The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-01-25
eRoTEsouE CEREMONIES.
4 Vivid Account of Scenes at n Yums
Mourning Festival.

4 Vivid Account of Scenes at Yums
Mourning Festival.
During full moon, and in tho autumn,
when the plants are slowly dying, the
mourning festival, the saddest of their
ceremonies, is held, to last without ces-
sation through four days and nights.
All attend as it involves weeping for
relatives, friends and acquaintances,
who have died during the year. If it
happens that the scarcity of provisions
prevents them from holding tho "grand
cry" to which surrounding tribes arc
invited, they defer until moro prosper.
GUS seasons when supplies ave ample.
Though delayed for months after tho
proper time, 1t is never neglected.
a large brush shed is built upon a
cleared spot. To the supports, highly
colored rags are fastened that fluttor in
the breeze. Handsomely decorated
bows, arrows, and pottery, and strings
of beads, are hung here and there, while
from every available portion of the roof
and sides, trinkets, clothing, food and
knives, are suspended. These are con-
tributions of relatives and friends and
are not only intended as marks of respect,
but are also destined to be burned to
provide for the needs of the departed in
paradise. Similar presents are donated
by visiting members of other tribes.
Festoons of red and blue calico hang
from the roof, while numerous slender
poles are planted in the ground from
which white and red pennants float.
The exercises are opened with ha-
rangues by local orators, who feelingly
allude to the virtues of the dead, the
mourners squatting around outside. In
the center of the building stand the pre-
siding chief and his assistants. tho med
icine-men and the near relatives, some
of the latter wearing white gowns. with
red, cowl-lille caps, s,elaborately feathered
and beaded. and carrying long reeds in
their hands. The medicine-men are also
strangely arrayed, and undoubtedly act
as directors. The leader walls dismally
and the refrain is caught by the crowds,
swelling and falling from hundreds of
throats like wind soughing through a
chasm or waves beating upon the sand.
This is continued by those sitting some
distance away, sounding weird and un-
canny, but displaying withal true sorrow
and heartfelt anguish, the hot tears
yelling down the furrowed checks of
the aged or the smooth skins of the
younger people. Then sinking it dies
away into total silence. The leader again
resumes the wailing dirge-like chant
and the celebration proceeds as before.
fearful speeches are delivered at inter
walls. An imposing feature is the forma-
tion of opposite lines of Indians, who in
the daytime march to and fro over the
open ground. One group is provided with
grotesque clay images, as hideous as
the ancient stone statues of Central
America, fixed upon poles and carried
high in the air by young bucks. An old
squaw walking backwards casts hand
fuls Of corn upon the images, thereby
invoking the Great Spirits blessing
upon future abundant harvests.
Horses arc slaughtered and eaten. AT
camp-fres, the dense smoke of which,
rising in clouds on high, spreads like a
sable coverleS. Passing from fire to fire,
shriveled hags remind such of the
mourners as have ceased lamenting
from physical weariness, of the dead,
and by appealing to their sympathies,
never fail to cause fresh demonstrations
Other squaws walk about and console
the walters by touching them with tiny
clay dolls, thus keeping them mindful
of the fact that children will again be
born to fill the places of those who have
gone.-Overland Monthly.