Handbook of American Indians north of Mexico / edited by Frederick Webb Hodge.
- Date:
- 1907-1910
Licence: In copyright
Credit: Handbook of American Indians north of Mexico / edited by Frederick Webb Hodge. Source: Wellcome Collection.
970/1000 (page 952)
![MOUKNINa [b. a. k. body. These signs of mourning are gen- erally made immediately at the death, and are renewed at the burial and again when the mourning feast takes place. In some tribes it is customary when anyone dies for a priest or other resj)ected person to stand outside the dwelling in which the decease<l lies and, with hand uplifted, proclaim in a loud voice to the spirits of the kindred that their kinsman has started on his way to join them; meanwhile swift runners speed through the tribe, sju-eading the news of the death among the living. More or less ceremony usually attends the preparation of the body for buiial. Among the Hopi wailing takes ])lace dur- ing the washing of the body. In some tribes the characteristic tribal moccasin must be i)ut on the feet of the dead by a member of a certain clan, in order tfiat the kindred may b(' sahdy rea(;h(‘d. In others the face must be ceremoiually painted for the journey and the best clothing put on, so that the dead may go forth properly attired and honored. Per- sonal belongings are i)laced with the corpse. On the N. W. coast, after the body has been arrayed it is])ro])]H‘d up at the rear of the house and surrounded by the property, and the relatives and mourners pass by tlie remains in token of respect. The conventional sign of mourn- ing ainong the Salish, according to llill- Tout, is the severing of the hair of the surviving relatives, who dispose of it in various ways according to the tribe—by burning it to prevent its falling into the hands of a sorcerer; by burying it where vegetation is dense, thus insuring long life and strength; by jnitting it away for final burial at their own death; by cast- ing it into running water, and by fastening it to the l)ranches on the eastern side of a red-fir tree. Among the Hopi wailing is confined to the day of the death and to anniversaries of that event. When a number die from an ei>idemic a date is ollicially fixed for the mourning anniver- sary, and this is kept even when it inter- cepts a h'sti val or other rite. Professional mcnmiers are employed among the Zuni, Hopi, Mohave, and neighboring tribes. The observance of the anniversary of a death is common. Among some tribe's it is obs('rved with great ceremony; in all cases the guests are served with food, and gifts are made to tlu'in in honor of the (lead. Then' are diffen'uces observed in moundng for a man or a woman and for an adult or a child. Among the Dakota the widow jiassed around tlu' circle of the tribe, each circuit standing for a ])romise to remain single during a year. The gen- eral sign of widowhood is loost'uing the hair and ('utting it short in a line with the ears. It was the wife’s duty to light a fire for four nights on her husband’s grave and watch that it did not die out helore dawn. She had to wail at sunrise and sunset, eat little, and remain more or less secluded. The length of her seclusion varied in different tribes from a few weeks or months to two years. At the expira- tion of the period relatives of her former husband brought her gifts and bad(' her return to her former pleasures. She was then free to mai-ry again. In some tribes wives, slaves, or horses and dogs were formerly slain at the death of a man, for it was the g(.aieral belief that relations of all kinds which were maintained on earth would continue in the dwelling jdace of si)irits. It was usual for the tribt' to abstain ti'om festivities when a death occurred in the community. The various soci('ties omitted their meetings, and general si- lence was observed. In some tribes all the peojde wailed at sunrise and sunset. Where these general observances of s<jr- I'ow were the custom, the mourners were visited by the leading men a few days af- ter death, when the pipe was offered, and after smoking, the family of the decea.'^ed gave a feast, a signal for the tribe to re- sume its wonted ideasures. The black j)aint that was put upon iiK'n, women, and children of some tribes as a sign of mourning might not be washed off, but must be worn until it disappeared by some other means. Theannonneement of the mourning feast was generally made in a formal way at the close of the burial ceremony. Among most of the Plains tribes black paint was a sign of victory and mourners refrained entiiely froili I)aint or other adornment. The customs of mourning seem to have a twofold as])ect—one relating to the spirit of the deceased, the other to the surviv- ing relatives and friends. This dual character is clearly rt'vealed in a custom that obtaint'd among the Omaha and c'og- nate tribes: On the (h'ath of a man or a woman who was resi>ected in the com- munity, the young men, friends of the (h'c'cased, nu't at a shoi't distance from the lodge ot the dead and madi' two inci- sions in their left arms .•^o as to leave a loop of skin. Tlmaigh this looi> was j)assed a small willow twig, with leaves left on one end; then, with their blood drij)])ing upon the willow leaves, holding a willow sti'm in t'ach hand, they walked in single file to the lodge, and, standing abtvast in a long line, they sang there the tribal song to the dead, beating the wil- low stems together to the rhythm of the song. At the sound of the n'msic, a near n'lative ('aine forth from tlu' lodge and, beginning at oiu' end of thi' line, jmlled out tlu' blood-stained twigs from tlu' left arm of each singer, and laid a hand on](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b24881739_0970.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
