Ghosts Follow the Pathway of the Wind
Beliefs concerning Ghosts and the Sign of Death
GHOSTS FOLLOW THE PATHWAY OF THE WIND
The Hookooeko of Nicasio and Tomales Bay say:
When a person dies his Wal'-le 24 or Ghost goes to Hel'-wah the West, crossing the great ocean to Oo-tā-yo'-me, the Village of the Dead. In making this long journey it follows hinnan mooka, the path of the Wind. Sometimes Ghosts come back and dance in the roundhouse; sometimes people hear them dancing inside but never see them.
Footnotes
- 217:24
In this connection it is interesting to observe that in the language of the related Olayome of Putah Creek, Bats are called Walle; while the same word in the language of the Mewan Valley tribes means Ocean. The word for ocean among the Northern Mewuk is Wallasu; among the Middle or Tuolumne Mewuk, Wallesmah.