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Show FUNERAL RITES Of REDSKIN SHROUDED 1 Perhaps the most Interesting rite now observed by the American Indians and the one that Is most zealously guarded ffrom the sacrilegious eyes of, the ''paleface," ''pale-face," Is tho. burial of a redman of h)p;h rank. Very few persona have over witnessed th&ftuneral ceremonies over a departed 4)rave and although divers fictitious descriptions have been written writ-ten by enterprising journalists, but few persons have an Idea of what an Indian burial service Is like. Miller Attended Funeral. Financial Clerk D. S. Miller of the White Rock agency, who was in this city recently In charge of a detail of Indians, was present at an Indian funeral fu-neral recently as an Invited guest of David Copperfleld, one of the dignitaries dignita-ries of tho Ute band on the Uintah reservation. res-ervation. Copperfleld and Miller have been very friendly ever since tho latter lat-ter went to tho "White Rock agency and as a mark of respect for tho friendship friend-ship of tho whlto man, Copperfleld Ln-vltod Ln-vltod him to be present at tho burial of Wh boh, Jlmmlo Copperfleld. Tho funoral took placo shortly boforo twilight The body was carefully hrrught from the wigwam that In times r-uit had boon the dwelling place of the deceased, and placed In a Government vicon that had been secured for tho occasion. A rudo wooden coffin had , fevlously been prepared and placed In . T'other wagon, which also contained ' a dead man's affects, such as saddles, Vankets, weapons, etc Chiefs Take tho lead. The march to tho cemetery, which, was located about two miles distant, IN MYSTERY was mado in silence. Tho chiefs of tho tribe led the procession, followed by the corpse, and the entire population of tho Indian village. The cemetery was situated upon a bluff that overlooked the surrounding country, and srave on unobstructed view for miles. Is"o grave had been previously pre-viously proparcd, and not until the funeral fu-neral procession arrived was the exact spot for the burial placo determined. The relatives of the deceased and the heads of the tribe held a consultation among themselves, and after much parleying par-leying decided upon a fitting spot for the grave. Picks and shovels were then brought forth and the work of excavation excava-tion besran. When, the Bucks Work. The men took turns digging. Two or three would work for a while and then thoy would be relieved. Before the hole for the grave had been constructed almost al-most every malo Indian in tho village had taken a turn with a pick or shovel. During the tlmo that the grave waH being excavated several dignitaries of the trlbo spoko feelingly of tho valor and other irood qualities of the do-c do-c eased. The remarks wero listened to with great Interest by tho Indians present pres-ent and beforo the last orator finished hia harangue, the squaws and children wero moaning sorrowfully, and tears streamed down tho cheeks of many of tho buclcs. Elaborate Grave Decorations. When tho grave had been dug a number num-ber of squaws began tho work of decorating deco-rating It and preparing It for tho re-coptlon re-coptlon of the body. The bottom of the hole was lined with costly Kavajo blankets, and the sides were draped with gaudy colored calico. When tho decorations had been completed to tho HORSEslKSiLDVEEr S GRAVE. X satisfaction of the dead man's relatives the body was placed In tho coffin and carefully lowered to its resting plaoe. After the body had been placed In the grave the frlendB and relatives of the deceased began to fill the grave with his personal belongings and presents. The Utes believe that after a short time tho corpse becomes Infused with life, and they provide him with everything that would be of use to him upon his return. Saddles, blankets, camp chairs, rifles and revolvers, food, cooking utensils, uten-sils, hides and furs, clothing and numerous nu-merous other articles were placed in the grave for tho use of the dead man when he should return to life. When the Dead Arise. Just as tho Indians wore leaving the grave, a line saddle horse was led up to the mound and shot. The unlmal was killed in order that he might bo used later by tho deceased upon his return re-turn from the Happy Hunting Ground. When everything was In readiness the grave "was bridged across with cedar ce-dar poles and several layers of canvas stretched across the top of the hole for a covering. Dirt was then piled on the canvas and a mound several feet high was erected. By bridging the grave with poles tho Utes believe they are saving the corpse from suffering and mako it easy for hlni to leave when he returns to life. The last chapter In the burial service ser-vice was a peculiar mournful chanting In which all present participated. Gradually Grad-ually by twos and threes the Indians slipped away In the darkness and returned re-turned to the village. The relatives and friends of the deceased were the last to depart and cases have been known where relatives have remaind at the grave all night to mourn for the departed de-parted soul. |