This was an unusual custom and not practiced by many tribes. The Ojibwa made the grave posts with great care and they often bore pictures or marks (pictograms) telling about the dead man. His totem animal was often represented, usually upside down to indicate that the bearer of the emblem was dead. The grave post also tells how old the man was, that he was a warrior and a good hunter. A pictogram, also called a pictograph, conveys a story and meaning through pictures that signify and resemble the shapes of physical objects or people. An Ideagram is another form of pictogram which conveys complex ideas, feelings and emotions. A pictogram, such as the one recognized as a family symbol, is a therefore a form of writing which uses representational, pictorial drawings to tell a story.