The San Francisco call., 1904-03-20
CLARK

looking old women in IL In the early
days"
The principal reason for burning the
bodies Of the dead was the belief that
there IS an evil spirit waiting and
watching for the animated spirit or
soul to leave the body that he may get
1t to take away to his own world OF
darkness and misery. BY burning the
perishable body they thought that the
immortal soul would be quickly re-
leased and set free to speed to the hap
py spirit world in El-O-win or far dis
tant west. while. with their loud wall
Ing cries, the evil spirit was kept away.
The young women took great care OF
their long, shining, black hair, OF
which they were all very proud. as add
Ing much to their personal beauty, and
they seldom had it cut before mar
-riage. But upon the death OF a hus-
band the wife had her hair all cut OF
and burned with his body so that he
might still have il in his future spirit
home to love and caress as mementO
Of his living earth wife.
There are no people in the world who
show more reverence for their dead
or hold their memory more sacred than
these so-called Digger Indians. At
ter being released from the reservation
they kept themselves in abject poverty
for many years by sacrificing their best
blankets, baskets and clothing in the
devouring flames Of a fire kindled for
that purpose. when holding their an
nual mOurnfuI festival in memory OF
their dead friends.
The old Indians were and are very
reticent regarding their religious be-
fafc L,TI -.
exposed to possible ridicule. and il Is
therefore very difficult to get informa-
tiOn from them b. direct questions
They seem, however. TO have a vague.
indistinct belief or tradition that their
original ancestors in a lOng-forgotten
past dwelt in a better and much more
desirable country than this. in the
El-o-win. and that by some misfortuns
or great calamity they We're separated
from that happy land and became wan
derers in this part of the world They
also believe that the spirits Of all good
Indians will be permitted after death
to go back to that happy country OF
their ancestors origin, but that thu
spirits of bad Indians have TO serve an
other earth life in the form Of grizzly
bear as a punishment for their former
crimes. Hence no Indians ever eat bear
meat if they know it.
All the old Indians are spiritualists
and very superstitiOus in their religious
beliefs. One special tenet is that il ons
of their friends has been murdered he
will not receive them on terms OF
friendship in the spirit world unless
they avenge his death, by either killing
the murderer or some one Of the same
blood. This queer belief sometimes re-
suits in an entirely innocent person be-
ing put to death
They all have a great fear OF evil
spirits, which they believe have the
power to do them much harm and de-
feat their undertakings. They also have
a fairly distinct idea of deity or great
spirit, who never does them any harm
and whose home is in the happy land
Of their ancestors in the West
The clothing of the Indian was very
simple and scant before being initiated
into the use of a more ample and COM
pIete style of covering while living at
the reservations The ordinary full
complement of dress for a man (Nung-
ah) was simply a breech clout, or short
hip skirt. made of skins; that Of d
woman (O-hoh) was skirt, reaching
from the waist to the knees, made OF
dressed deer skin finished at the bot
tom with a slit fringe, and sometimes
decorated with various fancy orna-
nents. Both men and women frequent
ly wore mOccasins made OF dressed
deer or elk skin Young children gener-
ally went entirely nude
Their winter huts, or O-chums, as
they termed them, we're invariably OF
a conicaI form. made with small poles
and covered with the bark Of the in
cense cedar. A few poles ten OF twelve
feet long were set in the ground around
an area of about twelve feet in diam
eter. with their tops inclined together.
The outside was then closely covered
with long strips. of the cedar bark,
making it perfectly water tight An
opening was also left at the top for the
escape of the smoke, tlre Delng
kindled in the center inside
One of these huts would hold fam
fv Of half a dozen persons. with all
their household property, dogs inelud-
ed. and there is no other form OF a
single-room dwelling that can be kept
warm and comfortable in cold weather
with so little fire as this O-chum-
Their underbeddinE usually consists
of the skins of bears, deer, antelope or
elk. and the top covering was blank
ct or robe made OF the skins Of small
ur-bearing animals, such as rabbits,
hares, wildcats and foxes.
Most of the older Indians still cling
IN their old customs and manner OF
living. and are very slow to learn or
talk our language, but the younger
ones are striving to live like the white
people, and seem proud to adopt our
style of dress and manner OF cooking
AS a rule they are trustworthy, and
when confidence is placed in their hon.
esty it is very rarely betrayed Dur
ing the past fifty years a great many
thousands Of people have visited the
Yosemite Valley with their own camp
ing outfits and during the day and
often all night are absent on distant
trips of observation, with no one left
in charge OF the camp, yet there has