42 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF INDIAN LANGUAGES. 
Indian dances are generally of a religious character, and, with their 
names, a brief description should be given. A blank is left in the schedule 
for the names of gods, dances, songs, &e. 
§ 21—MORTUARY CUSTOMS, Sc. 
The mortuary customs of the Indians are of great significance to the 
ethnologist. The student who is pursuing his researches in this field should 
carefully note all of the customs, superstitions, and opinions of the Indians 
relating to— : 
1. The care of the lifeless body prior to burial, much of which he will 
find elaborated into ceremonies. 
2. He should observe the method of burial, including the site, the 
attitude in which the body is placed, and the manner in which it is invest- 
ured. Here, also, he will find interesting and curious ceremonial observ- 
ances. ‘The superstitions and opinions of the people relating to these sub- 
jects are of importance. 
3. He should carefully observe the gifts offered to the dead; not only 
those placed with the body at the time of burial, but those offered at a 
subsequent time for the benefaction of the departed on his way to the other 
world, and for his use on arrival. Here, too, it is as important for us to 
know the ceremonies with which the gifts are made as to know the char- 
acter of the gifts themselves. 
4. An interesting branch of this research relates to the customs of 
mourning, embracing the time of mourning, the habiliments, the self- 
mutilations, and other penances, and the ceremonies with which these are 
accompanied. In all of these cases the reason assigned by the Indians for 
their doings and their superstitions are of prime importance. 
5. It is desirable to obtain from the Indians their explanation of human 
life, their theory of spirits, and of the life to come. 
The following methods of burying the dead have been discovered : 
1. By inhumation in pits, graves, holes in the ground, mounds, cists, 
and caves. 
2. By cremation, generally on the surface of the earth, occasionally 
