VARIETIES OF LODGES—ALL-SOULS’ DAY. 437 
Russian River and other warm coast valleys prevails the large round or 
oblong structure of willow poles covered with hay. This is sufficiently 
warm for the locality, is easily and quickly made, and easily replaced when 
an old one is burned to destroy the vermin. (5) On Clear Lake was 
found a singular variety of lodge; one with four perpendicular walls made 
by planting willow poles in the ground and lashing others to them horizon- 
tally, leaving a great number of small square interstices. Whether inten- 
tionally or not, these are exceedingly convenient for the insertion of fish for 
sun-drying. The roof is flat, made of poles covered with thatch. (6) On 
the great woodless plains of the Sacramento and San Joaquin the savage 
naturally had recourse to earth for a material. The round, dome-shaped, 
earth-covered lodge is considered the characteristic one of California; and 
probably two-thirds of its immense aboriginal population lived in dwellings 
of this description. The door-way is sometimes directly on top, sometimes 
on the ground at one side. I have never been able to ascertain whether 
the amount of rain-fall of any given locality had any influence in determin- 
ing the place for the door. (7) In the hot and almost rainless Kern and 
Tulare Valleys occurs the dwelling made of so frail a material as tule. 
IvV.—A KONKAU ANNIVERSARY. 
The dance for the dead (ési’-pi ka-mi'-ni, “the weeping dance”) cor- 
responds somewhat to All-Souls’ Day. It always occurs about the last of 
August, beginning in the evening and lasting until daybreak. They bring 
together a great quantity of food, clothing, baskets, and whatever other 
things they believe the dead require in the other world. Everything is 
bought or made new for the occasion; the food is fresh and good, the 
clothing is newly woven and fine, the ornaments are the best they can pro- 
cure. ‘These are hung on a semicircle of boughs or small trees, cut and set 
in the ground leafless ; the smaller and lighter articles at the top, twelve or 
fifteen feet high, and the larger toward the bottom or lying on the ground. 
In the center burns a great fire, and hard by are the graves. On the oppo- 
site side of the fire from the offerings there is a screen mae of bushes 
with blankets hung over them to reflect the light of the fire brilliantly 
on the offerings, which glitter like a row of Christmas trees They seat 
