856 FOX MORTUARY CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS. [ETH. ANN. 40, 
Owen, Mary Auticra. Folk-lore of the Musquakie Indians of North America, 
Pubs. Folk-lore Soe., no. 1, London, 1904. p. 77 et seq. 
Re[o]sox, Horace M. The last of the Mus-qua-kies. Dayton, Ohio, 1900. 
pp. 44-45, 50-55. 
REPORTS OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFrratrs (Department of the Interior), 
Washington, 1896, p. 162; 1898, p. 166 
Spencer, J. W. Pioneer life. 1872. 
The data contained in this volume are intended to supplement and 
confirm our previous knowledge of the subject. The general relia- 
bility of the informants is shown by the fact that other ethnological 
data obtained from them have checked up exceedingly well; that the 
data given in the present instance are quite like that previously pub- 
lished where they are at all comparable; that the Indian texts pre- 
sented all supplement and confirm, rather than contradict, each 
other; that the data correspond very closely to that obtained from 
other informants, though not published here; that the customs and 
beliefs correspond to what I often witnessed and heard (this applies 
especially to the speeches given at burials). 
The distinguishing features of this volume consist in the more 
detailed information furnished, the taboos noted, and the speeches. 
Furthermore, this information is given almost entirely in Fox with 
English translation. 
Text H deals with the mortuary customs and beliefs of those who 
belong to the so-called Religion Dance which was introduced among 
Foxes (Meskwakies) by the Potawatomi of Wisconsin. I may here 
briefly add a little information to that given in the Indian text. <A 
few years ago at the death of one of Wanatie’s sons, Joe Peters, who 
was acting as a ceremonial attendant, gave me tobacco and told me 
to go to Wanatie’s. I arrived there toward nightfall. After food 
was eaten by the people assembled there, Joe took tobacco and gave 
it to John Allen, an aged warrior, with the request that he tell war 
stories. I could not take this down at the time, but gathered the 
drift of his conversation sufficiently to know that he was talking 
about the fight in 1854 agaist the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Kiowa, and 
Comanche. At midnight we were fed again. There were now various 
games till nearly three, when we were again fed; and then there were 
further games till nearly six, when the people dispersed. 
I may add that when a person is a member of the Singing Around 
Rite and dies, this society has charge at the adoption-feast, and 
the adopted automatically becomes a member of the society. Mem- 
bers of the society at this time may invite outsiders to join in the 
dancing or playing of games. In this case the one invited eats at 
the same time as the meres of the society, 1. e., before the others. 
I once witnessed the burial of a member of this society. Members 
came as the dead was being brought to the grave. They held a large 
drum, beat it, sang, and partially danced until the body was laid in 
the grave. 
