An Introduction to the Mortuary Customs of the North American Indians | Page 8

to one side of the bottom of this grave a sort
of vault large enough to contain the body. Here the body is deposited,
the grave is filled up level with the ground, and poles, trees, or pieces
of timber placed upon the grave to protect the remains from the coyotes
(a species of wolf). Burials usually take place at night, without much
ceremony. The mourners chant during the burial, but signs of grief are
rare. The bodies of their dead are buried, if possible, immediately after
death has taken place, and the graves are generally prepared before the
patients die. Sometimes sick persons (for whom the graves had already
been dug) recovered; in such cases the graves are left open until the
persons for whom they were intended die. Open graves of this kind can
be seen in several of their burial-grounds. Places of burial are selected
some distance from the village, and, if possible, in a grove of mesquite
bushes. Immediately after the remains have been buried, the house and
personal effects of the deceased are burned, and his horses and cattle
killed, the meat being cooked as a repast for the mourners. The nearest
relatives of the deceased, as a sign of their sorrow, remain in the village
for weeks and sometimes months; the men cut off about six inches of
their long hair, while the women cut their hair quite short"
The Coyotero Apaches, according to Dr. W. J. Hoffman, [Footnote:
U.S. Geol. Surv. of Terr. for 1876, p. 473] in disposing of their dead,
seem to be actuated by the desire to spare themselves any needless
trouble, and prepare the defunct and the grave in this manner.
"The Coyoteros, upon the death of a member of the tribe, partially wrap
up the corpse and deposit it into the cavity left by the removal of a
small rock or the stump of a tree. After the body has been crammed into
the smallest possible space the rock or stump is again rolled into its

former position, when a number of stones are placed around the base to
keep out the coyotes. The nearest of kin usually mourn for the period of
one month, during that time giving utterance at intervals to the most
dismal lamentations, which are apparently sincere. During the day this
obligation is frequently neglected or forgotten, but when the mourner is
reminded of his duty he renews his howling with evident interest. This
custom of mourning for the period of thirty days corresponds to that
formerly observed by the Natchez."
Somewhat similar to this rude mode of sepulture is that described in the
life of Moses Van Campen, which relates to the Indians formerly
inhabiting Pennsylvania:
"Directly after the Indians proceeded to bury those who had fallen in
battle, which they did by rolling an old log from its place and laying the
body in the hollow thus made, and then heaping upon it a little earth"
As a somewhat curious, if not exceptional, interment, the following
account, relating to the Indians of New York is furnished, by Mr.
Franklin B. Hough, who has extracted it from an unpublished journal of
the agents of a French company kept in 1794:
"Saw Indian graves on the plateau of Independence Rock. The Indians
plant a stake on the right side of the head of the deceased and bury
them in a bark canoe. Their children come every year to bring
provisions to the place where their fathers are buried. One of the graves
had fallen in and we observed in the soil some sticks for stretching
skins, the remains of a canoe, &c., and the two straps for carrying it,
and near the place where the head lay were the traces of a fire which
they had kindled for the soul of the deceased to come and warm itself
by and to partake of the food deposited near it.
"These were probably the Massasauga Indians, then inhabiting the
north shore of Lake Ontario, but who were rather intruders here, the
country being claimed by the Oneidas."
It is not to be denied that the use of canoes for coffins has occasionally
been remarked, for the writer in 1875 removed from the graves at Santa
Barbara an entire skeleton which was discovered in a redwood canoe,
but it is thought that the individual may have been a noted fisherman,
particularly as the implements of his vocation--nets, fish-spears,
&c.--were near him, and this burial was only an exemplification of the
well-rooted belief common to all Indians, that the spirit in the next

world makes use of the same articles as were employed in this one. It
should be added that of the many hundreds of skeletons uncovered at
Santa Barbara the one mentioned presented the only example of the