562 



1. 



RELIGION. 



REMARKS 



O N 



T H 1: 



- 



of which mention has been made before p. 54 



After 



this burial of the bones the relations now and then renew fomc: 

 funeral ceremonies with the priefl, who takes a bunch of the red 

 feathers of a parroquet called odra,. and twifted together with coco- 



nut filamen 



and 



them on a fmall pointed ilick 



the 



r 



ground ; (thefe feathe 



high eftimation with thefe peopl 



ri r 



and become the emblem of the divinity,, and ferve to fix their 

 attention during the ceremony) oppofite to this bunch of feathers- 

 a young plantane is placed, which is the emblem of friendfhip, 

 peace, and expiation ; the priefk ftands with the relations over 



againft 



/ 



> 



r 



corpfe In a little houfeof wood fix feet long and" two feet wide, and when I came near a 

 fox efcaped cut of it^ who had been preying on the dead body : belides the vanes above 

 mentioned, the khalmyks had fixed about this fepulchre pieces of wood pierced in the 

 nuddle by a hole, through which the flicks were thrufl on which the wooden vanes almolt 

 conilantly moved by the leail breath of wind; thefe pieces of wood were on the two op- 

 polite fides hollowed out like fpoons 'of about feven or eight Inches long and five wide, an(J 

 covered on the hollow part with Tibetan charadlers. The lamas or priefts of the khalmyks 

 fay that as often as the vane or this wooden i[:ltrument moves round, the fubflancc of the 

 prayers for the repofe of the deceafed, is as It were offered up to God. In the jlrch^^ologla 

 of the Society of Antiquaries of London, vol. il, p. 233.13 inferted a Memoir, written 

 1767; wherein I have defcribed the fix modes of burial ufual among thofe who follow 

 fh€ religion of the Dalai-lama. According to the firft mode they burn the corpfe of their 

 -Lamas, Khans,, Noions, and other people of rank, and preferve their afhes mixed with franl^- 

 inccnfe, and fend the whole to the Dalai-lama In Tibet. 2, They keep the bodies in a 

 coffin and afterwards cover them with liones.. 3, Some are carried to the tops of mountains,. 

 and left there a prey to birds and bcalls. 4. Some are carried to an inclofure full of dogs, 



there the buricr feeds the dogs with the fielh fevered from the bancs, and cafts the 



and 



bor*c» 



\ 



/■ 



