CAVE RELICS OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS. 11 



daua-litcr aiul grandson, but did not know where to put them, for the season was 

 hite, snowy, and very cokl. So he gave orders to the people to clear out his 

 " cache " (or receptacle for provisions) which was in a cave near the village. He 

 had all his property brought out of it, had the bodies covered with "wooden 

 boards, which he ornamented with colors, and then placed son, daughter, and 

 grandson in the cave, with lamentations, singing, and beating tambourines, as he 

 had at tirst intended. He had also the little bidarka place'd with his son, and 

 everything belonging to it^-paddles, arrows, &c., and many sea-otter and fur-seal 

 skins, and other articles. He then brought out all that he had, and told the 

 assembled people to eat and drink as much as they liked, while he, Kat-hay-a- 

 koochak, without ceasing, wept and lamented for his family. 



"After the ceremonies he told the people that he intended to make a mausoleum 

 of this cave for his whole family, and that he wished to be placed there himself, 

 and desired that his wishes be exactly complied with. 



" Soon after Kat-hay-a-koochak himself died of grief for his family, and was 

 placed in this cave according to his desires ; with all his wealth, such as sea otter 

 and fur seal skins, household goods, wooden dishes, arrows, spears, and other 

 weapons. All of his family that were left behiiul him were buried in the same 

 cave. And this is the end of the recitation of the name and accomplishments of 

 the distinguished chief, Kat-hay-a-koochak. 



" Since then the island of Kagamil has became iminhabited by Aleuts, and the 

 bodies have been undisturbed until this year (1874.) And these bodies, probably, 

 according to the saying of the older Aleuts, were placed there about 1720 to 

 1730, so that those first buried in the cave must have lain there 144-154 years."* 



CONTENTS OF THE CAVE. 



The case (17478) on which the most care and work had evidently been spent, 

 was natm-ally supposed to be that of the old chief or his son. It was opened 

 with great care and careful notes of the disposition of the envelopes, were taken 

 on the spot. In describing the manner in which the body was encased, I have 

 preferred to follow the operation in the manner in which it was originally per- 

 formed, rather than the reverse order in which the unpacking was done. 



The body was placed in a sitting posture with the knees drawn up, slightly 

 inclined toward the right side. The major portion of the tissues and muscles 

 had crumbled into fine dust. The skin, however, remained intact, to some 

 e.xtent, over the limbs, with the exception of the hands and feet. We did not 

 uncover the remains sufficiently to determine whether anything had been 

 inserted into the visceral cavity, as to do so would have risked destroying the 

 continuity of the body entirely. The cranium was still covered with the parch- 

 ment-like remains of the scalp, to which black coarse hair, about six inches long, 

 still adhered. No signs of the tonsure were visible. The bones of the face were 

 quite uncovered, and somewhat separated. The lower jaw was separated at the 

 symphysis, and the frontal bone had sustained an apparently post-mortem 



* See previous remarks in relation to the probable ago of the deposit. 



