FUNERALS.
I believe that no sufficiently detailed account has yet been given of
the manner in which the North American Indians conduct the funerals
of their dead. Captain Carver tells us that the Naudowessies, among
whom he was, kept those ceremonies a secret, and would not give him
an opportunity of witnessing them. Loskiel, although he drew his
information from the journals of our Missionaries, has treated this
subject rather superficially. I therefore run little risk of repetition
in describing what I have myself seen, and I hope that the particulars
which I am going to relate will not be thought uninteresting.
It is well known that the Indians pay great respect to the memory
of the dead, and commit their remains to the ground with becoming
ceremonies. Those ceremonies, however, are not the same in all cases,
but vary according to circumstances, and the condition of the deceased;
for rank and wealth receive distinctions even after death, as well
among savages as among civilised nations. This, perhaps, may be easily
accounted for. When a great chief dies, his death is considered as a
national loss; of course all must join in a public demonstration of
their sorrow. The rich man, on the other hand, had many friends during
his life, who cannot decently abandon him the moment the breath is
out of his body; besides, his fortune supplies the means of a rich
entertainment at the funeral, of which many, as may well be supposed,
are anxious to partake. Thus social distinctions are found even in
the state of nature, where perfect equality, if it exists any where,
might with the greatest probability be supposed to be found. Though
the earth and its fruits are common to all the Indians, yet every
man is permitted to enjoy the earnings of his industry, and that
produces riches; and though there is no hereditary or even elective
rank in their social organization, yet as power follows courage and
talents, those who are generally acknowledged to be possessed of those
qualities, assume their station above the rest, and the distinction
of rank is thus established. Politicians and philosophers may reason
on these facts as they please; the descriptions that I give are from
nature, and I leave it to abler men than myself to draw the proper
inferences from them.
On the death of a principal chief, the village resounds from one end
to the other with the loud lamentations of the women, among whom those
who sit by the corpse distinguish themselves by the shrillness of
their cries and the frantic expression of their sorrow. This scene of
mourning over the dead body continues by day and by night until it is
interred, the mourners being relieved from time to time by other women.
These honours of “mourning over the corpse” are paid to all; the poor
and humble, as well as the rich, great, and powerful; the difference
consists only in the number of mourners, the undistinguished Indian
having few besides his immediate relations and friends, and sometimes
only those. Women (notwithstanding all that has been said of their
supposed inferior station and of their being reduced to the rank of
slaves) are not treated after their death with less respect than the
men, and the greatest honours are paid to the remains of the wives
of renowned warriors or veteran chiefs, particularly if they were
descended themselves of a high family, which, however strange it may
appear, is not an indifferent thing among the Indians, who love to
honour the merit of their great men in their relatives. I was present
in the year 1762, at the funeral of a woman of the highest rank and
respectability, the wife of the valiant Delaware chief _Shingask_;[214]
as all the honours were paid to her at her interment that are usual on
such occasions, I trust a particular description of the ceremony will
not be unacceptable.
At the moment that she died, her death was announced through the
village by women specially appointed for that purpose, who went through
the streets crying, “_She is no more! she is no more!_” The place on a
sudden exhibited a scene of universal mourning; cries and lamentations
were heard from all quarters; it was truly the expression of the
general feeling for a general loss.
The day passed in this manner amidst sorrow and desolation. The next
morning, between nine and ten o’clock, two counsellors came to announce
to Mr. Thomas Calhoon, the Indian trader, and myself, that we were
desired to attend and assist at the funeral which was soon to take
place. We, in consequence, proceeded to the house of the deceased,
where we found her corpse lying in a coffin, (which had been made
by Mr. Calhoon’s carpenter) dressed and painted in the most superb
Indian style. Her garments, all new, were set off with rows of silver
broaches,[215] one row joining the other. Over the sleeves of her new
ruffled shirt were broad silver arm-spangles from her shoulder down
to her wrist, on which were bands, forming a kind of mittens, worked
together of wampum, in the same manner as the belts which they use
when they deliver speeches. Her long plaited hair was confined by
broad bands of silver, one band joining the other, yet not of the same
size, but tapering from the head downwards and running at the lower
end to a point. On the neck were hanging five broad belts of wampum
tied together at the ends, each of a size smaller than the other, the
largest of which reached below her breast, the next largest reaching to
a few inches of it, and so on, the uppermost one being the smallest.
Her scarlet leggings were decorated with different coloured ribands
sewed on, the outer edges being finished off with small beads also of
various colours. Her mocksens were ornamented with the most striking
figures, wrought on the leather with coloured porcupine quills, on the
borders of which, round the ankles, were fastened a number of small
round silver bells, of about the size of a musket ball. All these
things, together with the vermilion paint, judiciously laid on, so as
to set her off in the highest style, decorated her person in such a
manner, that perhaps nothing of the kind could exceed it.
The spectators having retired, a number of articles were brought out
of the house and placed in the coffin, wherever there was room to put
them in, among which were a new shirt, a dressed deer skin for shoes,
a pair of scissors, needles, thread, a knife, pewter basin and spoon,
pint-cup, and other similar things, with a number of trinkets and other
small articles which she was fond of while living. The lid was then
fastened on the coffin with three straps, and three handsome round
poles, five or six feet long, were laid across it, near each other, and
one in the middle, which were also fastened with straps cut up from a
tanned elk hide; and a small bag of vermilion paint, with some flannel
to lay it on, was then thrust into the coffin through the hole cut out
at the head of it. This hole, the Indians say, is for the spirit of the
deceased to go in and out at pleasure, until it has found the place of
its future residence.
Everything being in order, the bearers of the corpse were desired to
take their places. Mr. Calhoon and myself were placed at the foremost
pole, two women at the middle, and two men at the pole in the rear.
Several women from a house about thirty yards off, now started off,
carrying large kettles, dishes, spoons, and dried elk meat in baskets,
for the burial place, and the signal being given for us to move with
the body, the women who acted as chief mourners made the air resound
with their shrill cries. The order of the procession was as follows;
first a leader or guide, from the spot where we were to the place of
interment. Next followed the corpse, and close to it _Shingask_, the
husband of the deceased. He was followed by the principal war-chiefs
and counsellors of the nation, after whom came men of all ranks and
descriptions. Then followed the women and children, and lastly two
stout men carrying loads of European manufactured goods upon their
backs. The chief mourners on the women’s side, not having joined the
ranks, took their own course to the right, at the distance of about
fifteen or twenty yards from us, but always opposite to the corpse.
As the corpse had to be carried by the strength of our arms to the
distance of about two hundred yards, and hung low between the bearers,
we had to rest several times by the way, and whenever we stopped,
everybody halted until we moved on again.
Being arrived at the grave, we were told to halt, then the lid of the
coffin was again taken off, and the body exposed to view. Now the
whole train formed themselves into a kind of semi-lunar circle on the
south side of the grave, and seated themselves on the ground. Within
this circle, at the distance of about fifteen yards from the grave, a
common seat was made for Mr. Calhoon and myself to sit on, while the
disconsolate _Shingask_ retired by himself to a spot at some distance,
where he was seen weeping, with his head bowed to the ground. The
female mourners seated themselves promiscuously near to each other,
among some low bushes that were at the distance of from twelve to
fifteen yards east of the grave.
In this situation we remained for the space of more than two hours; not
a sound was heard from any quarter, though the numbers that attended
were very great; nor did any person move from his seat to view the
body, which had been lightly covered over with a clean white sheet. All
appeared to be in profound reflection and solemn mourning. Sighs and
sobs were now and then heard from the female mourners, so uttered as
not to disturb the assembly; it seemed rather as if intended to keep
the feeling of sorrow alive in a manner becoming the occasion. Such was
the impression made on us by this long silence.
At length, at about one o’clock in the afternoon, six men stepped
forward to put the lid upon the coffin, and let down the body into
the grave, when suddenly three of the women mourners rushed from
their seats, and forcing themselves between these men and the corpse,
loudly called out to the deceased to “arise and go with them and not
to forsake them.” They even took hold of her arms and legs; at first
it seemed as if they were caressing her, afterwards they appeared to
pull with more violence, as if they intended to run away with the
body, crying out all the while, “Arise, arise! Come with us! Don’t
leave us! Don’t abandon us!” At last they retired, plucking at their
garments, pulling their hair, and uttering loud cries and lamentations,
with all the appearance of frantic despair. After they were seated
on the ground, they continued in the same manner crying and sobbing
and pulling at the grass and shrubs, as if their minds were totally
bewildered and they did not know what they were doing.
As soon as these women had gone through their part of the ceremony,
which took up about fifteen minutes, the six men whom they had
interrupted and who had remained at the distance of about five feet
from the corpse, again stepped forward and did their duty. They let
down the coffin into the earth, and laid two thin poles of about four
inches diameter, from which the bark had been taken off, lengthways
and close together over the grave, after which they retired. Then the
husband of the deceased advanced with a very slow pace, and when he
came to the grave, walked over it on these poles, and proceeded forward
in the same manner into an extensive adjoining prairie, which commenced
at this spot.
When the widowed chief had advanced so far that he could not hear what
was doing at the grave, a painted post, on which were drawn various
figures, emblematic of the deceased’s situation in life and of her
having been the wife of a valiant warrior, was brought by two men and
delivered to a third, a man of note, who placed it in such a manner
that it rested on the coffin at the head of the grave, and took great
care that a certain part of the drawings should be exposed to the East,
or rising of the sun; then, while he held the post erect and properly
situated, some women filled up the grave with hoes, and having placed
dry leaves and pieces of bark over it, so that none of the fresh
ground was visible, they retired, and some men, with timbers fitted
beforehand for the purpose, enclosed the grave about breast-high, so as
to secure it from the approach of wild beasts.
The whole work being finished, which took up about an hour’s time, Mr.
Calhoon and myself expected that we might be permitted to go home, as
we wished to do, particularly as we saw a thundergust from the west
fast approaching; but the Indians, suspecting our design, soon came
forward with poles and blankets, and in a few minutes erected a shelter
for us.
The storm, though of short duration, was tremendous; the water produced
by the rain, flowing in streams; yet all had found means to secure
themselves during its continuance, and being on prairie ground, we were
out of all danger of trees being torn up or blown down upon us. Our
encampment now appeared like a village, or rather like a military camp,
such was the number of places of shelter that had been erected.
Fortunately, the husband of the deceased had reached the camp in good
time, and now the gust being over, every one was served with victuals
that had been cooked at some distance from the spot. After the repast
was over, the articles of merchandise which had been brought by the two
men in the rear, having been made up in parcels, were distributed among
all present. No one, from the oldest to the youngest, was excepted,
and every one partook of the liberal donation. This difference only
was made, that those who had rendered the greatest services received
the most valuable presents, and we were much pleased to see the female
mourners well rewarded, as they had, indeed, a very hard task to
perform. Articles of little value, such as gartering, tape, needles,
beads, and the like, were given to the smaller girls; the older ones
received a pair of scissors, needles and thread, and a yard or two
of riband. The boys had a knife, jews-harp, awl-blades, or something
of similar value. Some of the grown persons received a new suit of
clothes, consisting of a blanket, shirt, breech-cloth and leggings, of
the value in the whole of about eight dollars; and the women, (I mean
those who had rendered essential services) a blanket, ruffled shirts,
stroud and leggings, the whole worth from ten to twelve dollars. Mr.
Calhoon and myself were each presented with a silk cravat and a pair
of leggings. The goods distributed on this occasion, were estimated by
Mr. Calhoon at two hundred dollars; the greatest part of them had, the
same morning, been taken out of his store.
After we had thus remained, in a manner, under confinement, for more
than six hours, the procession ended, and Mr. Calhoon and myself
retired with the rest to our homes. At dusk a kettle of victuals was
carried to the grave and placed upon it, and the same was done every
evening for the space of three weeks, at the end of which it was
supposed that the traveller had found her place of residence. During
that time the lamentations of the women mourners were heard on the
evenings of each day, though not so loud nor so violent as before.
I have thus described, from minutes which I took at the time, the
ceremonies which take place among the Delaware Indians on the death of
a person of high rank and consideration among them. The funerals of
persons of an inferior station are conducted with less pomp and with
less expense. When the heirs of the deceased cannot afford to hire
female mourners, the duty is performed by their own immediate relations
and friends. But “mourning over the corpse” is a ceremony that cannot
be dispensed with.
It is always customary, when an Indian dies, of whatever rank or
condition he may be, to put a number of the articles which belonged to
the deceased in the coffin or grave, that he may have them when wanted.
I have seen a bottle of rum or whiskey placed at the coffin head, and
the reason given for it was, that the deceased was fond of liquor while
living, and he would be glad of a dram when he should feel fatigued on
his journey to the world of spirits.
When an Indian dies at a distance from his home, great care is taken
that the grave be well fortified with posts and logs laid upon it, that
the wolves may be prevented from getting at the corpse; when time and
circumstances do not permit this, as, for instance, when the Indians
are travelling, the body is enclosed in the bark of trees and thus laid
in the grave. When a death takes place at their hunting camps, they
make a kind of coffin as well as they can, or put a cover over the
body, so that the earth may not sink on it, and then enclose the grave
with a fence of poles.
Warriors that are slain in battle, are, if possible, drawn aside and
buried, so that the enemy may not get their scalps, and also that he
may not know the number of the slain. In such cases they will turn an
old log out of its bed, and dig a grave so deep, that the log, when
replaced, may not press too hard upon the body. If any of the fresh
earth be seen, they cover it with rotten wood, brush or leaves, that
its place may not be found. If they have not sufficient time for this,
or the number of their dead is too great, they throw the bodies on the
top of each other between large logs, and place any kind of rotten wood
or other rubbish upon them. They never, when they can help it, leave
their dead to be devoured by wild beasts.
When the Indians have to speak of a deceased person, they never mention
him or her by name, lest they should renew the grief of the family
or friends. They say, “He who was our counsellor or chief,” “She who
was the wife of our friend;” or they will allude to some particular
circumstance, as that of the deceased having been with them at a
particular time or place, or having done some particular act or spoken
particular words which they all remember, so that every body knows who
is meant. I have often observed with emotion this remarkable delicacy,
which certainly does honour to their hearts, and shews that they are
naturally accessible to the tenderest feelings of humanity.