﻿AN 
  ERIE 
  INDIAN 
  VILLAGE 
  AND 
  BURIAL 
  SITE 
  £21 
  

  

  of 
  charred 
  bark 
  were 
  found 
  above 
  the 
  bones. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  a 
  bark 
  

   or 
  animal 
  skin 
  covering 
  is 
  also 
  suggested 
  by 
  the 
  finds 
  in 
  grave 
  LI, 
  

   pit 
  96, 
  where 
  above 
  the 
  copper 
  bracelets 
  a 
  fragment 
  of 
  bark 
  and 
  a 
  

   piece 
  of 
  deerskin 
  were 
  found 
  preserved 
  by 
  the 
  copper 
  salts. 
  When 
  

   it 
  is 
  considered, 
  moreover, 
  that 
  a 
  primitive 
  people 
  would 
  naturally 
  

   reverence 
  the 
  dead 
  it 
  seems 
  highly 
  probable 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  shrink 
  

   from 
  casting 
  clods 
  of 
  clay 
  or 
  masses 
  of 
  mud 
  upon 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  

   those 
  whom 
  they 
  had 
  evidently 
  arranged 
  and 
  dressed 
  with 
  every 
  

   manifestation 
  of 
  solicitude. 
  Moreover, 
  to 
  have 
  covered 
  the 
  corpse 
  

   with 
  a 
  shroud 
  of 
  skin 
  or 
  a 
  covering 
  of 
  bark 
  would 
  have 
  added 
  an 
  

   element 
  of 
  mystery 
  to 
  the 
  interment. 
  The 
  body 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  

   obscured 
  during 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  burial. 
  To 
  cast 
  stray 
  stones 
  and 
  

   earth 
  upon 
  the 
  form 
  beneath 
  would 
  have 
  shocked 
  the 
  primitive 
  

   people 
  to 
  whom 
  care 
  for 
  the 
  dead 
  was 
  probably 
  an 
  important 
  reli- 
  

   gious 
  rite. 
  If 
  the 
  vessels 
  of 
  clay 
  contained 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  skyward 
  

   journey 
  it 
  would 
  hardly 
  seem 
  that 
  this 
  food 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  

   tainted 
  by 
  earthly 
  flavors, 
  but 
  rather 
  covered 
  for 
  cleanliness. 
  This 
  

   supposition 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  given 
  weight 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  two 
  pots 
  

   were 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  clay 
  stratum 
  over 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  wads 
  

   of 
  clay, 
  the 
  vessels 
  being 
  empty. 
  From 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  weapons 
  and 
  

   utensils 
  were 
  buried 
  one 
  is 
  led 
  to 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  people 
  believed 
  or 
  

   affected 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  'these 
  things, 
  or 
  perhaps 
  the 
  spirits 
  of 
  these 
  

   things, 
  would 
  be 
  of 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  spirit 
  of 
  the 
  dead. 
  All 
  the 
  clay 
  

   pipes 
  from 
  the 
  burials 
  contained 
  charred 
  tobacco 
  and 
  from 
  this 
  

   fact 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  conjectured 
  that 
  the 
  pipe 
  of 
  the 
  sacred 
  herb 
  had 
  

   been 
  lighted 
  in 
  the 
  grave 
  for 
  a 
  consolation 
  to 
  the 
  spirit 
  as 
  it 
  started 
  

   out 
  in 
  the 
  new 
  and 
  strange 
  world 
  of 
  spirits. 
  

  

  The 
  positions 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  objects, 
  especially 
  of 
  the 
  pottery 
  

   vessels 
  are 
  highly 
  interesting. 
  Most 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  near 
  the 
  head 
  

   as 
  were 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  pipes. 
  The 
  table 
  appended 
  herewith 
  gives 
  a 
  

   summary 
  of 
  the 
  positions 
  of 
  the 
  pots 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  skeletons. 
  

  

  Position 
  of 
  the 
  pots 
  

  

  Before 
  face, 
  n; 
  at 
  occiput, 
  25; 
  top 
  of 
  skull, 
  16; 
  near 
  abdomen, 
  

   1 
  ; 
  at 
  pelvis, 
  1 
  ; 
  between 
  skulls, 
  2 
  ; 
  indeterminate, 
  14. 
  

  

  Graves 
  in 
  ash 
  pits. 
  Two 
  graves 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  true 
  ash 
  pits. 
  

   These 
  pits 
  were 
  situated 
  just 
  beyond 
  and 
  outside 
  the 
  earth 
  ring 
  and 
  

   were 
  side 
  by 
  side 
  [see 
  record 
  of 
  pits 
  48 
  and 
  49]. 
  Both 
  pits 
  were 
  

   shallow, 
  2^', 
  and 
  the 
  skeletons 
  had 
  only 
  light 
  covers 
  of 
  charcoal 
  

   and 
  ashes 
  to 
  separate 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  ordinary 
  pit 
  refuse. 
  It 
  may 
  

   be 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  ash 
  pits 
  were 
  within 
  or 
  near 
  a 
  lodge 
  site 
  and 
  

  

  