Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-12-18

b no sooner done than the hogan Is
levelcd to the ground and the spot
abandoned II the deceased has no
relatives or is not = person Of impor-
lance in the tribe. no grave is dug, but
the hogan simply pulled down over
the body. A Navajo would sooner
freeze than l1indle Gre with the logs
Of fallen hogan. Ihave seen these NOR
tuary hogans in the mountains. The sur
vivors smear themselves on the fore
head and under the eyes with tar as a
sign of mourning. When it wears on il
is not put on again, and the name OF
the dead is never mentioned. In case
for any reason the body be removed
from the hogan it is buried in clcfts of
rock, and stones piled over it. and the
hogan and all in it are burned up. Old
people, when all hope is gone, are often
abandoned in the brush and left to die
of starvation alone. The only instance
of burial in q tree is stillborn child.
This custom among the Navajos &C.
counts for the absence of any archi-
tectural development in the construc-
ton of their houses They are built to
be brought down or burned.
The eastern Indians. rs q general
rule, buried their dead in the ground,
often on the tops Of hills. with stone
encircled mounds raised slightly over
shallow graves, in which the trappings
of the dead were buried with them, and
sometimes In the case Of chief his
favoritc horse. Sometimes the grave Of
great war chief was covered with
large slablikc stones thrown on by each
brave for certain period Of time as he
passed the spot. The body was general
~ buried in sitting posture; four day
fires were lighted 20 lamp the depart
ed on his way. according to the sacred
numcral four. among all Indians. The
Monte uks of Long Island and other
kindred tribes buried their dead in this
way. The Mohawks of New York dug
a large. round hole In which the body
was placed in q sitting or upright
posture. wampum and trappingr ard
| paint were all put on the dead. This
grave was covered over with timber o.
support the earth laid upon IT, which
they raised into gentle mound.
Thus the body was not pressed ny
the clay. The Delawares in New Jer.
scr buried their dead in pits and Under
rocks The Carolina Indians have On
| expensive and prolonged ceremonial
The corpse is first placed In a cane bur
die and then put into an clubhouse
where IL is kept carefully enarded for q
| day and night At the end Of tsis'
tirae the first living brave mcf by the
nourncrs is robbed If bis blanket In
this the dead is wrapped and then coz
cred with two OF three cane mats The
coffin is woven Of canes fastened ~
both ends securely. Then the corpse Il
carried into the peach or hard and their
laid in second hurdle. The family
end friends circle round The rseri
fire man then proBounees an elaborate
(. Snlo1y. reccunting the vslor. sklll. pa
; t~iotisrn. exploits s1d Influence ~ the
/ fecsased. The corpse Is then rsrried
bT fonr pali-fearcrs. selected from the
Young braves from the hurdle 90 the
/ rSave. which II about six fret deep snd
eight feet lone ~ each end Of the
+ grave stands. dep driven down, pine
/ pitchforlt. The bottom II the grave is
then covered with tsark
Tre corpse "a tls~n lowered vc-r sieve.
/ l. - two bel*S, with which the Irsdian'
1 cnrry their lyaricTss. A ridgcf,c'ie is ther
lad across TIRE grave In the forks and
'hra rsy3fe1 c-cr with pitch pine legs
4 hese sre covered c~er s.sa ever erifl
bark. on Which the earth ssrr from tn
grave Is thrown and hessen down. Thu
he br~ly ii@~ in vsnlt- nothing torch
Ing T. prscfsealir munini1ea ~ IN
err bnszai.v pitch PROCESS ~ eac pine
kfscr tsroc ne boziv y exhu<zsrd. fh'
easlex q sArez aad 5a51 IL e. cn6uu~7