98 INDIANS OF THE SOUTHWEST. 
the body in a good robe, and carry it to one of the grave- 
yards which are in the valleys near the mesas. The 
body is buried in a sitting position so that it faces the 
east. This is done within a few hours after death has 
occurred. The third night, a bowl containing some 
food, a prayer stick offering, and a feather and string 
offering are carried to the grave. The string is placed 
so that it points from the grave toward the west. The — 
next morning, the fourth, the soul is supposed to rise 
from the grave, and proceed in the direction indicated 
by the string where it enters the ‘‘skeleton house.” 
This is believed to be situated somewhere near the 
Canyon of the Colorado. 
The bodies of children who have not yet been ini- 
tiated into some society are not buried in the ground 
but are placed in a crevice of the rock somewhere in 
the side of the mesas and covered with stones. The 
string offering in this case is not placed pointing toward 
the west, but toward the house where the family lives. 
The spirit of the child is believed to return to the house 
and to be reborn in the body of the next child, or to 
linger about the house until the mother dies, when it 
accompanies her to the world of the departed. 
Among the Zui it is the relatives of the father of the 
household who have the duties connected with death 
and burial. The bodies are placed in the churchyard, 
the men on the south side and the women on the north 
side with the head to the east, which is also the position 
of burial among the Keresans. The souls are supposed 
to go in four day’s time to the sacred lake 65 miles 
southwest of Zuni. After this interval, a purification 
of the family and their belongings takes place. The 
personal property of the deceased, which is not required 
for the proper dressing of the corpse, is burned or buried 
apart on the river bank. The name of the dead is not 
