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Wampanoag/Death and burial
Reference material by Wikibooks contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
|As Pummìssin.| `He is not yet departed.'
|Neenè.| `He is drawing on.'
|Paúsawut kitonckquêwa.|- `He cannot live long.'
|Chachéwunnea.| `He is near dead.'
|Kitonckquêi.| `He is dead.'
|Nipwímâw.| `He is gone.'
|Kakitonckquêban.| `They are dead and gone.'
|Sequttôi.| `He is in black;'
That
is, He hath some dead in his house (whether
wife or child {&c}.) for although at the first being
sicke, all the Women and Maides blacke
their faces with soote and other blackings;
yet upon the death of the sicke, the father, or
husband, and all his neighbours, the Men also
(as the {English} weare blacke mourning
clothes) weare blacke {Faces}, and lay on soote
very thicke, which I have often seene clotted
with their teares.
This blacking and lamenting they observe
in most dolefull manner, divers weekes and
moneths; yea, a yeere, if the person be great
and publike.
|Séqut.| `Soote.'
|Michemeshâwi.| `He is gone for ever.'
|Mat wònck kunnawmòne.|- `You shall never see him more.'
|Wunnowaúntam| `Grieved and in bitternesses.'
|Wullóasin.|
|Nnowántam, nlôasin.| `I am grieved for you.'
{Obs.} As they abound in lamentations for
the dead, so they abound in consolation to
the living, and visit them frequently, using this
word {Kutchìmmoke, Kutchimmoke}, Be of good
cheere, which they expresse by stroaking the
cheeke and head of the father or mother, husband,
or wife of the dead.
|Chepassôtam.| `The dead Sachim.'
|Mauchaúhom.| `The dead man.'
|Mauchaúhomwock }
|Chepeck.| } `The dead.'
|Chepasquâw.| `A dead woman.'
|Yo ápapan.| `He that was here.'
|Sachimaúpan.| `He that was Prince here.'
{Obs.} These expressions they use, because,
they abhorre to mention the dead by name,
and therefore, if any man beare the name of
the dead he changeth his name; and if any
stranger accidentally name him, he is checkt,
and if any wilfully name him he is fined; and
and amongst States, the naming of their dead
{Sachims}, is one ground of their warres; so terrible
is the King of Terrors, Death, to all
naturall men.
|Aquie mìshash, aquie mishómmokc.|0 `Doe not name.'
|Cowewênaki.| `You wrong mee', to wit, `in naming my dead.'
|Posakúnnamun.| `To bury.'
|Aukùck pónamun.| `To lay in the earth.'
|Wesquáubenan.| `To wrap up', in winding mats or coats, as we say, winding sheets.
|Mockuttá[s]uit|, One of the chiefest esteeme,
who winds up and buries the dead, commonly
some wise, grave, and well descended man
hath that office.
When they come to the Grave, they lay
the dead by the Grave's mouth, and then all
sit downe and lament, that I have seen teares
run downe the cheekes of stoutest Captaines,
as well as little children in abundance: and
after the dead is laid in Grave, and sometimes
(in some parts) some goods cast in with them,
They have then a second great lamentation,
and upon the Grave is spread the Mat that
the party died on, the Dish he eat in; and
sometimes a faire Coat of skin hung upon the
next tree to the Grave, which none will
touch, but suffer it there to rot with the
dead: Yea, I saw with mine owne eyes that
at my late comming forth of the Countrey,
the chiefe and most aged peaceable Father of
the Countrey, {Caunou~nicus}, having buried his
sonne, he burn'd his owne Palace, and all his
goods in it, (amongst them to a great value)
in a sollemne remembrance of his sonne, and
in a kind of humble Expiation to the Gods,
who (as they believe) had taken his sonne
from him.