MICHELSON. ] AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FOX WOMAN, 831 
these possessions of ours among you,’”’ I said to my male relatives. 
And then the female relatives of my dead husband came to comb my 
hair. And they brought other garments for me to wear. I wore 
black clothing. And soon those male relatives of mine to whom I had 
given our possessions brought food of every kind. The women 
brought all things which women raise. I went over to those (women) 
who had combed my hair and told them to take that food. I felt as 
wretched as possible. I was fasting. Soon I would walk far off to 
cry, it was far off so that it would not be known, (and) so that it 
should not be said about me, “‘ Heavens! she must be very sorry, even 
as if she were related to him.”” And I became lazy. I only wanted 
to lie down. I kept on sleeping as I was lonely. 
That uncle (mother’s brother) mentioned before probably heard 
about it. “She is very poorly since her husband died. She acts 
differently (from what she did formerly). To-day she is as if sick,” 
is what he heard. He came to me. “I have come to see, my niece 
(sister’s daughter), whether you are sick. You are losing much 
weight,” he said to me. “No,” I said to him. “I have come to 
instruct you as to what you should do. I know that you listened to 
what I told you when you were divorced. As you believed me you 
did exactly as I told you. Youhavemademe very happy. Now this 
is what you are to do, my niece. Donot think so very much of him all 
the time, for it is dangerous to do that. That will happen to you if 
you dream that you are sleeping with him. You will cease to live 
very soon. That is why it is forbidden to do that. If you are sorry 
for your husband while still bound by death ceremonies, you would 
not go where something is going on,” he said to me. “And do not 
talk much, and do not laugh as long as you are bound by death cere- 
monies. You must be merely always quietly making something. 
Nor must you look around too much. Perhaps it was because you 
were not careful that no one straightway instructed you what you 
should do when your husband first died. I myself was busy at the 
time; that is why I did not come and instruct you what you should do. 
This is what is (supposed to be) done when one’s husbands (wives) 
die. When they are taken to be buried (those surviving) accompany 
them when the (dead) are brought there. After they are placed on 
top of the hole, they begin to speak to those ghosts. After they have 
spoken to them, first the relatives (of the dead) begin to throw 
tobacco for them, then others afterwards. After all have offered 
tobacco to them, then last of all the husbands (wives) offer tobacco to 
them. They walk around in a circle where the (dead) is. Then they 
walk toward the East. They continue to go any place in the brush. 
They go through very thick brush. They are never to look backward. 
