The Mexican Kickapoo Indians by Felipe A. Latorre Dolores L. Latorre

Author:Felipe A. Latorre, Dolores L. Latorre [Felipe A. Latorre, Dolores L. Latorre]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Native American, Social Science, General
ISBN: 9780486148526
Google: uarMyIriPkQC
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Published: 2012-07-19T22:23:01+00:00

Mourning Period of a Widower or Widow

As the body of his wife is carried westward to her grave, the widower, accompanied by a male relative, returns to the front of their home, where they are met by the widower’s sponsor, who places a bit of Indian tobacco in both hands of the bereaved. Escorted by his male relative, the widower walks toward the river which flows east of the village. Great restraint must be exercised by both men to avoid glancing back in a westward direction, for fear the spirit of the deceased wife may try to take her husband’s spirit with her, as the Kickapoos believe that the spirits of couples are joined together at marriage. When the two men reach the river, the widower enters it, opens his hands, and allows the water to take the tobacco downstream.

Afterward, they go to the home of the sponsor, where the widower is given old, dry clothes in exchange for his wet garments. He then returns to the home of the relative with whom he spent the time between the preparation of his wife’s body and the time for interment to await notification that he may return to his home. (Usually, a widower does not continue to live in his wife’s home but goes to the home of a sister, an aunt, or a niece, if he no longer has a mother. He may take his children with him; he may leave them with his mother-in-law if she is living; or the children may be parceled out among the wife’s sisters.)

At sunrise on the following three mornings, the widower takes Indian tobacco from his pouch, places a bit in each hand and, standing in front of the door, walks, one day to the south, one day to the west, and the last day to the north. As he returns, he throws the tobacco to the different directions as an offering to the manitous. Except for these sunrise walks he confines himself to his home and compound. During the initial four-day period of mourning he wears his hair loose and may not touch it; neither may he touch anyone else’s hair. If he cannot resist scratching his head, he may use a stick. He may not participate in games, play the radio, or visit neighbors; and he may not, under any circumstances, attend any ceremony, but he may receive visitors offering him condolences.

On the evening of the fourth day, his sponsor goes to his home, braids his hair, and ties it with a buckskin thong. From this time until the termination of his mourning period his sponsor periodically takes him old clothes to wear and combs his hair, since he may not touch it.

The second mourning period is determined by the consanguine relatives of the deceased spouse. If a man is still young, an adoption ceremony, after which the widower will be released from any further obligations to his affinal relatives, may be held within days of the interment so that the widower will be free to remarry.

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