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53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, October 9, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 29, 2004 A short history of death, Part 4 Part 4 of 7 American Indians practiced a wide range of funeral customs. The flavor may have been caught best in a remark attributed to Chief Seattle. "There is no death," he said, "only a change in worlds." A Lakota tribe had three stages of rites. There were four days of mourning. The dead person was placed on a scaffold. The Spirit Keeping Ceremony lasted a year. A tipi was built for the dead person’s spirit and a lock of hair wrapped in cloth called a "spirit bundle." The spirit was brought food for a year. The 1906 Antiquities Act opened the door for the unearthing — some say the looting — of Indian graves by whites. Remains were dug up and sent to museums such as the Smithsonian Institution. A 1990 law set procedures for returning remains, a rare victory in the fight to return bones to tribes. Advertisement The funerals of Colonial Americans were marked by simplicity. Over time, church services were added. Funerals became social occasions. In the early 19th century, death was still largely a family affair. Women dressed the body and laid it out in the home. Men made a coffin and dug a grave. By the 1850s cabinetmakers and livery stable owners were acting as undertakers in cities, but in the country the old ways persisted longer. Africans shipped to the South as slaves brought their traditions and developed new ones. Goods were often placed on a grave for the afterlife. Broken clocks or dishes were put on the grave to protect family members. Later, African-American burial societies were formed. When a member died, there would be money for the funeral. It was an idea that would later gain strength. Tomorrow: Death as business Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities