Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 56

Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 56

At the moment life becomes extinct the relatives set up a loud howl,

cut their hair and legs, and the neighbors crowd into the lodge, each

endeavoring to excel the other in the violence of their lamentations,

which are kept up without intermission from that time until the funeral

is over, by all, and during this interval the whole of the property of

the deceased, except his war horse and arms as mentioned, is given away

by the relatives to those who lament. All his horses, skins, clothing,

provisions, and a good part of that of his relatives (brothers, father,

etc.) must pass into the hands of strangers; even the blankets off

their backs, arms, and cooking utensils are seized and carried away by

those who aid in mourning. If he has made a will, which occasionally

happens, it is sometimes carried into effect, but usually the nearest

relatives sit around the body howling, with their heads down, and pay

no attention to the general pillage which then takes place, or if they

do, it is only to tell each of the mourners which of their horses or

other property to take away, giving the horses to those who have aided

in laying out the dead man. Their custom is to make themselves as poor

as they can be made on these occasions, either in property or with

regard to their persons.

 

The body being placed on a horse travaille crosswise, it is conveyed

to the spot for scaffolding by leading the horse, the whole following

without any order and uttering loud howlings, both men and women.

Several men now ascend the tree and draw up the corpse with strong

cords attached to it, placing the feet as near toward the south as the

fork of the tree will admit, and elevating the head part of the bale so

that it may face in that direction, after which it is secured by the

cords being tied round the limbs of the tree many times, to prevent the

wind from blowing it down.

 

When this is finished they recommence cutting their legs and howling,

calling on the deceased by the tie of relationship which bound them,

thus: “My brother” or “my son,” adding, “remain in peace where you are;

let your spirit go to the south and not be troubled; we will feast

you; do not visit us in spirit; you are happy; and we are miserable.”

These words are not distinguishable on account of the noise, and most

probably muttered; as, having witnessed many of these funerals in every

way, we have never heard any other words than lamentations; but they

say they do pronounce them either mentally or very low, and that if it

is neglected some more of their relatives will die; consequently we are

bound to believe they utter these and other words in an audible voice.

At this stage of affairs his war horse is led under the tree and shot,

in addition to which, among the Crow Indians, a finger or two of each

of the near relatives are chopped off and the blood smeared over their

faces, left to dry there, and remain until it wears off. The deceased’s

shield, lance, or other implement, too long or unwieldy to be enveloped

with the body, are now tied at his head on the tree, and the mourners

retire. Some of the near relatives, however, often remain all day and

night, naked and barefoot, exposed to cold, snow, or rain, for several

days and nights without eating until they are completely exhausted,

and for a year or more afterwards wear nothing but an old torn skin,

which, with their bodies and faces, is smeared over with white clay,

and present a miserable appearance.

 

This is the most general custom among all the tribes of which we write

of disposing of their dead, and nine-tenths of them are scaffolded

in this way. Yet occasionally some, either by request or desire of

surviving relatives, or in the event of their dying where no timber

can be found, are interred on the top of a hill. In either case the

mourning and ceremonies are the same. When interred, the hole or grave

is excavated to the depth of about 5 feet, and made large enough to

contain the implements before referred to, which are all buried with

the body, the grave filled up and large rocks rolled upon it. In

either way no inscription or device is made to mark the spot, nor any

hieroglyphics carved on trees denoting the age, name of the person,

or anything else. No consolation is offered to Indians at the time of

the funeral, nor for several days afterwards. Those who wish to console

must aid to mourn, but say nothing. In a few days, however, many

elderly men invite the relations to feast and console them by the usual

arguments the nature of the case dictates. The reason why the feet are

placed southward and the face turned in that direction is that the

Indian paradise is supposed to be in that quarter, and the soul is thus

given to the South Wind to be carried off to that point. Very brave and

formerly renowned warriors sometimes requested not to be interred in

any way, in which case they are placed inside their lodge propped up,

in a sitting posture, dressed and painted, the door of the lodge is

closed tight, and the outside around the lodge inclosed by a hedge of

thick branches and dirt to prevent the wolves from entering, and the

whole is thus left on the plains.

 

In the course of time the lodge rots away, the wolves enter, and the

bones are scattered about or carried away by them. This is the manner

in which the Chief Wah-he´-muzza, or The Iron Arrow Point, ordered his

obsequies to be performed, giving for his reason that he wished to

remain above ground in order to see and hear his children all the time

and to have the spot rendered remarkable by his being there.

 

The death of ordinary Indians is attended with like results, though

if not warriors of note they are merely enveloped in their ordinary

clothing and blankets or skins with their implements, but no horse is

killed over their grave. When women die their favorite dogs are killed

and all their tools for scraping and dressing hides, with their pillow

and porcupine quills, are enveloped with them. If she be the wife of

a chief or man of importance she is also wrapped in scarlet cloth,

formerly in painted skins. There is as much mourning and distress

observed on the death of their children, perhaps more, than when grown.

On these occasions often some one of the parents destroy themselves,

and all other Indians are very attentive to them for several days until

the most violent grief is over. Should anyone offend the parent during

this time his death would most certainly follow, as the man, being in

profound sorrow, seeks something on which to wreak his revenge, and he

soon after goes to war, to kill or be killed, either of which being

immaterial to him in that state.

 

The reason the implements are deposited in the grave is that they are

supposed to be necessary to his being in the world of spirits. It is a

very ancient custom, perhaps coeval with their existence.

 

We know of no tumulus or barrow erected either in former or later times

through this country containing many bodies or possessing the character

of a charnel house, but are in the knowledge of the graves of many

chiefs either on scaffolds or on hills.

 

Bodies are never interred in a sitting posture, though that manner is

sometimes observed when deposited in the lodge above ground and the

posture preserved by stakes driven in around the body with forks on the

end supporting the different members and equilibrium.

 

There are no herbs or spices placed with the corpse, neither is it

submitted to any process analogous to embalming. It is enveloped, as

before mentioned, in skins to which those who can afford it add scarlet

cloth and blankets.

 

Scaffolding of corpses is the general manner of disposing of them with

all the prairie tribes, and the way they are prepared has been alluded

to. They would prefer having them boxed instead of baled, but have no

tools to prepare timber, and even if they had can not at all times

procure it, which together with their lack of means to excavate in

these frozen regions were no doubt the original causes of this mode of

burial. When bodies are brought to the trading houses for interment or

scaffolding they are always boxed by the whites, the coffin being made

large enough to contain the implements and ornaments enveloped with the

corpse. This in former times was a great honor done the Indians and

highly recompensed, but of later years is a great bore and expense.

 

This method of securing them can, however, only be embraced when

death takes place near the houses, and consequently happens to few.

The Mandan and Gros Ventres, being stationed at the fort with those

nations, have their dead boxed by the whites and placed on a scaffold

made of posts planted near their villages. The Arikara prefer interring

them in the ground, and all the rest of the tribes place their dead,

secured in the manner described before, in the forks of trees, which

in a year or two, as soon as the cords rot off and the envelopes fall

to pieces, are blown down, and the bones are found scattered beneath.

Carnivorous birds, such as eagles, ravens, and magpies, often pick at

the envelope until they get at the body, but if it is well strapped in

rawhide it is generally secure from either birds or beasts as long as

it remains in the tree.

 

It is the custom of the Assiniboin to put up a funeral flag over the

graves of their dead, particularly children, which at this time is

composed of some such fabric as red flannel or calico tied to a pole,

but which was formerly made of feathers and light skins. This is a very

ancient custom, arising, we are told, from the necessity of having some

such object thus raised which, fluttering in the wind, frightens away

the beasts and birds of prey.

 

The custom of collecting and reinterring the bones is very general at

the present day among all these tribes; indeed, it is seldom neglected

if when they visit the scaffold they find the body to have blown down

and the bones exposed.

 

The bones are picked by any one of the party, not related, in the

presence of some of the relatives of the deceased, and this time buried

in the ground, with demonstrations of grief and some scarifying, though

they do not go into mourning dresses further than some white clay about

the face, and no property is confiscated by others, as in the case

of the first funeral, but those who aid are paid with some smaller

articles. On these occasions a feast is made for the dead which, being

eaten, and the spirit propitiated by prayer and invocation, the whole

concludes, those concerned resuming their usual dress and occupations.

 

There is no such thing as charnel houses or receptacles for the dead

in all the district of the upper Missouri, neither are there any

appearances of such things having been, each individual being buried

or scaffolded separately at the most convenient place and as soon as

possible after decease.

 

Incineration of bones is not practiced by any of them, neither do their

traditions mention this custom to have ever existed among them; they

have a horror of the idea.

 

Their symbols of mourning have been referred to, which are cutting

short their hair, scarifying their legs, cutting off their fingers

(Crow Indians), wearing an old tattered robe or skin on their back, the

rest of the body being naked except the breech flap of the men, or body

dress of the women, bare legged, bare footed, the face, hair, body, and

robe smeared with white clay, often intermixed with their blood.

 

When the lock of hair of the deceased has been redeemed by the relative

by high pay to him who took it, which is done in a year or two after

demise, this relic is inclosed in a small sack and carried on the back

of some of the female relatives. A piece of tobacco is wrapped with

it, which is used on several occasions, as before mentioned. There are

periodical visits to the grave, twice or thrice a year for the first

year, and afterwards for several years whenever they happen to be in

the vicinity, and on these occasions takes place the feast to the dead,

so often referred to in these pages, which is one of their principal

ceremonies. A repast is made of corn or pounded meat mixed with grease

and sugar, sometimes a dog is cooked by some medicine man, and a crowd

of people being assembled round the grave after lamenting the dead by

howling, smoke, and pray to the spirit, leave a portion of the feast

for it, and the rest is eaten by those who attend the ceremony. One of

their prayers at these times is recorded in a former page, together

with the reason of these observances. Fires are kindled near the grave

or under the scaffold, but do not appear to be of further use than to

light the pipe by while smoking to the dead, and are suffered to expire

at their leisure.

 

No gravestones or posts are planted to mark the place, or any inscriptions or devices painted or carved by any of these tribes,denoting the age of the deceased or any other thing.