swanton] BURIAL CUSTOMS 231 
his breath ceases they hasten the remaining funeral preparations, and soon 
bury the corpse. One of a different family will never, or very rarely, pollute 
himself for a stranger; though, when living, he would cheerfully hazard his 
life for his safety ; the relations, who become unclean by performing the funeral 
duties, must live apart from the clean for several days, and be cleansed by 
some of their religious order, who chiefly apply the button snakeroot for their 
purification, as formerly described, when they purify themselves by ablution. 
After three days the funeral assistants may convene at the townhouse and fol- 
low their usual diversions. But the relations live recluse for a long time 
mourning the dead. ...” 
The modern Indians bury all their removable riches, according to the custom 
of the ancient Peruvians and Mexicans, in so much that the grave is heir 
of alles. 
Notwithstanding ... they never give them the least disturbance; even a 
blood-thirsty enemy will not despoil nor disturb the dead. The graves prove 
an asylum and a sure place of rest to the sleeping person, till, at some time, 
according to their opinion, he rises again to inherit his favorite place—unless 
the covetous or curious hand of some foreigner should break through his sacred 
bounds.” 
Adair cites an instance of reform, however, in the case of Malahche, 
chief of Coweta, and a long-standing friend of the whites, who left 
all of his property to his relations instead of allowing it to be buried 
with his corpse. 
In another place Adair says that—* When any of their relations 
die, they immediately fire off several guns, by one, two, and three at 
a time, for fear of being plagued with the last troublesome neighbors 
[the souls of the departed]; all the adjacent towns also on the oe- 
casion whoop and halloo at night; for they reckon this offensive 
noise sends off the ghosts to their proper fixed place till they return 
at some certain time to repossess their beloved tract of land and 
enjoy their terrestrial paradise.” *° 
In still another place he notes that when a person had died the 
father or a brother of the deceased took a live firebrand, brandished 
it two or three times about his head with lamenting words, dipped it 
into the water with his right hand, and let it sink down."® 
Besides the above we have items of information on this subject 
from several other sources. Romans says: 
They bury their dead almost the moment the breath is out of the body in the 
yery spot under the couch on which the deceased died, and the nearest relations 
mourn over it, but the men do it in silence, taking great care not to be seen 
any more than heard at this business; the mourning continues about a year, 
which they know by counting the moons; they are every morning and evening, 
at first throughout the day at different times, employed in the exercise of this 
last duty.” 
2b Adair, Hist. Am. Inds., pp. 125-126. 16 Tbid., p. 36, 
Ibid. p. Lts, 6 Thid., p. 405. 
“4 Tpid., p. 178. 17 Romans, Nat. Hist. E. and W. Fla,, p. 71. 
