On Friday I went to the wake for one of the young men who died in a head on collision with a semi on Halloween. I came home from work and told Carol I had to find something to wear, and she told me to go as is (black yoga pants, tennis shoes, and a sweatshirt) because if I changed I'd stick out and be way over dressed. She was right. Most people were in jeans and t-shirts. The wake was held in the multi purpose building in Dupree which is basically a gym with a kitchen and bathrooms and where we held the Halloween party. We walked in and signed the guest book, next to which were baskets of suckers and cigarettes. Family members were wearing memorial T-shirts for A.J., which I've noticed is a fairly common phenomenon in this community. A duo was playing guitar and singing hymns before the service started at 7pm. The casket was closed and draped with a star quilt in the four sacred colors (red, black, white, and yellow). A.J. was beheaded when his car went under the semi, but they put his head and body back together. Out here it is believed that the head and body must be reunited or the spirit cannot pass into the afterlife. Another young man was beheaded in a crash in neighboring Lantry. His head and body were never reunited and people say that his spirit haunts highway 212 in Lantry. Night or day you may see a young hitchhiker, but when you slow down to pick him up, he just waves you on. Members of the community brought star quilts or other blankets and piled them on a table. They would be given away the next day at the funeral in A.J.'s name. After both the wake and the funeral there is a meal. Community members also bring dishes to pass. There was a Catholic service for the wake and the entire rosary was said. After the service, friends and family hold vigil with the body through the night until the funeral and burial. The other young man who died with A.J.'s funeral is tomorrow in Red Scaffold. Carol wants me to go with her. We will go as long as the weather isn't too bad. There is a winter storm warning for tonight through tomorrow night calling for freezing rains, wind, and four to seven inches of snow.