[background music]
>>Narrator: Spirit houses can be found throughout the Seminole and Muscogee (Creek) country
in Oklahoma. It's a long tradition that was started in the southeast before the tribes
were removed to Indian Territory. [sawing] Most tribes in North America have unique burial
practices. It is said the Muscogee people may have buried their dead inside the homes
or under arbors near their home. This evolved into building log grave house coverings. Some
say the body was put inside of the log home and then it was burned. Others say the body
was put underground in a fetal position and the log houses were on top. The log house
coverings were left until they fell back into the earth. This practice still holds true
today.
>>Ted Underwood: Times growing up when we'd leave the house up there headed for the creek
over there. I'd come through here, we'd come through here, and there would be some old
spirit houses. And they built them. They they never came back and repaired them. They would
always be allowed to deteriorate back to a natural state, and I often wondered about
that. I work with historic preservation and had a lot of occasion to travel back to the
southeast. And and one of the things that I looked for was evidence of these spiritual
houses that were built back in the southeast. What I was what I found was I was able to
trace back as far as to about 1820 whenever they built the one of these houses we call
them, they used natural elements to only leave their footprint on the land. And so that eventually
even that would no longer exist at some point.
>>Narrator: With new technology and supplies, the spirit houses today look very modern,
but they still hold true to their original meaning. The spirit houses are built on the
fourth day after the burial, starting early in the morning and ending by nightfall. [hammering]
A diamond shape is sometimes cut out of the wood in the front of the house giving a place
for the spirit to exit. Belongings of the departed are placed inside the house. These
items of comfort help provide an easy transition for the spirit. [sawing, hammering] Today,
only a few people still make these houses. Fewer and fewer families keep this tradition
alive. [hammering] The spirit houses are one of the many things that make Seminole and
Muscogee (Creek) people unique in Oklahoma today.