402 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Neth-no na-sne jo-en-sna; Hai, hai ! 

 Ka-ris-wis-sa-nongh-we ; Hai, hai ! 

 Ka-ya-ne-renh-go-wa-ne ; Hai, hai ! 

 Wa-ka-righ-wa-ka-yon-ha ; Hai, hai ! 

 Ne-his-ta-ha-wis-ton ; Hai, hai, hai, hados ! 



Translation 

 Hail, hail, hail, hail! Continue thou to listen. 



Thou who wert a ruler, 

 " Dekarihoken ! 



Continue thou to listen, 



Thou who wert a ruler, 



Hiawatha'! 



Continue to listen, 



Thou who wert a ruler, 



Shatekarhvathc! Hail, hail! 



That was the roll of you. 

 You who were joined in the work. 

 You who completed the work, the Great League. 

 Your work has grown old, what we have established 

 You have taken with you ! Alas ! alas ! alas ! alas ! 



The dead feast 



Preceding the greater and official condolence there was one con- 

 nected with or following -upon burial. The dead feast of the Hu- 

 rons has been often described from the Relations, but had no 

 recorded equivalent in New York though this singular custom was 

 undoubtedly found in the western part. At intervals of a few 

 years several towns would agree on a common feast or meeting of 

 this kind. When the time came all the bodies of the dead were 

 brought to the chosen town, borne by their friends in long proces- 

 sions, while the cry of the souls was heard through the forests. 

 The corpse of yesterday and that of several years standing alike 

 had an honorable place. Funeral games followed until the final 

 ceremony came. The ghastly loads were then resumed and borne 

 in funeral pomp to the great pit where all were interred. Hundreds 

 were thus placed in a common grave. 



