An Introduction to the mortuary customs of the North American IndiansYarrow, H. C. (Harry Crécy)
History
An Introduction to the mortuary customs of the North American Indians
Yarrow, H. C. (Harry Crécy)
Indians of North America -- Funeral customs and rites
"I paid a visit to their camp four miles below Ukiah, and finding
there a unique kind of assembly-house, desired to enter and examine
it, but was not allowed to do so until I had gained the confidence of
the old sexton by a few friendly words and the tender of a silver half
dollar. The pit of it was about 50 feet in diameter and 4 or 5 feet
deep, and it was so heavily roofed with earth that the interior was
damp and somber as a tomb. It looked like a low tumulus, and was
provided with a tunnel-like entrance about 10 feet long and 4 feet
high, and leading down to a level with the floor of the pit. The mouth
of the tunnel was closed with brush, and the venerable sexton would
not remove it until he had slowly and devoutly paced several times to
and fro before the entrance.
"Passing in I found the massive roof supported by a number of peeled
poles painted white and ringed with black and ornamented with rude
devices. The floor was covered thick and green with sprouting wheat,
which had been scattered to feed the spirit of the captain of the
tribe, lately deceased. Not long afterward a deputation of the Senel
came up to condole with the Yo-kai-a on the loss of their chief, and a
dance or series of dances was held which lasted three days. During
this time of course the Senel were the guests of the Yo-kai-a, and the
latter were subjected to a considerable expense. I was prevented by
other engagements from being present, and shall be obliged to depend
on the description of an eye-witness, Mr. John Tenney, whose account
is here given with a few changes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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