St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-08-15
DEATH OF THE CHIEF.
Strange Proceedings Among the Idaho
Indians Eewailing Their Leader.

Strange Proceedings Among the Idaho
Indians Beuailing Their Leader.
The western Indians have a strange
and peculiar way of announcing and
teWailing the death of a chief Years
ago, while was on government duty
among an Indian tribe on the head
waters Of the Shoshon" River, says d
writer in the Detroit Free Pres, | was
in one OF the villages just a the vest
crn base of the Rocky Mountains in
Idaho when the chic tain died. IL
WIS an old man and his death was not
an unexpected event Day after day,
fOr a long WhiI'. the death Watchers
! had been at his tent as tho old warrior.
was lingering on the verge OF the spir-
it land.
A decp-chcstcd bray" kept vigil iu-,
without the door Of TIE elk-sltin wig
wam He WAS there awaiting tho
signal 10 announce 10 the people Of tn"
tribe the Fatal moment, when the sl'ir-
it Of the father had ut last gone across
the border mo the happy hunting
grounds beyond.
When TIE last sigh was over and the
wan old warrior was in the still cold
peace OF death, the signal was given;
and the brave at once opened his i'm
lnen,c lips and gave q loud and long
utleranrc of lament ton and distress,
such as had never D"forc heard from
mortal throat-thc fearful vail ac-
tuaIly making me shuddcr in awe.
The cry was a combination Of wild
! and denonlac sounds ncve,' heard in
c,vlli a ion. There was a min.liIg
OF wall and yell and roar such as can
come only frOjn the lungs of wild and
savage races. 1t is inpo ,sibic to
symbolic the notes III English letters;
their repre- ,cntat on i'll visible har-
acters would embrace u number Of
low and fierce ''hoohs' and "wahs7
and ''tahs," '.ccghs' and 'hechs." on
dole'ul scalc--a!l with a deep, agou-
izlng cultural that absolutely delics
liteHa! expression or reproduction in
type. 1t was Ike the fierce and
shoulish laugh oil the hyena, combined
with the wild howl of hungry wolves
in the scent OF blood Ca howl that [
once heard, in truth, when surrounded
! by no . than a score Of the brutcs.
wnen in a night camp on the edge of
o desert IN Eastern O.'cgOn.)
As soon as the distressful announce
melt had proceeded from the signal
man at the wigwam door, it was
caught up and repeated by another
Indian who had in the meantime
rushed out from tho tent nearest by.
He delivered himself of the same be-
wilderilg cries. Then another, and
anothcr-stitl beyond-a5 the savages
emerged from their tents or arose
languidly from tho ground in 'front.'
each Joining in tho dirge of lamenta-
ton. Then Others and others, yet
farther away caught and repeated tho
sounds. The vail, borne On the wings
Of the air-on, and on,--like the
clarion notes Of the cock going West
wardly announcing the Easter day
break-the savages are uttering in
dolaful discord the same dismal cry
it going Eastward, WESTWARD North
ward. SO9thward-until the very last
ear in the whole reservation had heard
the signal announcing the end Of the
fallen father.
For nearly an hour the fearful moan
and bewailment thus pierced the
heavens-the dOleful dirge coming
from every hill around and across the
broad stretch of sage plain below.
Then came another strange proceed
ing. The kindred of the dead first
began to assemble. The squalid old
squaws, with face of filth and agony
and dejection-these came in squads
in single files-all on the r ponies, and
with their little children-blaclz. fierce,
unkempt, half in tatters the wretchcd-
looking brats piled up In front, behind,
swinging at the sides-as many as six
or eight to single pony. Dragging
behind came the laden tepee poles fas'
tened in front TO the straining quadi'u-
pcds, the sha ~ little animals actual
ly seeming to have imbibed the spirit
of sorrow, as they truigei. with droop-
ING head and ear, along through sand
and sage brush--evcry step apparently
timed to the disma walls of the hun
dreds of throats in the hideouS distress
of the long and grotes1ue funeral pro-
cessions-which continued for hours
cn1 IourS durintr the day