with the ground, and poles, trees, or pieces of timber
placed upon the grave to protect the remains from coyotes.

[Illustration: FIG 2--Pima burial]

Burials usually take place at night without much ceremony.
The mourners chant during the burial, but signs of grief are
rare. The bodies of their dead are buried if possible,
immediately after death has taken place and the graves are
generally prepared before the patients die. Sometimes sick
persons (for whom the graves had already been dug) recover.
In such cases the graves are left open until the persons for
whom they are intended die. Open graves of this kind can be
seen in several of their burial grounds. Places of burial
are selected some distance from the village, and, if
possible, in a grove of mesquite trees.

Immediately after the remains have been buried, the house
and personal effects of the deceased are burned and his
horses and cattle killed, the meat being cooked as a repast
for the mourners. The nearest relatives of the deceased as a
sign of their sorrow remain within their village for weeks,
and sometimes months; the men cut off about six inches of
their long hair, while the women cut their hair quite short.
* * *

The custom of destroying all the property of the husband
when he dies impoverishes the widow and children and
prevents increase of stock. The women of the tribe, well
aware that they will be poor should their husbands die, and