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SWANTON] CHOCTAW SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL LIFE 21
He must show the body. There are occasionally fouud among the great number
of tumuli scattered over the land, mounds of larger dimensions than ordinary
ones. These mounds were constructed by females. Upon the death in camp
of a man who had an affectionate wife, his mourning tekchi (wife), regardless
of the customary time to cry, would throw down her hair and with all her
strength and that of her children would carry earth, and build upon the mound
as long as they could find food of any kind that would sustain life. They
would then return to camp, worn out skeletons.
Now, my white friend, I have explained to you the origin, and who it was
that built the great number of mounds that are found scattered over this wide
land. The circular, conic mounds are all graves, and mark the spot where the
persons, for whom they were built, breathed their last breath. There being no
bone pickers at the hunting camps to handle the dead, the body was never
touched, or moved from the death posture. Just as It lay, or sat, as the case
might be, it was covered up, &vst with either stones, pebbles, or sand, and
finished off with earth. In this way the custom of mound graves originated
from the great mound grave, Nunih Waya, and it prevailed with the Choctaw
people until the white man came with his destructive, sense-killing " fire water,"
and made the people all drunk.
After getting in possession of this information, in regard to the origin and
make of the mounds, I took pains to excavate quite a number of them, which
were found on the " second flat " along the Tombecbee river. They contained
invariably a single human skeleton. The bones generally, except the skull,
were decomposed. The crania of most of them would bear handling, when first
taken out, but when exposed to the air they soon fell to ashes. Along with the
ashes of the bones, in most cases, would be found five or six arrow points, a
stone ax, and not infrequently a stone skin-dresser. In all cases, the bones
would be found enveloped, sometimes lying on the side, feet drawn up ; at other
times in a sitting posture, either in sand, pebbles, or small stones. In one or
two cases, the coals and the charred ends of the pine knots that lighted up the
last sad night of the deceased, lay in front and near the bones, under the sand.
As soon as the national cry was over, the poles pulled down, and the great
dance celebrated, the families dispersed into the far off hunting grounds where
they enjoyed the game and fruits, until midwinter ; when they returned to their
homes to prepare and put their fields in order for the coming planting time.
The seasons at Nunih Waya were good every year; and they had on hand corn
in abundance. Their mode of putting it away, in small lots, in air tight earthen
cells, preserved it, from year to year, for an indefinite period, as sound and fresh
as new corn. To keep it dry and entirely excluded from the air, was all that
was necessary, to preserve it for any length of time in the same condition in
which it was when put up.
Feeling themselves permanently settled after the mound was completed, they
planted larger crops and were beginning to construct good, dry houses in which
to dwell. The next year after the mound was finished, having a very large
crop of corn, they celebrated the green corn dance, eating nothing besides the
corn. On the first day of the feast, and at the time the people had assembled
to receive instructions in regard to the manner of conducting the ceremonies,
the minko came upon the dance ground, and calling the attention of the
multitude said
"We are a brave and exceedingly prosperous people. We are an industrious
people. We till the ground in large fields, thereby producing sustenance for
this great nation. We are a faithful and dutiful people. We packed the bones
of our ancestors on our backs, in the wilderness, forty-three winters, and at the