The oldest style of burial was to wrap the body in mats, place it in one
canoe, cover it with another, elevate it in a tree or on a frame erected
for the purpose, and leave it there, burying with it valuable things, as
bows, arrows, canoes, haiqua shells (their money), stone implements,
clothes, and the like. After the whites came to this region, the dead
were placed in trunks, and cloth, dishes, money, and the like were added
to the valuables which were buried with them.
But one such burial has taken place within ten years, and that was the
daughter of an old man. The next step toward civilization was to bury
all the dead in one place, instead of leaving them scattered anywhere
they might chance to die, make a long box instead of using a trunk and
canoe, and elevate it on a frame made for the purpose only a few feet
high, or, perhaps, simply lay it on the ground, erecting a small house
over it. This was frequently done during the first few years after I
was here.
[Illustration: CLALLAM GRAVES AT PORT GAMBLE.
These are painted, with no cloth on them. (_a_) Looking-glass.
(_b_) A shelf, on which is a bowl, teapot, etc., with rubber toys
floating in them, such as ducks, fish, etc.
On the opening of a new burying-ground, in August, 1878, the head chief
of the Twanas said to me: “To-day we become white people. At this
burying-ground all will be buried in the ground, and no cloth or other
articles will be left around, at least, above ground.” At that place
this promise has been faithfully kept, as far as I know, though since
that time, at other places, they have left some cloth above ground. They
often yet fill the coffin, now generally made like those of white
people, with much cloth and some other things. A grave-stone, which
cost thirty dollars, marks the last resting-place of one man, put there
by his wife.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.]
[Illustration: FIG. 2.]
[Illustration: FIG. 3.
These are grave-enclosures at the burying-ground at the Skokomish
Reservation. In Figures 1 and 3 they are covered altogether with
cloth, and that which is not colored is white. Figure 3 is chiefly
covered with a red blanket; _a_ in Figure 1 is a glass window,
through which a red shawl covers the coffin, which is placed a foot
or so above the ground. In all grave-enclosures which I have seen
where glass windows are placed the coffin is above ground.
Sometimes more than one is placed in an enclosure. Figure 2 is
almost entirely after the American fashion, and was made last
year.--(December, 1877.)
]
Most of them had a superstitious fear of going near a dead body, for
they were afraid that the evil spirit, which killed the deceased was
still around and would kill others who might be near. This, together
with the fact that they cared but little for Christianity, made them
have no desire to have Christian services at their funerals at first.
Before I came, only one such service had been held. And, for the first
few years after I came, notwithstanding the efforts of both agent and
missionary, there were but few such services. Sometimes they would hurry
off a deceased person to the grave, and I would not hear of the death
until after the burial, much less have a chance to ask whether they
wished for such services.
But steady effort, together with the example of the surrounding whites,
who, previous to my arrival, had had no minister to hold such services,
in time produced a change, so that they wished for them at the funerals
of all persons whom they considered of much importance. At the funeral
of one poor vagabond, who had almost no friends, I had my own way, and
many thought it very strange that I should hold such a service. It was
well enough, they said, with persons of consequence, but with such a
person they thought it useless.
Not long after they opened their new burying-ground, already spoken of,
I was absent from home when one person died. When I returned, a
sub-chief said to me: “We felt badly when we buried a person and no
white man was present to say a Christian word. We wish that when you are
away, you would make arrangements with some of the whites at the agency
to attend our funerals, for we want such services.” Since then, I have
almost constantly held them, except when they preferred to have the
Indian Catholic priest to attend them.
But now a new error arose at the other extreme. This was that such
services helped the soul of the deceased to reach heaven. It came from
Catholic teaching. I have had to combat it constantly, but some believe
it still.
Most of the Clallams now put their dead in the ground. Those who are
Catholics have a funeral service by their own priest. In February, 1881,
I was at Jamestown, when a child of Cook House Billy died. I went
through with the services--the first Christian ones that had ever been
held there. They soon asked how they should do if I were absent, and I
instructed them as best I could. Since then the Christian part of the
community have obtained a minister of any Protestant denomination, if
there was one to be obtained, to hold services at their funerals.