as all my observations "f the Indians On
the road to the town, jogging on their
starved ponies, ur Strolliug by the side Of
their heavily loaded squaw- had served
to fiX my impression Of them a. silent,
melancholy. and suspicious little handful
OF people, their few gutteral words 50
ugly that there was no announcement in
the sound to utter many of them. and
their experience of the world 80 full Of
betrayai~ and moruse endurance was the
best weapon against more extended de
Cepti0n II Was. therefore. with a shock
Of surprise when began To- climb the
barren, stony. windswept hill where their
burial ground was. and the character Of
their mourning fully revealed itSrf tC
me, that | perceived what barhnric
abandonment Of grief custom and feeling
united to make them give way to on oc-
CaSiOnS like the death Of one Of their men.
More than fjfty men women and chill
dren were sitting upon the ground half
vvsy nthe hillside. wailiug. CRYING rock
ing thair bodies and zabbIIug long sch
t.nc-s which they would hurrledly re
commence as snnn as finished with a long
yaspir,, sigh Nnsr of the ynIup women
Tynra ra,i handkerchief, on their heads
many had children with them wrapped in
candy shaUis I'n,I A bnwId,.r at a little
distance two childrcn, ; or wears old.
had climbed. and were survey ing their
elders with cynical curiu>ity The old
,uuaws with their gray hair cut short
and their blankets pinned awkwardly
,bout them. all trace Of sex battered from
,bair f,ras hy rXDnsur,. and hard work
for the Digger has no compassion for axe.
wer. nitifuI objects in their srnii,. grief
THE Anguish or 4 NorENFR
Invent close To the grave Ii WAS wide
INT shallow. and two collins were exposed
To view. The dead man was Ia lie buried
by the side Of his mother. who died two
years earlier They were Just putting in the
.ast Of his effects a piCkaN. the head and
handle separately At the edge of the
grave stood vouRg woman of or and
~, barefouted and lightly clad in thin
brown cotton gown. She would drag her
.ong heavy black hair over her face in
frenzy uf anguish and then push il away.
moaning and showing the >harprned feat
ares and sUukeu cheeks Of the cnn~Ump-
i've. To my horror. for the action was
ireadfully suggestive Of living burial. she
.eaped into the grave and flung herself
Ipnn one "f the collins. \ man followed
her and carefully arranged her dress
about her feet The poor creature Ernaned,
and cried and made careS~Ing little noises
As she pressed her hands nerVuu>ly about
he sides Of the head of the Cufiiu. uutlIn-
ng its grim shape Al last one "i the men
lifted her up and ont Of the grave, eN-
IaUSted and inert. She sank down 10y an
Did man who sat with his back TO the
grave and lay for the rest OF the ceremony
between his knees. with her head on his
breast. her Wild hair nearly covering her
;hild. around whom the old man Kept one
arm.
Near that group sat young Indian OF
Is or ~, also relative OF the dead. ap-
Darently. as he was exempted from the
ask Of tilllng up the grave, III which all
he other men took part. He sat On the
fragment Of rock in an attitude which
-eSumed itself the nobility Ot manly grief
He was only Digger Indian. and dressed
n laborer suit OF blue jean, but his
pose was worthy OF marble, and his full
0lack eye WAS S"mber with the Intelligent
iadness no sculptor can render. The rest
'f the company kept mp their barharic
wallIng while the nihng up ot the grave
vent on, the chief figure being Al old
Soman in a blue gown, bound under the
breast with "A girdle Of dried tule.
AN OLD rEIE>TEss' INCANTATIoNS.
Only pauSiug TO dash her face with fire.
Iuent Illustrations of water-as many OF
he Others did, though the wind was raw
he old creature kept up solemn, gro
:esque dance about the grave, waving and
wringlng her hands by turns, and utter
ny lamentations. principally sound Ike
;he word 20 ah-hao' with the accent and
sharp rising infection on the second
yllshle. Another cry was phonetically.
ike the English words 20 agony. the "a
uttered like shrek.
When the old priestess had tired Of these
nCantationS she sat down AT the head Of
and rather gently beat her breast with her