Scattered around the cemetery are dwarf houses—small roofs
about four feet by two feet, with short walls only one foot high. There appear
to be windows cut into the dwarf houses, along the walls and some on the roofs.
These are all made of wood, and show signs of extreme weathering. I spot a very
few classical stone tombstones, and one highly ornate metal cross.
The French missionary bishop allowed Native Americans to
build these tombs, but did he know that the dwarf houses signify a place where
the Native American spirits could visit the deceased, and be with them for the
four days of transition from this world to the next? Did the bishop know that the
dwarf houses protected the food offerings put there by the mourners, to support
the spirits and their journey to the other worlds? Did they know that these
worlds are not heaven, as Christians believe? Rather the Middle World is where
spirits of the dead are in transit, and where the spirits of the living beings experiencing
turmoil can be found? Did they know that in the Lower World are many spiritual
entities, such as Earth Mother, Sun Father, animal spirits, and healing
spirits? Did they know that in the Upper World the spirits of the recently
departed members of society can be found?
The clear cold waters of Lake Superior lap against this
cemetery. It is located in the small town of La Pointe on Madeline Island, the
largest of the Apostle Islands. You can drive here in the frozen winter months,
when the water between Madeline Island and the shore town of Bayfield is frozen
so solid that cars and trucks cross with ease. In the summer, a car ferry plies
to and fro, bringing tourists and all the necessities of life to support them.
One hundred and fifty years ago this remote region held
great promise for the colonialists who came here from the east. Fur trading was
the first focus of interest. Then beautiful red sandstone was used to build a
few impressive buildings. Steel from Philadelphia was shipped in. Perhaps this
region could become a new westerly shipping destination for eastern
materials—coal and steel. The Native Americans happily traded with the earliest
settlers, finding a lucrative outlet for their furs. Along with all the fervor
of the new settlers came the French Catholic missionaries.
It is hard to imagine the life of the early settlers, but I
assume that the winters were as long as they are today, and the summers just as
sweet. The missionaries traded their Christian version of salvation, and the Native
Americanss offered their survival skills for the harsh winters. It was a fair
trade, of sorts.
Looking at the La Pointe cemetery I was impressed by the
dominance of the white wood cross over the little burial houses built for
converted Native Americans. Although their graves are not marked, Chief Great
Buffalo lies in this cemetery as well as his son Chief Little Buffalo. The
great white cross dominates over all. I have never seen a cemetery with such a
determinedly dominating symbol of one religion over another. The graves of the
Native Americans appear modest in death. They reveal an interesting comingling
of the white man’s religion and their own beliefs. Admittedly, this cemetery is
not well populated. So where are the other Native Americans buried? Are they in
ceremonial mounds? Are the bodies hung in trees to feed the birds in ‘sky
burials’? I hear a crow calling loudly as I write. ‘Don’t forget me! I am part
of the system too.’ This is the ecological system, the source of our survival
and rebirth.
I smile when I think of the great white cross standing there
in La Pointe cemetery. It represents colonial focus on the material details concerning
which types of people can have what kinds of burial monuments. It reeks of
racism, even in death. All this can be found on the tiny island that has
sustained itself for millennia, without the help of missionaries.
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