In line 14 of "The Indian Burying Ground," Freneau mentions "arrows, with a head of bone" that are buried with the deceased. These arrowheads, made of stone or bone, may be contrasted with the headstones put on Christian graves.

compare the different views of death revealed by stone arrowheads versus gravestones.

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Rachel Meza

7 July, 23:24

In line 14 of "The Indian Burying Ground," Freneau mentions "arrows, with a head of bone" that are buried with the deceased. These arrowheads, made of stone or bone, may be contrasted with the headstones put on Christian graves.

compare the different views of death revealed by stone arrowheads versus gravestones.

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Knight · Answer 1

Freneau, at first, seems to be holding a Christian, European death in superior view to those of the Native Americans. One sees quickly that he does not feel this way, as he suggests that the European formality of burying their dead lying down puts their loved one to rest not only in life, but in all forms. The Native Americans in contrast set their deceased loved ones sitting up, surrounded by implements of life for a journey into an active afterlife. In particular, he mentions an arrowhead as a head of stone (or bone). So Native Americans' "headstones" are arrows, tools of action, and Europeans' headstones are true headstones, heavy objects lying over the deceased. Freneau then showed preference for the mysticism of Native American death over the somber, cold, final, and boring death of the Christian European.