danus sleeping mat and placed in a wood coffin. This takes place in a building near the church, and when it is completed, a processional is begun to the cemetary. The long-practiced custom of burying the dead person next to his home has been discouraged by western sanitarians.
At the grave, the chief mourner opens the coffin, and all present kneel to kiss the deceased on the lips. Then the mouth and eyelids are closed. Before the coffin is sealed, as many personal belongings as will fit are placed in the coffin—these belongings may be nothing more ornate than an old jar, a few bolts and nails, a bamboo cigarette lighter—it matters little what the posessions are—what is important is that the departed valued these trinkets during his lifetime, and so they are consigned to his pleasure in the after-life.
The graves are not deep because of the high water table, and each is lined with coconut matting. When the grave is ready to be closed, all the natives step up and toss green leaves or flowers onto the coffin. Then all present lend a hand in pouring the dirt into the grave.
After the grave is closed, the mourners trek to the beach and, at low tide, chip a heavy stone slab from the seafloor about five-by-four feet in length and width, about two inches in depth. Four smaller slabs are cut, and from these a rectangular memorial is made, crudely resembling a mastaba of ancient Egypt. Some of the graves which do not have the stone edifice are surrounded with saki bottles, (marked Nippon Brewery, Ltd.,) and these are topped with a cross on which the native's Christian name is written. On the island of Mogmog, these inscriptions may be observed in Japanese characters. The Padre gives them their Christian names, and in marking their graves they prefer this memorial designation—the Ulithi name being used only during their lifetime.
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