evil spirit being thus effectually banished, the mourning
gradually subsides, blending into succeeding scenes of
feasting and refreshment. The burial feast is in every
respect equal in richness to its accompanying ceremonies.
All who assemble are supplied with cooked venison, hog,
buffalo, or beef, regular waiters distributing alike hot
cakes soaked in grease and coffee or water, as the case may
be.

Frequently during this stage of the ceremony the most aged
Indian present will sit in the central circle, and in a
continuous and doleful tone narrate the acts of valor in the
life of the departed, enjoining fortitude and bravery upon
all sitting around as an essential qualification for
admittance to the land where the Great Spirit reigns. When
the burial feast is well-nigh completed, it is customary for
the surviving friends to present the bereaved family with
useful articles of domestic needs, such as calico in bolt,
flannel cloth, robes, and not unfrequently ponies or horses.
After the conclusion of the ceremonies at the lodge, the
body is carefully placed in a wagon and, with an escort of
all friends, relatives, and acquaintances, conveyed to the
grave previously prepared by some near relation or friend.
When a wagon is used, the immediate relatives occupy it with
the corpse, which is propped in a semi-sitting posture;
before the use of wagons among the Otoes, it was necessary
to bind the body of the deceased upon a horse and then
convey him to his last resting place among his friends. In
past days when buffalo were more available, and a tribal
hunt was more frequently indulged in, it is said that those