THE INDIANS OF THE NORTHWEST COAST, 359 



tions. Every Indian present had his face thickly smeared with a fresh coat of seal 

 oil and black paint, thus rendering- himself inconceivably hideous. 



At the close of the death song two stalwart youna; braves mounted to the roof aud 

 lowered bark ropes Through the aperture, which were made fast to the matting that 

 enveloped the corpse. An-a-hoots made a sign to the young men, aud they began 

 raising the body toward the opening in the roof. They always remove their dead 

 fi'om their houses in this manner, instead of through the door, on account of a super- 

 stition they have that the spirit of the defunct made its exit in this way. But just as 

 it arrived at the roof one of the ropes broke, precipitating the lifeless bundle upon the 

 fire below, scattering the burning coals in every direction . For a moment all was ter- 

 ror, confusion, and dismay. The shrieks and yells of superstitious horror that went up 

 from the women and children baffle description. The body was hastily snatched from 

 the fire aud hurriedly carried out through the door to the funeral pyre, which was 

 about 40 yards iu rear of the house.* 



The following is a description of an Indian cremation witnessed at 

 Sitka, Alaska, during the winter of 1886-'87, as described for the writer 

 by Lieut. George Barnett, U. S. Marine Corps : 



For several days after death the body was lying in state, surrounded by all articles 

 of value which had been the property of the deceased. The face was covered with a 

 mask, and on the head was a handsome head-dress trimmed with ermine skins which 

 hung down the back; the body, which was in a sitting posture, was covered with 

 Chilkat blankets. 



During the time the body was lying in state some of the friends of the deceased 

 kept up a doleful chant, keeping time with carved mourning sticks, wliile others pre- 

 pared the funeral pile in rear of the house ; this pile was made of yellow cedar logs 

 so arranged that a solid mass was formed about 3 feet high aud then the sides and 

 one end were continued for about 2 or 3 feet more, thus forming a bos open at one 

 end and on top, extra logs being on hand to cover the top and fill the open end after 

 the body was in place. 



When all was ready four men took hold of the corners of the blanket, which had 

 been placed on the floor under the corpse, and carried all to the window, resting it 

 on the window-sill, where it was held by four women, while the men went out through 

 the door and again took hold outside of the window; they then carried the body 

 toward the pile, while an old woman, who was left in the house, took a tin pan and 

 gathered up some coals and ashes from the fire in the center of the house; she car- 

 ried the fire to the window aud threw it out after the body, as she said, to purify the 

 house ; she then took up a small dog and likewise threw it out of the window to ac- 

 company the departed. 



Under no circumstances will the Indians take a corpse out through the door; if 

 there is no window, they will make a hole iu the side of the house or take it out through 

 the smoke-hole in the roof. 



The body was then placed in the hollow part of the pile and the top and end logs 

 put in place, after which all was covered with seal oil and the fire started. 



During the burning two men used long poles to stir the tire, so that all would be 

 burned; at the same time about a dozen mourners with their faces blackened kept 

 uj) a funeral chant, keeping time by beating on the ground with their funeral sticks. 



About 30 or 40 feet from the tire a hole had been dug in the ground and partially 

 covered with brush, and here the widow was attended by several female friends, who 

 combed her hair and changed her clothes, as they said, to cleanse her and make her 

 eligible for matrimony again. 



After the corpse was consumed tlie bones and ashes were collected and placed in 



Quoted in Standard Natural History, Vol. vi, Man., pp. 134, 130. 



