The sun., 1904-11-20
DEATH FEAST FOR YA.I-E.NOH.
MRS. CONVERSE, ZONE WHO =
UiTCHES-OVER.U MOURNED.
indians Commemorate the Woman whom
They Made Chief and Who Devoted
UerI lie and Fortune to Thcm-JOseph
Keppler Describes the Ceremonies.


Keppler Describes the Ceremonies
Joseph Keppler, OF Puck, returned yester-
dov 10 his Staten Island home from trip
- Western New York, where he attended
ono Of the most memorable gatherings
n New York reservation Indians ever
hold in the state 1t was the Ada kow-
ua ar Death Feast Of Mrs. Harriet Max
ucIl Converse, who died suddenly in her
apartments in this city juske year ago
last Friday.
Nrs Converse had devoted her fortune
and the best years Of her liic to promoting
tte welfare of Indians, particularly the
Indians Of the New York reservations. In
heading of legislation adverse to their in
tercsts in promo ting legislation calculated
IN he Of benefit to them, in protecting them
from injustice and illegal entertainments,
IN eytricating them from difficulties in
advising them, teaching them and influence
inc them to right ways of living Mrs. Con-
,arse from her very girlhood was inde-
fateable. Her father and her grandfather
had been notable for their friendly interest
In the Indians. Both were adopted, ac-
corning to the Indian patriarchal cere-
monies. into the Seneca tribe. The grand
,a,her Thomas Maxwell, was adopted by
Rel lJacket and was a member Of the Wolf
clan The father. Thomas Maxwell, Jr,
was aioptel into the Deer clan, Mrs.
converse herself was adopted into the
Sni7e clan. and was made chief.
The Indians of the New York reserva-
ton fairly doliaed her. Her hghtest word
was law to them. They called her Ya-i-e-
n,h which means she who watches over
ne When the news of her sudden death
snread among them, a year ago this month,
II came to every Indian like personal dis
,ster At Mrs. Converse's funeral in this
oty the grie. of the Indians present and the
solemn ritual of their funeral services per-
rrnod by Crow, the preacher as they
,a him. Of the Indians were particularly
impressive and affecting.
But the great Indian ceremony, the Death
Feast, given when any one Of peculiar emi-
nence among them dies, was not given In
memory of Mrs. Converse last year. The
Indian custom is that this solemnity shall take
,ace on the tenth day after the death OF
the person who is mourned But the GUS
tom also provides that in case the tenth day
falls upon any regular feast day or reunion,
then the Ada -kow-Ha" shall be post
poned until one year from the date OF the
death So the death feast OF Mrs. Con-
verse was postponed until Nov. IS, 1904,
the first anniversary Of her death
For many wears Joseph keppler has
been a student Of Indian customs end
traditions His interest in the welfare OF
the New York Indians is second only to
that which distinguished Mrs. Converse,
and now that their -la-i-e-noh" is gone
they in large measure turn to Mr.. Keppler
to take her place. He has been adopted
into the Wolf tribe. He can understand
and speak with some profo Fncy the Seneca
language When seen ct his home, at
Stapleton. Staten Island Mr.. Keppler
talked freely Of the peculiar ceremony
which he had Just attended
"ltc'rtanly wasa very impressive event, y
b sad, TO one who has ome knowledge
of Indian customs and Indian faith They
are devout believers in the immortality Of
the soul, YOU know. The time fixed bv
custom among thG m-ten days after the
deceaso-tor holding the d,ath fast has
to do With this faith OF theirs. Thev be-
leve that ten days after life is extinct the
spirit of the dead person hovers about the
s,ene Of it's earthly abode.
They believe also that sometimes, in
the case of a life that is suddenly cut of
in youth the spirit returns and teammates
the boiy. For that rea'o they make a
hole in the grave that the spirit may have
leave fool by the grave that the reani-
mattel bo:y may have sustenance. All
these. however, are rather symEolical
ob,ervances than otherwise But the final
CCpartu.e from ear tn on the part OF the
spitit i believed to be on the tenth day after
Ceath
= he Indians believe also that the spirit
returns to earth or the anniversaries OF
death so in ca Ee other customs prevent
the celebration Of the death feast on the
tHnth day. it II 20 'tponei. "a in this case
O. M's Converse 10 the fret anniversary.
The scene Of the Death Feast in this
instance was on the Cattaraugus reserva-
tlon IN Erie county. IL was held in the
Snipe Clans Long House, which is back
IN the country about mile and half
from Lawton's Station on the Erie Railroad.
Tho Long House is plain frame structure
with two doors placed diagonally opposite
each others in corners OF the house. Through
ono door the women enter and leave, and
through tho other the men. There is but
one room in the building, about 30 feet long
the Nomen's end there ia huge open fire.
place In the other there is stove. There
are fixed benches all around the sides OF
the room. but on this occasion extra benches
"'re brought IN and placed IN rows down
the centre, There are no backs to the
benches. These central seats were for
tho Snipe Clan, who were the chief
luourners.'
i got there on Thursday, the day be-
fore the feast For several DAYS before
rinn'rs had been out summoning people
To- the feast There arc eight tribes, or
clans. you know-the Wolf. the Deer, the
Turtle the Deer, the Heron, the Beaver,
the, Hawk and the snipe. These clans are
each divided into two groups-the elders
and the young men. To each OF these
clans and groups runners had gone out
conveying the message Of the Snipe clan
announcing the Ada ia-kow-Ha
The runners do not 60 in the old way on
loot though the forest, OF course. They
20 by any way they can get thereon foot,
IN wagons, or even by railroad.
When ! got them all about the vicinity
Of the Long House you could hear the
clump, clump, clump Of the heavy wooden
pAetIes pounding up the corn in the big
tree trunk mortars. These mortars are
made Of a section about three feet long OF a
tree that NAV be foot and a half or two
ieet IN diameter dug out to within foot or
SIX inches OF the bottom, with a rim left
around the outside that Ia two or three
inches thick The pestles are great heavy
sfnashers several feet long with both ends
le't thick sni massive, 30 that they may be
reversed. The middle part Is cut and