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While reasearching my line a few years ago, I came upon some info on grave houses and the Melungeon. I passed it off thinking this was a European influence and wouldn’t be very useful…at the time I was researching the Native side of my line…here is a link that tells a little about these grave houses.
http://www.redboneheritagefoundation.com/Chronicles/Grave%20Houses.html
However, I have been reading a very interesting book called “Being Dakota,” Tales and Traditions of the Sisseton & Wahpeton,” by Amos E. Oneroad and Alanson B. Skinner.” I was very suprised to find that these grave houses or Canotihnakapi (literal translation, wood-dwelling dead-persons laid away)…Wahpeton & Santee.
Here is an excerpt from the book, I hope you will read it…it is not only historical, but a very moving story of friendship:)
Excerpt [Quote]
It was customary to make a grave shallow and to lay the body in it as though the deceased were asleep. Then sticks were placed over it and the earth heaped upon them. Then a split log house was put over the grave (“Being Dakota,” Tales and Traditions of the Sisseton & Wahpeton,” by Amos E. Oneroad and Alanson B. Skinner.” pp. 99, 100)
[End Quote]
Blessings,
Shirley
Hi Shirley, About a year ago I attended a lecture on the Goinstown Indians give by Doug Belcher at a meeting of the Genealogical Society of Rockingham and Stokes Counties. It was a long lecture, 1 hour and 45 mintutes long, with Doug speaking very rapidly and giving out a lot information. One of the things he talked about was the practice of putting a grave house over the top of a grave, and about it still being used by Indian descendants in Surry County North Carolina. He passed around photographs showing burial houses from 2 cemeteries. There were formed in the shape of an A frame house, about the size of a dog house. Doug said there was a small hole in the front for the spirit to pass through, and that grave houses were used by the Cherokees, Creeks and numerous other tribes.
The website http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/iowa/winneshiek/manners.htm which is on the Manners and Customs of the Winnebago, states “On the banks of the Upper Iowa river many Indian graves were found. The bodies were buried in a sitting position, with the head sometimes above ground. A forked stick put up like a post at each end of the grave held a ridge pole on which leaned thin boards placed slanting to each side of the grave. Thus each grave presented the appearance of a gable of a small house.” The shape would be very similar to the A frame burial house used in Surry County.
http://www.aaanativearts.com/article1468.html in talking about Shawnee burials says “A grave house made of logs or bark was erected over the grave.”
John Lawson’s A New Voyage to Carolina pp 181-182 (see http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/lawson/lawson.html) describes a similarly shaped grave house used by the Santee Indians:
“When they come to the Sepulcre, which is about six Foot deep, and eight Foot long, having at each end (that is, at the Head and Foot) a Light-Wood, or Pitch-Pine Fork driven close down the sides of the Grave, firmly into the Ground; (these two Forks are to contain a Ridge-Pole, as you shall understand presently) before they lay the Corps into the Grave, they cover the bottom two or three times over with Bark of Trees, then they let down the Corps (with two Belts, that the Indians carry their Burdens withal) very leisurely, upon the said Barks; then they lay over a Pole of the same Wood, in the two Forks, and having a great many Pieces of Pitch-Pine Logs, about two Foot and a half long, they stick them in the sides of the Grave down each End, and near the Top thereof, where the other Ends lie on the Ridge-Pole, so that they are declining like the Roof of a House. These being very thick-plac’d, they cover them (many times double) with Bark; then they throw the Earth thereon, that came out of the Grave, and beat it down very firm; by this Means, the dead Body lies in a Vault, nothing touching him; so that when I saw this way of Burial, I was mightily pleas’d with it, esteeming it very decent and pretty, as having seen a great many Christians buried without the tenth Part of that Ceremony and Decency.
I had heard about the grave houses a few years ago too, and also didn’t think much about it until I heard Doug’s lecture.
Sounds like it would have been an interesting lecture, I hope to attend some when I am down visiting family! I will check out the links, thanks…it is very interesting:)
Blessings,
Shirley
I was at that same lecture on the Goinstown Indians. I didn’t know there was any other Saponi Town people in the Genealogical Society of Rockingham and Stokes Counties. Cindi
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