A Further Contribution to the Study of the Mortuary Customs of the North American Indians

MORTUARY CUSTOMS OF INDIANS ***

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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION--BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY

J.W. POWELL, DIRECTOR

A Further Contribution To The

STUDY OF THE MORTUARY CUSTOMS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.

By

Dr. H.C. Yarrow, ACT. ASST. SURG., USA

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

1.-Quiogozeon or dead house 2.-Pima burial 3.-Towers of silence 4.-Towers of silence 5.-Alaskan mummies 6.-Burial urns 7.-Indian cemetery 8.-Grave pen 9.-Grave pen l0.-Tolkotin cremation ll.-Eskimo lodge burial l2.-Burial houses l3.-Innuit grave l4.-Ingalik grave l5.-Dakota scaffold burial l6.-Offering food to the dead l7.-Depositing the corpse l8.-Tree-burial l9.-Chippewa scaffold burial 30.-Scarification at burial 3l.-Australian scaffold burial 33.-Preparing the dead 33.-Canoe-burial 24.-Twana canoe-burial 25.-Posts for burial canoes 36.-Tent on scaffold 37.-House burial 38.-House burial 39.-Canoe-burial 30.-Mourning-cradle 3l.-Launching the burial cradle 32.-Chippewa widow 33.-Ghost gamble 34.-Figured plum stones 35.-Winning throw, No 1 36.-Winning throw, No 2 37.-Winning throw, No 3 38.-Winning throw, No 4 39.-Winning throw, No 5 40.-Winning throw, No 6 4l.-Auxiliary throw, No 1 42.-Auxiliary throw No 2 43.-Auxiliary throw, No 3 44.-Auxiliary throw No 4 45.-Auxiliary throw, No 5 46.-Burial posts 47.-Grave fire

A Further Contribution To The

STUDY OF THE MORTUARY CUSTOMS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS

BY H.C. YARROW.

INTRODUCTORY.

In view of the fact that the present paper will doubtless reach many readers who may not, in consequence of the limited edition, have seen the preliminary volume on mortuary customs, it seems expedient to reproduce in great part the prefatory remarks which served as an introduction to that work; for the reasons then urged, for the immediate study of this subject, still exist, and as time flies on become more and more important.

The primitive manners and customs of the North American Indians are rapidly passing away under influences of civilization and other disturbing elements. In view of this fact, it becomes the duty of all interested in preserving a record of these customs to labor assiduously, while there is still time, to collect such data as may be obtainable. This seems the more important now, as within the last ten years an almost universal interest has been awakened in ethnologic research, and the desire for more knowledge in this regard is constantly increasing. A wise and liberal government, recognizing the need, has ably seconded the efforts of those engaged in such studies by liberal grants, from the public funds; nor is encouragement wanted from the hundreds of scientific societies throughout the civilized globe. The public press, too--the mouth-piece of the people--is ever on the alert to scatter broadcast such items of ethnologic information as its corps of well-trained reporters can secure. To induce further laudable inquiry, and assist all those who may be willing to engage in the good work, is the object of this further paper on the mortuary customs of North American Indians, and it is hoped that many more laborers may through it be added to the extensive and honorable list of those who have already contributed.

It would appear that the subject chosen should awaken great interest, since the peculiar methods followed by different nations and the great importance attached to burial ceremonies have formed an almost invariable part of all works relating to the different peoples of our globe; in fact, no particular portion of ethnologic research has claimed more attention. In view of these facts, it might seem almost a work of supererogation to continue a further examination of the subject, for nearly every author in writing of our Indian tribes makes some mention of burial observances; but these notices are scattered far and wide on the sea of this special literature, and many of the accounts, unless supported by corroborative evidence, may be considered as entirely unreliable. To bring together and harmonize conflicting statements, and arrange collectively what is known of the subject, has been the writer's task, and an enormous mass of information has been acquired, the method of securing which has been already described in the preceding volume and need not be repeated at this time. It has seemed undesirable at present to enter into any discussion regarding the causes which may have led to the adoption of any particular form of burial or coincident ceremonies, the object of this paper being simply to furnish illustrative examples, and request further contributions from observers; for, notwithstanding the large amount of material already at hand, much still remains to be done, and careful study is needed before any attempt at a thorough analysis of mortuary customs can be made. It is owing to these facts and from the nature of the material gathered that the paper must be considered more as a compilation than an original effort, the writer having done little else than supply the thread to bind together the accounts furnished.