﻿fletcher-i,a 
  flesciie] 
  DEATH 
  AND 
  BURIAL 
  CUSTOMS 
  591 
  

  

  alone 
  a 
  little 
  while 
  longer 
  I 
  think 
  I 
  should 
  have 
  finally 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  see 
  

   the 
  entire 
  figure 
  and 
  recognize 
  the 
  people, 
  for 
  at 
  first 
  I 
  could 
  see 
  

   only 
  their 
  feet." 
  Ghosts 
  bent 
  on 
  mischief, 
  as 
  tampering 
  with 
  food 
  

   after 
  it 
  was 
  prepared 
  for 
  eating, 
  could 
  be 
  thwarted 
  by 
  placing 
  a 
  

   knife 
  across 
  the 
  open 
  vessel 
  containing 
  the 
  food. 
  A 
  ghost 
  would 
  

   not 
  meddle 
  with 
  a 
  knife. 
  Nor 
  would 
  ghosts 
  ever 
  cross 
  a 
  stream; 
  

   so, 
  if 
  a 
  person 
  was 
  followed 
  or 
  chased 
  by 
  a 
  ghost, 
  he 
  would 
  make 
  

   for 
  a 
  stream, 
  wade 
  it, 
  or 
  even 
  jump 
  across 
  it. 
  No 
  matter 
  how 
  small 
  

   the 
  stream, 
  it 
  made 
  an 
  impassable 
  barrier 
  between 
  himself 
  and 
  his 
  

   ghostly 
  pursuer. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  dreams 
  were 
  thought 
  to 
  betoken 
  death: 
  

  

  To 
  have 
  the 
  Wa'wa" 
  pipes 
  presented 
  to 
  one 
  ceremonially. 
  

  

  To 
  have 
  snakes 
  enter 
  one's 
  body: 
  but 
  if 
  the 
  dreamer 
  shuts 
  his 
  

   eyes, 
  stops 
  up 
  his 
  nose 
  and 
  ears, 
  and 
  clenches 
  his 
  hands 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  

   prevent 
  the 
  snakes 
  forcing 
  their 
  heads 
  between 
  his 
  lingers, 
  and 
  thus 
  

   succeeds 
  in 
  keeping 
  out 
  the 
  snakes, 
  he 
  will 
  escape 
  death. 
  

  

  To 
  dream 
  of 
  lice. 
  

  

  If 
  a 
  horse 
  shies 
  at 
  a 
  person, 
  it 
  is 
  because 
  the 
  animal 
  sees 
  blood 
  on 
  

   him, 
  indicating 
  that 
  the 
  man 
  will 
  soon 
  die. 
  

  

  Whatever 
  restraint 
  the 
  Omaha 
  was 
  trained 
  to 
  put 
  on 
  himself 
  

   during 
  the 
  ordinary 
  experiences 
  of 
  life 
  was 
  abandoned 
  when 
  death 
  

   entered 
  the 
  family 
  circle. 
  No 
  one, 
  man 
  or 
  woman, 
  was 
  ashamed 
  to 
  

   weep 
  at 
  such 
  a 
  time. 
  Mourners 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  found 
  relief 
  from 
  the 
  

   mental 
  pain 
  of 
  sorrow 
  by 
  inflicting 
  physical 
  pain 
  — 
  slashing 
  their 
  

   arms 
  and 
  legs. 
  To 
  cut 
  locks 
  of 
  hair 
  and 
  throw 
  them 
  on 
  the 
  body 
  

   was 
  a 
  customary 
  expression 
  of 
  grief, 
  as 
  was 
  wailing. 
  At 
  times 
  

   the 
  cries 
  of 
  the 
  mourners 
  could 
  be 
  heard 
  on 
  the 
  hills 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  

   morning 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  night 
  watches. 
  Sad 
  as 
  was 
  the 
  sound 
  of 
  

   this 
  active 
  expression 
  of 
  grief, 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  so 
  pathetic 
  as 
  the 
  silent 
  

   form 
  of 
  sorrow, 
  which 
  sometimes 
  terminated 
  in 
  death. 
  The 
  mourner 
  

   would 
  draw 
  his 
  blanket 
  over 
  his 
  head 
  and 
  with 
  fixed 
  downward 
  

   gaze 
  sit 
  motionless, 
  refusing 
  to 
  eat 
  or 
  to 
  speak, 
  deaf 
  to 
  all 
  words 
  

   of 
  comfort 
  and 
  sympathy, 
  until 
  at 
  last 
  he 
  fell 
  senseless. 
  

  

  Abandonment 
  of 
  all 
  that 
  otherwise 
  would 
  be 
  prized 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  expression 
  of 
  grief. 
  Manifestations 
  

   of 
  this 
  kind 
  were 
  not 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  immediately 
  following 
  

   bereavement 
  but 
  whenever 
  a 
  person 
  was 
  reminded 
  of 
  his 
  sorrow 
  

   there 
  was 
  a 
  fresh 
  expression 
  of 
  grief. 
  At 
  the 
  Ile'dewachi, 
  which 
  

   was 
  a 
  festival 
  of 
  joy 
  (see 
  p. 
  251), 
  those 
  who 
  since 
  the 
  last 
  celebra- 
  

   tion 
  had 
  lost 
  children 
  or 
  other 
  near 
  relatives 
  were 
  wont 
  to 
  wail 
  over 
  

   the 
  remembrance 
  while 
  others 
  were 
  shouting 
  exultantly 
  their 
  anticipa- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  pleasure 
  at 
  the 
  coming 
  festival. 
  Or, 
  it 
  might 
  happen 
  while 
  

   the 
  tribe 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  annual 
  hunt 
  that 
  a 
  woman 
  who 
  had 
  left 
  the 
  

   camp 
  to 
  gather 
  wild 
  potatoes 
  would 
  suddenly 
  remember 
  the 
  fondness 
  

   of 
  a 
  lost 
  child 
  for 
  these 
  roots; 
  on 
  her 
  return 
  she 
  would 
  take 
  the 
  store 
  

   she 
  had 
  gathered 
  to 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  tribal 
  circle 
  and 
  there 
  throw 
  

  

  