Death Lore: Texas Rituals, Superstitions, and Legends of the Hereafter (review)

2010Book Reviews3gg analysis by Douglas Scott, an archeologist with the National Park Service. Using crime-lab techniques developed during his ground-breaking archeological study of the Batde of Litde Bighorn, Scott was able to identify firearm types and individual weapons. Cartridge and bullet type and size allowed the Red River War researchers to distinguish between military and Indian weaponry. Individual weapons were recognized by unique firing pin impressions, cartridge extractor marks, and rifling grooves. Cruse used the find spots of identified weaponry to identify firing positions across the landscape and unravel the sequence of events. While the U.S. Army fought with standard-issue weapons such as the 1 873 Springfield carbine, the firearm analysis demonstrated that the Indians used a large assortment of weapons, most of them outdated, inferior arms including muzzle loaders and bows and arrows. The archeological data suggest that claims of large numbers ofwell-armed Indian combatants by army officers were often exaggerated: no more than 50 percent of the Indians had firearms and significandy fewer Indians took part in many of the batdes. One ofthe major contributions ofthe study is the archival research by historian Martha Freeman, who delved deeply into the National Archives and unearthed many new war-related documents including eyewitness accounts, maps, and correspondence . Collectively, these records detail military and Indian tactics and show that the war unfolded in unexpected ways, as the army struggled to react to highly mobile and unconventional adversaries. The study effectively couples archeological investigation with documentary research to significantly improve our understanding of the Red River War. It also highlights the potential of this multidisciplinary approach to reveal many more details of a pivotal episode in American history. It will appeal to historians, archeologists , and Panhandle residents alike. The archeological findings and interpretations are well-organized, clearly presented, and lavishly illustrated with many color images including dozens of large- and small-scale maps and excellent artifact photographs. Appendices provide lists of Indian prisoners, military ordnance inventories, sketches of the war's Medal of Honor recipients, and detailed artifact analyses of five batdes. Texas State UniversityStephen L. Black Death Lore: Texas Rituals, Superstitions, and Legends oftL·Hereafter. Edited by Kenneth L. Untiedt. Publications ofthe Texas Folklore Society LXV. (Denton: University of North Texas Press, 2008. Illustrations, notes, index. ISBN 9781574412567, $36.95 cloth.) According to its website, the Texas Folklore Society is "dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the folklore ofTexas and the Southwest." In keeping with its goals, it prefers to celebrate the past rather than merely record or interpret it. As one of its presidents once explained, "I do not believe that our purpose is to proliferate esotérica and pedantry among a small, specially educated clique" (from www.texasfolkloresociety.org/AboutTFS.htm) . 400Southwestern Historical QuarterlyJanuary Death Lore cannot and should not be judged as a work of history. The book's study of the formal and informal rituals surrounding death is neither an examination of the nineteenth-century "art of dying" nor a catalogued explication of these rituals. It can only be critiqued for what it purports to be: a description of the subjective impact of death on the living, as told in personal stories. The essays in Death Lore touch on several ethnic groups in Texas, but the vast majority are stories about the authors' own friends and relatives, primarily Anglo, told in first person with occasional accompanying poetry or folksongs, many written by the authors themselves. One memorable essay, for instance, describes life at a Lubbock funeral parlor belonging to the author's family. Another deals with the struggle to bury a beloved pet cat. The final essay, apparendy the author's reflections on consciousness and the supernatural, is at the far end of the spectrum. There arc notable exceptions to this pattern, however; two árdeles regarding the celebratíon ?? Día de hs Muertos (Day of the Dead) among Hispanic Texans focus more on the anthropological and historical underpinnings to the ritual. Due to die nature of the essays included, the resultant book is highly anecdotal but largely uninformative. The atmosphere is reminiscent of a family reunion, where old friends share their stories and their sympathies with others oflike mind. Although the...