Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-01-23

quarter OF mile Of tho old mission
house near Hayumba, and the first mis-
Gionarios collected tho bones and buried
them. The body of a convicted criminal,
who is killed by the witch doctor with
eastwood, is also thrown away.
Common persons arc buried tho day
after death in one Of the huts in the
town. A hole about eight inches deep is
dug and lined with leaves Thon mat
about five feet long and three to four
feet wide is put in, and Tho body after
being wrapped in five yards Of cotton
cloth, is placed on it aud covered with
another mat more leaves and tho soil
that was taken from tho excavation.
This burial 10 only temporary, until the
witch is found who caused tho death.
This takes days or weeks, tho timo de-
pending largely upon the pay the doctor
receives. II the pay is large, no takes a
longer time because there will be plenty
Of rum for him. and this is about all he
cares for. II the relatives are poor, tho
doctor soou finds the witch, aud then
the body Of the dead man is placed in
grave ON the edge of the forest
This grave is deeper than the first,
and after It is filled sticks are fastened
across it, and If stones are available
these arc used to secure the grave. IL is
necessary TO do this. or the hyenns
would soon find the body. Rich persons
have monument over their graves,
but common folk cannot afford this.
They place some Of tho dead persons
properly upon the grave instead. A
plate, q pitcher and q spoon usually are
the articles ono finds. These things are
saored. No one will steal them or even
exchange them for brokon ones
Kings aud rich persons are not buried
so soon. II often takes weeks, months
and even years before they rest in their
graves. Their bodies are preserved in a
kind Of way, and, since tho natives
seem able to stand any amount Of all
kinds Of offensivoness, IL does not mat
ter to them at all how much time elnpsos
before the burinl takes place. Many
yards of cloth arc wound around the
body, sometimes as much as 60 yards or
more, and after this the body is placed
in box as large as possible One that
we furnished for Mongovy Commando
measured feet long by 2}q feet wide
and Q feet deep. This box Ia put into "a
new hut and left there until the witch
Is found and killed and until tho relo-
tives bring enough presents to AL the
coffin. After all this is accomplished the
late lRmented is allowed to rest in peace.
There is still another way of dispos.
ing Of the dead. The body is cut into
pieces and tied in wraprings made of
palm leaves, and then hung up inside a
hut and smoked, the amudge being kept
going day aud night. King Jim MOO
NAH Of Koango, who died in the spring
of 1887, was not buried when we left in
1885. Tho relatives had not enough val
liable presents TO put into the coffin, so
they delayed the funeral. This old king 6
son and daughter both died and were
buried while his body was being smoked
Perhaps IL is not buried yet.
1t is q strange fact that the natives
never put rum into q coffin, even il they
have great deal Of it in their possess
sion. Funerals are very noisy affairs.
Dancing, drinking and shooting are the
order Of the day. The shooting is done
at sunrise and sunset to keep the spirit
OF the dead from returning. Tho native:
believe in spirit world. The dead
have town just like the living anc
live in the same manner, marry and ar,
| given in marriage, buy and SELL make
war with one another-in fact, carry OF
all the vooationstf life in their world
which is invisible.
The cloth and other things are placed
in the coffin to give tho rich start in
tho spirit world The natives say that
there arc ghosts, and for this reason
they are great towards after dark. II
has often happened that the natives have
robbed the graves Of white people tt
carry away parts of the hody--in most
cases the head-becausc they believe
there is great merit in this, and that
any chief who has a white mans head
in his possession can withstand all foes
These things do not happen quite SC
often now, because there are more Euro
| peans there and the graveyards are mort
carefully protected. New York Sun.