BUSHNELL] NATIVE CEMETERIES AND FORMS OF BURIAL 67 



after tke manner of our coarse fabrics. This rug was about three 

 feet wide, and between six and seven in length. The whole of the 

 ligaments thus framed of bark, were completely covered by the 

 feathers, forming a body of about one eighth of an inch in thick- 

 ness, the feathers extending about one quarter of an inch in length 

 from the strand to Avhich they were confined. The appearance was 

 highly diversified by green, blue, yellow and black, presenting dif- 

 ferent shades of colour when reflected upon by the light in different 

 positions. The next covering was an undressed deer skin, around 

 which was rolled, in good order, a plain shroud manufactured after 

 the same order as the one ornamented with feathers. This article 

 resembled very much in its texture the bags generally used for the 

 purpose of holding coffee exported from the Havanna to the United 

 States. The female had in her hand a fan formed of the tail feathers 

 of a turkey. The points of these feathers were curiously bound by 

 a buckskin string well dressed, and were thus closely bound for about 

 one inch from the points. About three inches from the point they 

 were again bound, by another deer skin string, in such a manner 

 that the fan might be closed and expanded at pleasure. Between the 

 feathers and this last binding by the string, were placed around each 

 feather, hairs which seem to have been taken from the tail of a deer. 

 This hair was dyed of a deep scarlet red, and was one third at least 

 longer than the hairs of the deer's tail in this climate generally are. 



" The male was interred sitting in a basket, after the same manner 

 as the former, with this exception, that he had no feathered rug, 

 neither had he a fan in his hand. The hair which still remained on 

 their heads was entire. . . . The female was, when she deceased, of 

 about the age of 14. The male was somewhat younger. The cave 

 in which they were found, abounded in nitre, copperas, alum and 

 salts. The whole of this covering, with the baskets, was perfectly 

 sound, without any marks of decay." (Haywood, (1), pp. 163-165.) 



A somewhat similar burial was encountered in a rock shelter on 

 the bank of Cliff Creek, Morgan County, Tennessee, in 1885. This 

 was some miles northeast of the cave described in 1811. The burial 

 was reached at a depth of 3| feet in earth strongly charged with nitre. 

 Rolled up in a large split-cane mat were very remarkable examples 

 of aprons made of Indian hemp {Aj^ocymom cannabinum), skeins of 

 vegetal fiber, a dog's skull, some bone implements, fragments of 

 human bones, and some hair. All were inclosed in the mat, and 

 together with it were preserved by the natural salts. The speci- 

 mens are now in the United States National Museum, Washington. 

 (Holmes, (1), p. 30.) 



While the preceding burials do not appear to have been placed in 

 prepared graves, other instances have been recorded where the bodies 



