Arizona weekly citizen., 1888-09-08

ginia-wIth great squanderInR of capi-
 tals, The Indians are relIlaous in pre-
 serving the corpses of their Kings and
 Rulers after death, which they orier in
 me following manner. First. they neat.
 " nay on tSe skin Gs entirely Es they
 can, slittIng 1; oEly ID the back, then
 they pinch all the flesh eff from the
 bones, as clean as possible, leaving the
 sinews fastened to the bones that they
 may preserve the joints together: then
 they dry the bones in the sup and put mem into the skin & ain when in mean
 nme was kept from drying or shrink ing when the bones are placed right m the skin, they nicely ill up the vscuI- ties with Very fine white sand. Alter thls they sew up the skin again, and the
 body looks as If the flesh had never been removed. They take care to keep the skin from shrinking. by the help of little oil or grease, which saves 1t slso from corruption. The skin being thus prepared, they lay is in sn apartment tor that purpose, upon c large shelf raised from the floor. This shelf is spread with mats for the corpsejto rest easy on. and skreemed with the same, to keep IL from the dust. The flesh they 4'g NfNA Au Al4t kO 1IN hE4 when It IS thoroughly dried, 1t is sewed up m a basket and set at the feet of the corpse 10 which it belongs. In thls place they also So. up quiaccas, tIdol,) ) which they believe will be a guard to the corpse. Here, night and day, one or the other of the priests must give ms attendance, 10 take care of the dead bodies. So great are honors and vener- stion have these unpolisht people for their princes, even after they are dead.
 A stil or older writer improves upon this north Americsn Indian"
 RECEIPT FOR MAKING MUMMIEs
 m the quaint phraseolOgy of his times. says be: Their bodies are first bowelled, then dried till very dry, and SO about the most of iOynts and ! ecks they hang bracelets or chains of copper and such like, ss they use to wear TbeIr inwsrds they stuff with brsds, hate, es Gnd such trash. Then they lsppe them very care fully in white skirs, and % rowle them m mats for their winding sheets. And in the tomb, which IS an arch made of mats, they lay them orderly. What re- msineth of thIs kind of wealth their kings have, they se. at their feet Tn OhchClrs hC tAGGlF klAG hOuEu being painted all their faces with blacke cole and pyle, dor sit twenty-fOur hours in their houses. mourning and lamenting by turnes with such yelling and howlmg as may eIpresse their great pascions."
 h Alssks, up to comparatively modern times, the dead have been mummified. Mir. w. H. Dsll, in hi' recent work on the northwest coast, tells us that within the last hi II century bodies have been evisoerated, clesnsed from fatty matters m running water. driei, and placed iu cases, wrapped Tn fur and woven grasses. Tbe body has usually doubled up into the smallest comrass, and tie mummy-csse suspended, SO ss not 10 touch the ground, in some convenient rock shelter. Sometimes, however. the proposed body was placed ID litr-like position, dressed and armed. Some were made to look as If engaged m a con RressiOnsl occupation, such ss hunting fishing, sewing. etc. With them were also placed effigic!es of the animals they were pursuing, while the hunter Wss decked ID his wooden armor and pro vided with an enormous mask, all ornB- mented with feathers and countless variety of wooden pendants. coiored ID gay patterns, All tho Alaska mUmmies wear masks, SO arranged that the wesrer, if erect, could only see the ground at his feet. These were also worn at their religious dances, from the belief that the spirit which was supposed to ami mate q temporary idol was fatal to who soever might look upon it while so oc- cupied. Probably Rn extension of this idea led to the mashing of those who ! had gone to
 THE LAND OF sPIEITs. and may also account for the silver | masks found the other day upon the Az- | tic mummiss n Arizons. To this day l the Aleutian Islanders embslm dead | men with dried grs-s and moss. bring | ing them in their best attire. in a sltting | pasture. and decorating the tomb with | colored mats. embroidery and painting, | With momen they use much less cere- | mony. A mother will keep her dead | child, thus imperiectly embalme6. in her | own hut, for months, washing II con. till 6, last the intolsrable stench | recnEciles her to parting with 1t.
 While on thIs gruesoms subject it may | be mentioned, merely as n matter Of | c1riosI;y that Cary's translation Of Her ololas describes thu novel manner in | which the Macrobisn E,hopicas pre- servei their dead. He says that their sepulchers Were all prepared from crys- tai In the toll owing way. When tho body | had been dried, after the fashion of the they plsstered it all over gypsum and then painted it, to repre- sent life Rs nearly as possible. Then they put it into hollow column of rvs tai, which vas easily wrought and could | be dug up ID abundance thereabOuts. | The body, being in the middle of the | transparent column, was plainly to be seen, and it did not emit sn unpleasant oder or become m any way offensive. | The nearest relation kept the column in their houses for Q year or more, offering | to it the first iruits, ard performing | before 1t, after which time they | carried it out and placed it somewhere near the city.
 This appears 10 have been on improve | ment On any Of the modes above de- | scribed. for even the Egyptian mummies i could only be seen in front. the back be- | ing covered by box or coffin, while the | Ethiopian bodies, snug in their oolums | of glass, could be seen all around.
 FANNIE R WARD