Ritual Cremation
The Cahuilla response to death was a six night affair intended to mark the passing of a member of the community and put an end to grief. The Cahuilla seem to have had a practical view of death that included it as a necessary component of their world. It was held annually during the winter months, and its date fluctuated according to supplies and internal factors.
Commonly, these rites took place in a large structure called the kis-amnawut (roughly translated as house power-great)). It should also be noted that the ritual for the dead was interwoven with other aspects of Cahuilla life; it wasn't until the fourth day of the mourning ritual, for example, that infants of the tribe would be publicly named.
Read more about this topic: Cahuilla Mythology
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