Funeral

I woke up

at 7:30 AM had breakfast with my grandfather and sister my dad was out with the family and the elders were digging her grave in the rain. we drove to the house to gather the body and said a few blessings and loaded her into the truck. we rode in the back of the pickup in the rain to the church and I carried her into the church with the other men. we had a ceremony and set our goodbyes. I carried her with the others to the gravesite the rain made the clay stick on our shoes. we placed her into the grave. as I was the tallest I took her body first and laid her down into her resting place. we left her with her belongings, some food, and a basket of feathers. We each grabbed a pinch of cornmeal, Said our last goodbyes and sprinkled it into the grave. We brushed off the dust from our clothes back into the grave as it is flown up from the wind. we buried her with shovels and then said a blessing. An elder took the decorated pot that held the water used to bathe her body and broke it over the mound of dirt as a symbol. when we return to the house all of the women washed our hands and chanted a prayer to me then we had a large meal together. We went back to the grave 2 days later but I didn't get out of the car.