88 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



him, and yet he doesn't get well. What's the matter ? Are you 

 deaf ? Can't you hear us ? " 



When death actually takes place, and the friends are con- 

 vinced by the coldness of the body that there is absolutely no 

 hope of recovery, preparations for burial are immediately begun. 

 The corpse is not washed or anointed in any way, embalming be- 

 ing quite unknown to this people : it is dressed in its newest 

 clothes ; the outer garment, which reaches nearly to the feet, is 

 folded over the body and neatly laced up in front like a boot, and 

 further secured by the girdle. The feet and ankles are carefully 

 wrapi3ed, when possible, in white rags, and the hands and arms 

 are similarly covered. The man's bow and quiver and his gun 

 are laid by his side, and his pipe and tobacco-pouch are stuck in 

 his belt. With the possible exception of the smoking implements, 

 these articles are not interred with the corpse, but are simply 

 placed as insignia of its manhood during the funeral feast which 

 immediately takes place. For this feast, cakes made of millet- 

 flour, and boiled somewhat in the same manner as dumplings, are 

 prepared by the widow and female relatives of the deceased. 

 They are similar to those used at the wedding-feast. The cakes 

 are eaten by the men who assemble for the occasion, by whom a 

 great deal of salie is drunk. A small libation is offered to the 

 man's memory and to the gods. In doing this the men dip one 

 end of carved flat sticks, which they use as mustache-lifters, into 

 the sake and sprinkle a few drops toward the corpse, the fireplace, 

 the east window, the northeast corner of the house, and round in 

 front of them generally. The act of drinking the sake is in itself 

 a religious one, as they say that in " drinking to the gods " they 

 show their reverence ; therefore the more they drink the better, 

 and an occasion when all become intoxicated to absolute stupefac- 

 tion is by some thought to give pleasure to the gods and to be 

 blessed by them. As the village chief is its priest and performs 

 all religious ceremonies, his presence at the death-feast is essen- 

 tial. He conducts the ritual — if the orgies may be dignified by 

 that term — the men all participating, and the women acting as 

 servants. If for any reason the chief himself is unable to be 

 present, he sends a substitute. 



When the cakes are eaten and the sake all drunk (and the 

 men sufiiciently recovered from its effects to be able to move), 

 the body is slung upon a pole, borne to the grave by the nearest 

 male relatives^ and immediately buried. No particular time is 

 chosen, nor is any attention paid to the situation of the grave. 

 This seems very strange when it is remembered that the east is 

 considered the sacred direction, and one would naturally suppose 

 that some care would be taken to place the corpse in an east and 

 west line, perhaps with the head slightly raised and looking 



