88 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 196 



The money I gave him to buy salt $0. 50 



I bought sugar $0. 50 



December 12, 1859 



COMMENTARY 



Evidently it was not the oflficial duty of any member of the township 

 to take care of the complete disposition of the estates of the deceased. 

 Someone was appointed to serve each specific phase of this task. 



Collections and disbursements in this itemization are not clearly 

 dijfferentiated. The colored cloth may have been purchased from 

 estate funds for the funeral : "The cofiSn ... is sometimes covered 

 with black cloth, nailed down by tacks" (Mooney and Olbrechts, 1932, 

 p. 136). In Oklahoma up until a generation ago the coffin was almost 

 invariably so draped. A bUl of sale in the possession of the authors, 

 dated April 7, 1893, lists items purchased for the funeral of a male 

 Cherokee (Cox, MS., 1893): 



To 13 yds Blk Calico 7-K [$0. ]95 



To 13 Blk Domestic 95 



To 1 pr Gloves 25 



To 1 pr Stocking[s] 10 



To 1 pr [sic] White-Hdkerchief 10 



To 2# nails @ 5 10 



To 1 paper Tacks 5 



To 1 pr Slipper shoes Prince Albert 1. 50 



Total 4.00 



The salt, too, may have been a funeral expense, the money for 

 which was given to the chief heir out of sale proceeds, or advanced to 

 him. It was once the custom in North Carolina to place a vessel of 

 salt upon the breast of the corpse (Mooney and Olbrechts, 1932, p. 

 134). If this practice existed in Oklahoma, it has not been reported. 

 The entry concerning sugar is obscure. Perhaps it records the dis- 

 position of an item left over from the sale of July 29th. 



Mooney's designation "Company Debts — WW" is in error: the 

 Qadu:g{i) was in no way involved. 



NO. 31.— EXPENSE ACCOUNT: RECOVERING A HORSE 



gha? hi'i'a^sgini so:gwil(i) tsa:giyohu:se:K:gi 



now this, in particular horse that I did lose 



ga'lohni tsiglaa : 'i'lA? : gi harhnigwo ga?dii:si 



August which month this here, Just mountain 



tsagihyo:bv:gi hi?a?hno: no:gwo !i:gwagh(a)say(a)sdo?dI 



that I did hunt this and now to examine it, 1 



