The Van Buren press., 1893-04-29
ORIGINATING ARIZONA INDIANS.
Burned ~ Soon ~ the Breath Leaves fh'
Body-Feast Of Horse Flesh.


Burned ~ Soon ~ the Breath Leaves the
Body-Fcast of Horse-Fiesh.
I'm western Arizona, where snow
and ice are unknown. clothing is use-
less except for ornament, and the mes
quite tree bears all the food needed to
sustain life, we find the Mojava Indians
to resemble in appearance and habits
the negroes Of Central Africa, except in
the particulars Of curly hair and thick
lips, having the same scorn for the re-
straints of clothing and the same pas
sionate fondness for brilliant plumage
and gaudy cosmetics.
ssMany and peculiar are the customs
and superstitions of these benighted
people, but there Is none more unique
than the ceremony connected with the
disposal of their dead.
IAN Indian woman died the other
day at high noon, down in the bottom,
and we attended the funeral, four OF
us The Mojaves practice cremation.
and the cremation commences as soon
as the breath is out of the body, as wit
ness the fact that the woman died at
noon and was on the funeral pile at
fifteen minutes past Indeed, it is said
that the mourners are !. sometimes
startled at seeing the dead come to life
again when the fire begins to grow fer
vent Not many hicos as the white
people are called, are accorded the
privilege of attending these ceremonies.
but as we stand we'll with one of the
wise men Of the tribe we were invited
to be present As soon US we could
swallow our dinners we started for the
place where the entertainment was to
be held, and were guided there by the
wailings OF the friends of the departed,
consisting of every man, woman and
child present at the festivities. You
can see the reasonableness Of my call
ing it by such a name when you are
told that the affair concludes by the
killing and eating of all the horses Of
the departed, and everyone goes to his
own hut feeling that he has enjoyed
himself greatly
1.-THE Mojaves believe in demonstrate
ing their feelings through the agency
of the mouth and limbs. and this wo-
man being much beloved the mourners
were many and their grief could be
heard mile away. If ever You have
heard pack of coyotes bowling forth
their misery in the middle of the night,
when they howl most artistically. you
have this noise to dot
Arriving at the place we found a
hole dug in the ground about ten feet
in diameter and two feet deep, heaped
full of wood and surmounted by the
body of the deceased. This was burn
ing and around it in picturesque atti-
tudes were all the friends trying to
outdo each other in exclamations Of
grief The head doctor, for the Mojaves
have physicians, stood by the side of
the genius who stirred the fire, giving
directions for the most rapid destruc-
ton of the body, which he had no doubt
with great skill assisted in becoming a
corpse. He thus carried his functions
step further than the physicians in
civilized life-they have finished when
the patient dies.
.One old fellow, who seemed to be
the minister, was standing within the
circle haranguing the assembly, doubt-
less on the many virtues of the de-
parted, and when he seemed to make
an unusually good point the mourners
manifested their appreciation by an
increase in the force of their groans.
Il have flattered myself that could
make pen pictures. but the characters
present on this occasion are beyond my
power of portrayal, and you can never
know the utter hideousEess of some
human beings till you have seen these
for yourself A half-naked squaw
seated in the dirt with her hair falling
over her face, leaving glimpses OF a
wrinkled and haggard countenance,
out of which look blearcd and blood
shot eyes, is a sight to make one be-
lieve almost that the connecting link,
if he could be found, would be on the
human side from these beings
FINALLY the relatives and friends ate
the horses that were the property of
the deceased, and went home firmly
believing that the dead woman's spirit
Is roaming. untroubled, in Ghost
Mountain, just across the river."-San
Francisco Chronicle.