The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-02-23
GRAVES OF INDIANS.
ABORIGINAL CEMETERIES WHERE
GOOD WARRIORS SLEEP.

Barbaric Goigothas where the white Men
Cease From Troubling and the Redskins
Are at Rest--The Lonely Tomb of a Pale
face Pioneer.
Travellers along the Columbia and Puget
sound, and on north through British Co
lumbia and Alaska, occasionally observe
queer Indian sepulchers and learn there
from little about the burial customs Of
the aborigines Of those regions. but scarcely
gain more than an inkling. From the
stone cairns along the bluffs Of Snake river.
the elevated platforms in the treeless val.
leys, to the canoe graves amid the branches
/ Of giant srs, the elaborate deadhouses,
| with their guardian totem poles, and the
| funeral pyres of the Alaskans, he finds n
great variety of burial methods, yet all
| conserving the same purpose-that Of an
effort so TO dispose of the dead warrior that
he shall find entrance to the spirit land and
! be properly equipped for enjoyment Of its
| pleasures.
One idea seems to be common TO all tribes
no matter how widely scattered, and that
is that the future state shall be "A continu.
Gus enjoyment of what they consider the
| highest pleasures of this life. For this rea-
son the dead Indian is buried with his weap-
Ons of war and the chase and Outlines his
dogs and horses are killed and buried with
him.
The disposing of the body above ground
| is the almost universal custom, partially,
no doubt, because earth burial involves la
Dor an Indian has neither the inclination
nor the tools to perform, but chiefly be-
cause the deceased may the more easily
/ agl,s l,s,A .,,., L..
Along the deep canyons of Snake river.
in the absence of timber, cairns OF loose
rocks are built above the dead body and its
accompanying accessories. These little
mounds of rock may be seen high up on the
canyons side In the ad jacent rock less and
treeless valleys bodies are elevated upon
scaffolds supported by poles cut from the
slender cottonwoods that fringe the
streams. Here It is no unusual sight to
see the dead body of an Indian securely
dashed upright upon pony and arrayed in
feathers and gaudy blankets, the pony trot-
ting along with his inanimate burden to-
ward the burial place.
In the Columbia river there are several
islands that have been used exclusively for
burial places for many years, probably for
centuries. One of these is Coffin rock. near
kalama, seen by passengers on all steamers
plying between Portland and Astoria. Here
thousands of Indians have found sepulture.
Farther up, between the Cascades and The
Dalles, is the famous Memaloose island. n
burial ground from time immemorial The
name is IA word of the Chinook jargon. sig.
nifying Dead island. Upon this island are
heaps of grinning skulls and unassorted
bones, the rough wooden sheds once built
for their protection having long since sue
cumbed to the disintegrating power of tn,
| elements.
Adjacent to one of these deadhouses rise.
an elegant granite and marble monument
erected to the memory of Victor Trevitt, ,
| pioneer of Oregon widely known through
| ont the Pacific coast. He was an old resi-
dent of The Dalles, and upon his death
some 10 years ago, was at his own specia
request buried among the bones of genera
tions of Indians who were laid TO rest lonl
| before the white men were known on thi.
| coast. Farther down the stream is Brad
| ford's island, also covered with bones and
skulls.
In Puget sound there is an island SINH.
larly used and known locally as Burial
island" The various tribes about Puget
sound and the inland seas stretching north
ward toward Alaska often utilize the canoe
of the dead warrior for coffin. His care
fully wrapped body, with bow and spear is
deposited in the "canim" and placed on a
platform high in the branches of a tree or
raised on poles.
Farther north these deadhouses are still
more elaborate. On Shell island, at Fort
Rupert, near the upper end of Vancouver
island, Is, c., there is an Indian cemetery of
considerable pretensions, consisting of huge
canoes and lighthouses of various styles of
architecture These northern tribes also
erect huge carved images and totem poles
by their deadhouses. They have consider.
able skill in carving.
A tradition of the Columbia river Indians
will illustrate the beliefo the aborigines in
the activity of the spirits of their departed
friends
The greatest demigod of all was Speelyai,
the coyote. At one time the people were
dying at rapid rate, and there was great
mourning. Whai-a-ma, the eagle, who had
lost many friends, was told by Speelyai that
the dead would not always remain in spirit
| land, but, like the brown and dead leaves OF
| autumn, would come to earth again with
| the opening buds and flowers of spring
| Whai-a-ma was not willing to wait until
| spring, and persuaded the coyote to go with
| him to spirit land and bring them back al
once. After many days they came to n great
water, on the other side of which was "A large
village.
Spirits conducted them across the water
and they entered the principal house of tn,
village, which was lighted by the moon
and this luminary was guarded by mon
ster frog that had jumped TO it from tn,
earth. Speelyai killed the frog and swal
lowed the moon, leaving the house in dark
ness, In the confusion that ensued What
ANA caught the spirits and confined then
in large box. Speelyai put the box ON hi
shoulders, and the two invaders starte,
back for the land of the living. Soon tn
spirits In the box began to come TO life
and Speelyais burden grew too heavy TO
him to carry. Thinking they were so fa
from the spirit land that the ghosts could
not find their way back again, Speelya
lifted the lid and let them out. They van
ished Immediately and returned to the LAND
OF the dead Whai-ama was much disap
pointed, but said when the buds opened il
the spring he would try again but the COY
ote said it was better to let the dead remain
where they We're. Had not Speelyai opened
the box the dead would now come to lif
every spring, according to the belief of thos
who put their faith in the legend. -Sal
Francisco Examiner.
|
A Patron Saints Statue Robbed.
Thieyps have lately relieved tho sta.ua a