THE MEANING OF DEATH [...] Next to this, the matter that concerns us most is the parting with our dear ones, especially if we have any little children who must be left behind to suffer want. Our [...]

THE MEANING OF DEATH
[...] Next to this, the matter that concerns us most is the parting with our dear ones, especially if we have any little children who must be left behind to suffer want. Our family affections are strong, so those of us left behind grieve intensely for those who pass, even though we have unbounded faith in a spiritual companionship and believe that the spirit of the departed lingers near the grave or " spirit bundle" for the consolation of friends, and is able to hear prayers.
Our outward signs of mourning for the dead are far more spontaneous and convincing than the correct and well-ordered black-clothed manners of civilization. Both men and women among us loosen our hair and cut it according to the degree of relationship or devotion.
Consistent with the ideal of sacrificing all personal beauty and adornment, we trim off likewise from the dress its fringes and ornaments, perhaps cut it short, or cut the robe or blanket in two. Men blacken their faces, and widows or bereaved parents sometimes gash their arms and legs till they are covered with blood. Giving themselves up wholly to their grief, they are no longer concerned about any earthly possessions, and often give away all that they have, even their beds and their home, to the first comers.
The wailing for the dead continues night and day to the point of utter voicelessness; it is a musical, weird, and heart-piercing sound, which has been compared to the "keening" of the Celtic mourner.
I recall a touching custom among us, which was designed to keep the memory of the departed near and warm in the bereaved household. A lock of hair of the beloved dead was wrapped in pretty clothing, something it was supposed that he or she would like to wear if living. This " spirit bundle ", as it was called, was suspended from a tripod, and occupied a place of honor in the lodge. At every meal time, a dish of food was placed under it, and some person of the same sex and age as the one who once was must afterward be invited in to partake of the food. At the end of a year from the time of death, the relatives made a public feast and gave away the clothing and other gifts, while the lock of hair was interred with appropriate ceremonies [...]