YARROW] TREE AND SCAFFOLD BURIAL. 159 
The same feeling also prevents them from ever using old scaffolds or any of the wood 
which has been used about them, even for firewood, though the necessity may be very 
great, for fear some evil consequences will follow. It is also the custom, though not 
universally followed, when bodies have been for two years on the scaffolds to take 
them down and bury them under ground. 
All the work about winding up the dead, building the scaffold, and placing the dead 
upon it is done by women only, who, after having finished their labor, return and bring 
the men, to show them where the body is placed, that they may be able to find it in 
future. Valuables of all kinds, such as weapons, ornaments, pipes, &c.—in short, 
whatever the deceased valued most highly while living, and locks of hair cut from the 
heads of the mourners at his death, are always bound up withthe body. In case the 
dead was a man of importance, or if the family could afford it, even though he were 
not, one or several horses (generally, in the former case, those which the departed 
thought most of) are shot and placed under the scaffold. The ideain this is that the 
spirit of the horse will accompany and be of use to his spirit in the ‘‘ happy hunting 
grounds,” or, as these people express it, ‘‘ the spirit land.” 
When an Indian dies, and in some cases even before death occurs, the friends and 
relatives assemble at the lodge and begin erying over the departed or departing one. 
This consists in uttering the most heartrending, almost hideous wails and lamenta- 
tions, in which all join until exhausted. Then the mourning ceases for a time until 
some one starts it again, when all join in as before and keep it up until unable to cry 
longer. This is kept up until the body is removed. This crying is done almost 
wholly by women, who gather in large numbers on such occasions, and among them a 
few who are professional mourners. These are generally old women and go whenever 
a person is expected to die, to take the leading part in the lamentations, knowing 
that they will be well paid at the distribution of goods which follows. As soon as 
death takes place, the body is dressed by the women in the best garments and blankets 
obtainable, new ones if they can be afforded. The crowd gathered near continue 
wailing piteously, and from time to time cut locks of hair from their own heads with 
knives, and throw them on the dead body. Those who wish to show their grief most 
strongly, cut themselves in various places, generally in the legs and arms, with their 
knives or pieces of flint, more commonly the latter, causing the blood to flow freely 
over their persons. This custom is followed to a less degree by the men. 
A body is seldom kept longer than one day as, besides the desire to get the dead out 
of sight, the fear that the disease which caused the death will communicate itself to 
others of the family causes them to hasten the disposition of it as soon as they are 
certain that death has actually taken place. 
Until the body is laid away the mourners eat nothing. After that is done, con- 
nected with which there seems fo be no particular ceremony, the few women who 
attend to it return to the lodge and a distribution is made among them and others, 
not only of the remaining property of the deceased, but of all the possessions, even to 
the lodge itself of the family to which he belonged. This custom in some cases has 
been carried so far as to leave the rest of the family not only absolutely destitute but 
actually naked. After continuing in this condition for a time, they gradually reach 
the common level again by receiving gifts from various sources. 
The received custom requires of women, near relatives of the dead, a strict observ- 
ance of the ten days following the death, as follows: They are to rise at a very early 
hour and work unusually hard all day, joining in no feast, dance, game, or other 
liversion, eat but little, and retire late, hat they may be deprived of the usual 
amount of sleep as of food. During this they never paint themselves, but at various 
times go to the top of some hill and bewail the dead in loud cries and lamentations 
for hours together. After the ten days have expired they paint themselves again 
and engage in the usual amusements of the people as before. The men are expected 
to mourn and fast for one day and then go on the war-path against some other tribe, 
or on some long journey alone. If he prefers, he can monrn and fast for two or more 
