Native Americans

Sioux Burial. At death a Sioux was disposed of in any one of several ways: internment at a depth of about 5 feet was common. In the winter, when the ground was frozen, the body was either put into a log chamber with brush piled on it or wrapped up in a blanket and placed on a platform of poles laid across the forks of a large tree. On the plains, where there were no trees, this structure was built. The dead were painted and dressed in their best garments; the legs were bound together for a while, with knees flexed and the hands folded over the chest. In the grave were placed a filled pipe and a container of grease. A warrior cut off a braid from the hair of the deceased and his horses were distributed among sons and daughters, with one reserved for his widow. Jim Bates Collection, #98-1-16

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