Nearly all our North American Indians (I can find no exceptions) bury objects with their dead, such as food implements, jewelry, etc., and kill the horses of the deceased that he may ride in the Happy Hunting Ground.
With the Carib’s death his wife and captives were killed, and food utensils, etc., were buried with him.
A curious custom prevailed with some Brazilian tribes. After burying food, utensils, arms, etc., with the body, a month after death the body was disinterred, put in a pan over a fire, the volatile substances driven off, the black residue reduced to powder and mixed with water and drunk by the company.
The Patagonians bury all the possessions of the deceased with the body.
With the Hottentots, widows lose one joint of a finger as an offering to the deceased husband every time they re-marry.
With the Kaffirs, the hut and utensils of the deceased are burnt. The East Africans offer prayer to the dead.
The Congo people bury ornaments, utensils, arms, etc., and embalm the body after one or two years. The body of the chief must be carried in a straight line from the hut to place of burial, and if trees or huts impede the passage, they are cut down.
The Coast Negroes bury property with the body and have a ceremony like an Irish wake, as do also the Abyssinians.
With the Ashantis, gold dust and utensils are buried and human sacrifices occur.
The wives of the Fijians are strangled that they may attend their lords in the new country.