The Indian method of cremation is like that of the ancients; the corpse is burnt on a pyre six feet high, amidst exclamations of grief and sorrow, funeral songs and dances.
Incineration is current among some of the native tribes of Alaska, principally among the Thlinkets.
In the summer of 1884, I received a letter from a former fellow-student of mine,—Dr. Hugh S. Wyman,—who was then assistant surgeon in the United States Marine Hospital Service, and stationed at Sitka, Alaska. This missive contained the following:—
“The Thlinket Indians cremate their dead in every instance except one—that of the Indian doctor, whose body is never burned, but placed in a sort of ‘cache,’ constructed of timber, above ground. Carvings of images, etc., representing the family history, are made on the grave, or a tall pole is erected by the side, with a red flag. With the body of the doctor are placed all his personal effects. These are supposed to remain undisturbed; but the empty appearance of the caches and the skulless skeletons of the few graves I have visited, with a curiosity to look inside, have led me to believe that the effects and body do not always lie unmolested.
INDIAN CINERARY URN.
Found in Kentucky.
INDIAN CINERARY URN.
Found in Indiana.
INDIAN CINERARY URN.
Found in Georgia.