Maori Funeral: Tangi Ceremony

This a topic I have been meaning to write about for a while.  In Grade 11 (Ugh 2005/2006....) I had the opportunity to go to New Zealand with on a Rugby tour. While there I billeted with a Maori family, and was briefly introduced to some of their customs.  One particular thing that stuck in my mind was how elaborate and detailed a funeral was. I never experienced one while I was there but was told about how important they were and some other facts related to them, like the deceased was not to be left alone at anytime during the funeral. I just have never taken it upon myself to really look up the whole process until now.

When looking I found and interesting web post by Rachel Sawaya titled, " What to do and How to Behave at a Tangi."  This post detailed protocol and ediquette surrounding a traditional Maori funeral.  According to this post, a tangi is held at a marae, which is a meeting house not unlike the Bighouse associated with first nations of the Northwest Coast.  These ceremonies can last for several days and visitors are allowed to stay as long as they wish, sleeping at the  marae is allowed, though a small donation is expected.  When entering the marae the hosts of the tangi will perform a welcoming ceremony called a powiri.

The individual for which the tangi is being held is often placed in an open casket.  It is very important not to leave the body unattended at anytime during the ceremony as the spirit of the loved one is believed to be very close by.  Vigil is held over the body at all times and friends and family will talk to, wail over and touch the body in an attempt to lessen the pain of the passing for those left behind.  Burial of the body is often a traditional non-maori burial depending on the individuals religious beliefs.  It is thought that after burial the spirit of the deceased continues north to the very tip of New Zealand where it then departs for the Maori homeland of Hawaiki.

Here is the web post in question take a look if you have time:
http://rachel-sawaya.suite101.com/what-to-do-and-how-to-behave-at-a-tangi-a198812

Possible Neanderthal Burial Ground

It's funny how you stumble upon some of the most interesting things when you are trying to do research on a completely different topic!  So it was with this topic.  While searching for sources on avalanches and such for one of my Geography classes I stumbled upon a an article from the Discovery Channel website with, I'll admit, a bit of a sensationalist title.  The title of the article read " Did the Neanderthals Believe in the Afterlife?" this was followed by a subheading explaining "A possible Neanderthal burial ground suggests that they practiced funeral rituals and possessed symbolic thought before modern humans." This instantly put me off the article.  Having researched the Neanderthals earlier this term for my article assignment, surely I wouldn't have missed out on a discovery of this magnitude.  I decided to read on and the article made reference to a paper published in Quaternary International.  I instantly stopped reading the Discovery Channel page and moved over to the UVic library website to try and locate this paper,  and locate it I did.  The particular paper in question was published in April of last year and was simply titled "The excavation of buried articulated Neanderthal skeletons at Sima de las Palomas (Murcia, SE Spain)," (Walker et al. 2011)

While definitely not as sensationalist as the Discovery Channel writeup this paper published some very interesting findings.  The topic of the paper was the discovery of three reasonably complete 50,000 year old Neanderthal skeletons in a cave near Murcia, Spain.  However, what was exceptionally interesting about this discovery was that these three skeletons were articulated (Walker et al. 2011, pg 1).  In many cases this may not be significant, the bodies may have been disturbed and limbs moved, for example and animal may partially dug one up.   However, these finds are significant due to the fact that they all appear to be articulated the same way and no clear signs of being disturbed suggesting the articulation was intentional (Walker et al. 2011, pg 9). Acollection of Mousterian artifacts were also located in the same layer as the remains were found, though they did not seem to be have an association with the body as far as grave goods are concerned (Walker et al. 2011, pg 10). Each skeleton found at this site seems to have been placed on its side with its hands placed near it head (Walker et al. 2011, pg 10).  Apparently  this is a theme that has been noted with several Mousterian age skeletons and is seen as an indicator of intended burial in some Neanderthals and non-Neanderthal humans from the time (Walker et al. 2011, pg 10).  


I find this sort of discovery absolutely amazing for several reasons.  In the academic community there are are two very distinguishable views on Neanderthals. One, that they were stupid clumsy and brutish near humans and two, that they were in fact a lot closer to humans in terms of nature and intellect than originally thought.  I for one, believe that Neanderthals are not given enough credit most of the time.  The paper aforementioned clearly outlines what the authors deem to be another example of intended interment. This may indicate that burial could have been a part of Neanderthal culture, something that has been seen as uniquely human until not that long ago. I look forward to any discoveries to come.




Reference:
Walker M.J., Lopez-Martinez, M.V., Ortega-Rodriganez, J., Haber-Uriarte, M., Lopez-Jimenez, A., Aviles-Fernandez, A., Polo-Comacho, J.L., Campillo-Boj, M., Garcia-Torres, J., Carrion-Garcia, J.S., Del Toro, M.S.N., Rodriguez-Estrella, T., (2011), 'The excavation of buried articulated Neanderthal skeletons as Sima de las Palamas (Murcia, SE Spain),' Quaternary International

Here the Discovery Channel article mentioned (best taken with a grain of salt lol):
http://news.discovery.com/history/neanderthal-burial-ground-afterlife-110420.html 
 

WOW funeral: Online Gaming and Social Rules

World of Warcraft is currently the largest massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG).  This game allows players to immerse themselves in a fantasy world while at the same time interacting with characters created by other real people.  Starting in 2007 and up until about a year ago, I used to play World of Warcraft, also known to the gaming community as WOW.  I really enjoyed the game, many of my friends from back home played it so when I went off to UVic, the game allowed me to continue interact with them on a regular basis, albeit in a more limited way.  As is the nature with any MMORPG, I interacted with many different people and created a rather large in game social network.  Some of the people I played with on a regular basis were from as far away as Australia.  However as time went on, friends stopped playing and I lost interest in the game, finally stopping my subscription about a year ago.  Nevertheless, a few days ago I was thinking back on the game and remembered a certain event  which had occurred in-game and caused quite a bit of controversy about a year before I started playing.

The event to which I am referring was a player versus player (PVP) raid on an in-game funeral being held.  First of all, the fact that a funeral was being held in-game is significant in itself.  In a game where ones character cannot die, funerals have no real meaning.  However, this funeral was being held by close friends of a girl who had passed away suddenly of a stroke.  Since the game had been such a major part of her life and since people who had known here were spread across the world it seemed like a logical way for them to pay their respects to her.  The event was publicized on the games website with a distinct request that no one from the opposing faction come and break it up as it would be held in a neutral zone.  This is where the problem occurred. Despite this blatant plea for no disruptions, as the funeral progressed, a large party from the opposing faction appeared at the site and proceeded to attack the characters involved in the procession.  This attack essentially ended the ceremony and forced those people there to pay their respects to leave the area.

 This attack broke no in-game rules as it occurred on a PVP server where open world combat is encouraged.  What bothered (and still bothers) me about this is that is breaks some very substantial moral rules.  One can argue "Yes but its just a game," and I would be forced to agree. If this funeral was being held for someone who had decided to stop playing that would be one thing but this was being held for someone who had actually DIED. Friends met in game, while maybe not necessarily as close as friends met in person are still friends and obviously they cared quite a bit about this girl.  Interestingly enough I found an article published about the morality of ganking, a word commonly associated with being ganged up on in WOW. It deals directly with the event that I have outlined here and goes into great detail about the break from human morality experienced in games such as WOW.  An action such as breaking up a funeral would never happen in real life, I hope. The author of this paper however, suggests that actions such as those taken by the opposing faction during the in game funeral, may indicate underlying morality issues in the real lives of those who took part (Goguen 2009, pg 4). 

With games becoming more and more detailed, providing gamers with a world that directly immitates our real world, it is interesting and a little disturbing to wonder how issues related to real world death will play out in-game.  How will common decency and immorality surrounding these issues be policed or mitigated by the games administrators? I guess the only way I can find out is to start playing again.........no....no I think not.

Reference:

Goguen, S., (2009), 'Dual Wielding Moraliy: World of Warcraft and the Ethics of Ganking,' Philosophy of Computer Games Conference, Oslo.

Heres a link to the paper regarding the event:
http://bu.academia.edu/StaceyGoguen/Papers/123215/Dual_Wielding_Morality_World_of_Warcraft_and_the_Ethics_of_Ganking

Also here is a video of the event in question:

A Great Surfer Remembered

This past summer I had the amazing opportunity to visit the Oahu, one of the beautiful Islands of Hawaii.  While I was only able to spend one week on there, in that time I was truly touched by atmosphere, culture and overall laid back and friendly nature of everyone I met.  My experience with Hawaiians, whether an local or ex-pat, was good.  In my time on Oahu I noticed that the local residents of the Island had a special and unique way of going about the everyday activities we take for granted.  This is a very difficult feeling to express and I really can't provide a concrete example of what this difference is. It simply feels different, more relaxed. In the future I have every intention of going back. In the meantime however, I regularly catch myself procrastinating from doing homework and the like, looking at pictures and reading articles from the Islands. As with past blog articles I've posted, I came across this topic while NOT doing the homework I should have been doing.  While browsing surfing videos from Hawaii I came across a video which showed the memorial service for the late great surfing legend Andy Irons. 

This was not your typical memorial service.  What struck me the most about this video was the nature of the memorial itself.  Hundreds of people, friends, family and locals alike all joined together to pay respects to the deceased three time world champion.  What was truly unique however, was the fact that this memorial was held out in the ocean, with most guests paddling out on surfboards forming a sort of flotilla around a central boat in which the immediate family and friends of Irons stood.  From here the video documents several speakers, and eventually ends after his ashes have been placed in the ocean.  As a showing of respect to the surfer, many guests threw flowers and leis in the ocean as is local tradition.  The unconventional nature of this memorial fascinates me, its truly something I would never expect to see in Canada.  That being said, and having been to Hawaii and had a very small taste of what it was like to live there, the nature of this memorial does not strike me as unusual.  The Hawaiian people have a wonderfully unique way of doing things. Maybe its this uniqueness that made my experience there so unforgettable. Nevertheless, having watched this video, I am convinced that wherever Andy Irons is now, he was happy that day.

R.I.P Andy Irons

Facebook Memorial



It's crunch time.  Just over two weeks of school left and the projects and tests are piling up. No better time for a little procrastination. That 100% what I was doing when I came across an article off google that prompted me to write.  This article in question was from The Telegraph newspaper and was regarding the growing trend of memorial pages on Facebook.  This form of memorial started simply, as friends and family member posting on a the deceased persons page.  The deceased person's Facebook page becoming a sort of online gravestone or monument where their loved ones could visit and pay their respects and reflect upon good times and memories had.

This really caught me off guard. I had never really considered that if someone were to die suddenly, their Facebook page would endure. This article is somewhat dated, being from 2009. However, for me it still brings to light several issues with this form of memorial.  Prior to the publication date of this article, Facebook memorial pages were litterally just the deceased's original page.  This was a problem for many as some posts to these persons walls would appear in friends and families news feeds. In some cases, especially for those suffering from grief, these updates from a deceased loved one could be tortuous. On Oct. 26, 2009 Facebook announced it would be introducing memorial pages.  These pages would still allow for friends and family to post comments but would not allow anyone to log on to the account and would also not send out notifications or news feeds. Nonetheless, there are still problems with this.  For example, up until recently the reconnect feature on Facebook could occaisionally still suggest you try to reconnect with the deceased. Upon further searching on the internet I also came accross some extremely disturbing instance when these pages had me utilised by some demeted individuals to continue spewing hateful comments at those deceased.  These things asside I like the idea of Facebook memorial.  With the ever increasing power of social media more and more people having access to Facebook, there is no telling how popular this trend may become.

Have a look for yourself, try googling "Facebook memorial" it truly amazed me how many results it returned.

Here is the Telegraph article in question:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/6445152/Facebook-introduces-memorial-pages-to-prevent-alerts-about-dead-members.html

Website Review

The purpose of this blog post is to assess and critique a website related to the topic of Neolithic Burials.  This will be done using the rubric created by our group.  In doing this, the goal of this post is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the webpage and suggest areas for improvement. Please see rubric below.

The website selected for this assessment was www.knowth.com. This webpage give and overview of several different Neolithic passage tombs located in the British Isles.

Grading for this website is as Follows:

A. Presentation 3.5/5
The presentation for this website is not too bad however, it fails to catch my eye. It was only upon visiting it for a third time that I realized that the content on the page was actually quite good. Pictures are used quite well to supplement. However, I really would have liked to see some other form of media, for example a google map of the area or a video.

B. Mechanics and Clarity 3.5/5
Of all the reading I did on this webpage no blatant grammar or spelling errors stood out to me.  Overall this webpage reads very easily and is clear and concise.  I would like to have seen references used to validate the information presented. In text citation would also have been useful. Subtracting 0.5 for no referencing and citations.

C. Thesis Statement and Depth of Research10/10
 This was difficult to assess as it was not really a research oriented webpage so there was no clear thesis statement.  However, the information provided supported the topic of  Neolithic tombs extremely well.  Supplementary reading is suggested at the bottom of each page allowing one to further their knowledge of the sites discussed. Overall very good.

D. Research 4/10
Since this is not a research oriented webpage this is also quite difficult to assess.  However, as was mentioned earlier, there was little to nothing in the way of references which are required to make a good informative webpage.

E. Synthesis of Material 10/10
 Information presented on the main page was extremely well supported by information in subsections.  Additionally, extra reading suggested at the bottom of each subsection gave an opportunity to further my knowledge on each site if I so chose. Very well done.


TOTAL  31 / 40 or 78%

Overall this website is very well done. It is informative and concise which allows information to be read easily and understood.  Extensive use of pictures in text also helped convey information to the reader.  However, the distinct lack of sourcing detracted from the overall usefulness of this information.  Pictures and information used in the webpage is not referenced at all which led me to doubt the accuracy of data.  Nonetheless, I still really liked the webpage.



  

Ashes to Ashes

It has been quite a while since my last post and for that I am sorry.  School crept up on me rather quickly and to make matters worse I have been battling some form of cold for the better part of two weeks.
Over the past few weeks I have had the chance to read many an article related to the whole topic of death and burial. One particular article stood out to me and has compelled me to write.  This article was titled "Disney Disputes Pirate Ride Ashe Scattering," and as one can expect from the title, it was about a woman who allegedly was scattering ashes of a loved one while on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in the park.  This really got me thinking: Where and when is it appropriate to scatter ashes? What lengths would I go to scatter the ashes of a loved one? 

Frankly, this subject is quite a difficult one to discuss since almost every person has a varying opinion on the matter. I have never had the experience of scattering someones ashes. My Grandfather was cremated after he passed away and as a family we decided we would scatter his ashes but since he left us no instructions as to where we haven't really decided on a fitting place.  As far as ash scattering goes, I feel that it is important to do ones best to fulfill the dieing wish of those whose ashes are being scattered.  However, what if that requires one to do something that is legally, or socially unacceptable?  This is where this topic really becomes difficult.  In terms of the Disneyland incident, the line was crossed.  This was an area that people use on a regular basis and has to be by park employees rather than be washed away by weather. But what harm is it really doing?  Human ashes are more or less inert, they can't really do any more damage than the ashes from  the bottom  of a campfire.  If the lady in question from the Disneyland article had been caught sprinkling campfire ashes I doubt there would have been an article written.  The real problem with the scattering of ashes in public place like Disneyland is the stigma surrounding it.  Psychologically, these ashes are still tied to the deceased person and the mind instantly connects them (no matter how hard I try not to) with a dead body.  When I think of it this way,  what went on on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride strikes me as, for lack of a better word, gross.  But I really can't blame her, nor can I judge her doing what she has be accused of.  If a loved one of mine requested that some of their ashes be scattered at Disneyland, then I would be damned if they weren't. Though I doubt that I would be quite so blatantly obvious as to do it on the ride itself. What it comes down to is that I would do everything in my power to scatter the ashes where requested, although I would also attempt to make as little impact on those around me as possible. Anyway, more food for thought.

Here's a link to the article in question:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3876673&page=1#.T10FIPVy3Q8

Ross Bay Cemetery: Monument Analysis

 The Cross: Symbolism and Memorial

Photo Retrieved form timescolonist.com

The topic for this weeks post is somewhat broader than usual or at least broader in a sense of scope and effort.  Over the past few weeks, we have been tasked with conducting a monument analysis at a local cemetery.  This assignment was rather open ended in so much as it gave us the freedom pick a topic that interested us and go about it as we thought best.  The great part about this assignment was that the initial data collection phase of this assignment was a group assignment.  For this assignment my group partners were Arrianna D'Orsay and Kayla Crouch.  As a group we traveled down to the Ross Bay Cemetery on Thursday Feb 3rd. Initially we did not have a clear idea what our focus was for our analysis. However, there were several beautifully decorated crosses that quickly caught our eye.  From there, it did not take long for us to realize that the seemingly unchangeable symbol of the christian cross, which is a common sight at any cemetery, was represented in a wide variety of  styles and artistic representations. Thus we decided to make this the focal point of our analysis. At this point, we came up with three research questions to keep in mind as we went about our data collection.

1. What might the ornamentation and style of these cross grave markers reveal about the identity of the deceased?
2. Within the different religious areas, how does cross ornamentation and style vary? What might be the reason for the differences?
3. How is gender depicted on cross grave monuments? Differences?

Location:

Our monument analysis was conducted at the Ross Bay Cemetery located in at Ross Bay in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. This site is one of the oldest cemeteries in the Victoria area being the final resting place of many notable figures in British Columbian history including Fraser Gold Rush legend Billy Barker and famous Canadian artist Emily Carr. Please refer to the map link below for a visual representation of the location of the cemetery as well as pictures and short description of the grave markers selected in this analysis.


View The Way of The Cross: A Grave Monument Analysis in Ross Bay Cemetery in a larger map

Data Collection:

The object of our data collection was to be able, or at least be able to lay the framework to go about answering the questions we had set earlier.  To do this we first decided on rough time frame; all graves selected would be between 1800 and 1900.  This was difficult as some of the inscriptions from this time period were exceptionally hard to read.  Additionally, there were many that had multiple internments from later years, in this case we selected the grave marker based on the earliest internment.  Ross Bay Cemetery, as seen on the map above, is divided into several different religious sections. We used this to our advantage and selected three grave markers from each religious denomination excluding the First Nation and Old Chinese sections due to a lack of cross shaped markers.

Discussion:

The marker that caught our eye, and put us on this analysis path, is labeled Grave Marker 1 on the map above. It is a beautiful Celtic style cross very much like one might see in Ireland or Scotland. We were surprised to see a cross of this nature and beauty here in Victoria.  This cross started us thinking and  it was quite interesting throughout the entire trip to the cemetery to theorize about why there were differences or why a particular kind of cross was present in one area and not the next.  One might never know the answer to these questions without asking the families of those they stand as a memorial for. Since this was not an option in our analysis our group decided try and draw some general conclusions based on the what we could observe.  I suppose it is also best to put add a disclaimer: we do not know if these conclusions we have drawn are correct but we have derived them to the best of our knowledge with the information available.

One of the first things we noticed was a distinct differentiation in the style of crosses between the various religious sections.  For example,  the Presbyterian section of the cemetery contained the most Celtic style crosses and much fewer of any other style of cross.  In addition to this, many of these graves were of Scottish decent or were born in the British Isles.  It is said that this particular style of cross originated in Ireland, derived by St. Patrick himself while attempting to convert the pagan tribes there (Walker 1996).  However, some claim that the crosses found there are younger and that this style of cross, in fact, originated in Northumbria and spread up into Scotland and down to Wales before Ireland (Stevenson 1956, pp 92).  Nevertheless, it is likely that the Presbyterians that came over from the British Isles still held dear this cultural monument and saw fit to use it as a memorial for their loved ones.  However, to test this theory we would need to use a much larger sample of grave markers.  In addition, asking family members of the deceased how they relate to the different crosses and what they mean to them would be exceedingly helpful.

From then on out, we found that there was little relation between the styles of crosses within the different sections.  The Catholic section provided one of the greatest examples of this. In this section we found that the cross adorned almost every grave, however, each one different than the next.  One of the most beautiful examples of this is labeled as Grave Marker 6 on the map above.  This variety in the adornment of individual grave markers really sparked my interest and after a brief literature search I came up with an interesting finding.  Recently, in the United States, there have been several court cases conducted regarding whether one should be allowed to place religious crosses on public land, an example of this being a car crash memorial. In my mind the symbol of the cross has always had religious connotation, however, it was argued in this case that the cross has passed beyond religious significance in modern society and is now viewed in many ways as a generic memorial for the deceased (Boston 2011, pp 35). If this was the case around the turn of the century it is very unclear, nonetheless, it does present an interesting possible explanation as to the variety of cross representations throughout the cemetery.

Of all the interpretation done on Feb 3rd nothing was more difficult than attempting to determine the differences in ornamentation by gender.  This was due to several key factors.  For example, any given monument could be influenced by any of the factors mentioned earlier on in this post.  Therefore, attempting to extrapolate what potential differences there were based on gender was, for me, extremely difficult.  However, there were a few monuments that did stand out.  I found that monuments where a woman died before here husband tended to be some of the more lavishly decorated monuments.  An example of this would be the monument labeled as Grave Marker 5 on the map and was commissioned in memory of Joseph Dywers's wife Bridget in 1894.  The only explanation I could come up with for this difference in lavishness comes down to money.  During this time period, men were the primary source of income for a household. If a woman's husband died it is likely she would spend what was within her means on a grave monument given a reduced income due to her husbands death.  However,  situation reversed, the husband may spend more on his wife's memorial simply because his income was higher.  I feel I must stress again that this is pure speculation based on what was observed in the cemetery, and what made sense in my mind at the time.  This would be a very interesting topic to explore in greater depth with a larger sample size.

Overall, I found this monument analysis gave me an opportunity to think about aspects of personal memorial that I have not previously considered.  If you are ever in the Victoria area and have some time, I  highly recommend you go down and have a wander through Ross Bay Cemetery.

Also thought I would leave you with this, it's a video from the Times Colonist about apparent hauntings in the cemetery. Spooky stuff.

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Killings+betrayals+ghosts/5629807/story.html


References:

Boston, R., 2011. Church & State: What's Behind the Religious Right's Drive to Secularize their Central Symbol? Humanist, vol. 71, no. 4, pp 35-36, Available through: EBSCO Host Database [Accessed 16 Feb 2012]


Stevenson, R.B.K, 1956. The chronology and relationships of some Irish and Scottish crosses, The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, vol. 86, no. 1, pp. 84-96, Available through JSTOR Database [Accessed 16 Feb 2012]


Walker, S, 1996. Walker Metalsmiths Celtic Jewlery, Available at: http://www.celtarts.com/celtic.htm

Dead Man Walking

 The topic for this weeks entry is of a slighly morbid nature.  This week we were prompted to wrtite about what grave goods we, ourselves, would take with us as well as grave goods we think that others would send with us.  Due to the topics nature we were given the option to skip it.  However, I felt that it would be an interesting oppurtunity to try and think of material things in my posession that mean alot to me not to mention trying to guess what other people would include with me could be fun.

First things first, as of this moment in time I currently have no intentions of being buried when I die. I would like to be cremated and have my ashes scattered in a variety of places that are important to me in one way or another.  However, since that doesn't fit the prompt we will imagine that at least part of my ashes were interned.  Coming up with a list of grave goods is no mean feat, it really is hard.  Mostly its the thinking past the intital attachment to the item to its true symbolic meaning that is the difficult part.  For example, my car recently kicked the bucket and to say the least I was pretty dissapointed. However, now after not having it for a while I realise that it really didn't "mean" that much to me, moreover it held no deep symbolic meaning for me.  This in mind,  I created a list of two things I would want interned with me and two things I think others would include.

1.  A Soccer Ball

I have played soccer (football) since I was 4 since then it has been a major part of my life.  The soccer ball would be with me to represent  my love of the game and its impact on my life.


2. My Music Folder

When I started band at the beginning of Grade 8 we were given a music folder with our names on the front.  Since then I have used it to hold any and every piece of music I have.  Music became a very huge part of my life in highschool, so much so that I taught myself how to play guitar the summer after Grade 12 because I missed playing already.  The inclusion of the music folder would be to represent my love for music.


What my Friends and Family would include:

1.  A Hat or Tuque

Ok this one requires a little explanation.  I wear hats very often, inpart to cure beadhead in the morning and also because they are functional! I hate my head getting cold or wet and thus I where hats and never have to complain. I have a feeling that my friends and family would intern a hat of some sort with me. God forbid my head gets cold in the afterlife.


2.  Sports Equiptment

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love sports and as such I would not be surprised if I was interned with sports gear.

Non-Standard Funerary Practices

My top three unique funeral practices from around the world and the implications of their implementation in Canada

Today we were posed the question, "What kinds of non-standard funerary practices can you find that are available to (or may become available to) Canadians?"  Well, after not that much time at all I was able to compile quite and extensive list of some very interesting funeral practices from around the world.  At first many of them seemed too "out there" to really be taken seriously but then I sat back and really thought about what a standard funeral was in my mind and what the purpose of such a ceremony was and came up with a few key ideas. In most places in the world a funeral ceremony is a way for loved ones to pay their respects to the deceased. In some instances the last wishes of the departed play a large role in the nature of the ceremony itself.  Personally, I have never been to a funeral in my life, therefore my idea of a standard funeral is largely based on what I have seen on T.V. or in the media. To give one an idea, my vision of a standard funeral consists of a Hurst, a large coffin and a group of friends and family members wearing all black in mourning and huddled around a small plot in a cemetery while the body and coffin are slowly lowered into the ground. Not to mention its probably raining or cold and dreary, not a fun occasion to say the least.  Nonetheless, this is what I picture when I think of a funeral.  With that in mind I scoured the internet for some unique takes on this practice boiled them down to a top three.

1. Sky Burial

 

Image retrieved on Jan 17, 2012 from: http://vajratool.wordpress.com/2010/08/28/vultures-and-charnel-grounds-east-and-west/

This was by far one of the most unique funerary practices I came across, not to mention the most gruesome. Sky burial is defined as  "..the deliberate, culturally countenanced, exposure of human corpses to carrion birds" (Martin, 1996, pp 353). This unusual practice is limited to only a very small number of cultures, with it being practiced amongst the Zoroastrians in Persia, two Parsi communities in India, and most prevalently in Tibet (Martin, 1996, pp 353).  It is theorized that this practice originated in Persia, though little is know about its actual origins.  In Tibet, sky burial is most often often reserved for commoners or poor folk who cannot afford more lavish ceremonies and actual though this is not a rule.  To begin the ceremony, bodies of the recently decease are bound in the fetal position and and wrapped in cloth (Martin, 1996, pp 358).  They are then taking to the families house where ritual food and drink are consumed (Martin, 1996, pp 358).  Early the next morning the body is then carried in a procession to a high flat rock ledge, where it is then stripped and the flesh cut (Martin, 1996, pp 359). It is then left until vultures have devoured all the flesh on the corpse (Martin, 1996, pp 359).  Then the bones themselves are ground into a powder and mixed with barley flour which is again given to the vultures (Martin, 1996, pp 359).  While this funeral practice may seem gruesome or barbaric in western culture, it is derived Tibet, for the most part, out of need. For example, the Tibetan plateau has a distinct lack of arable land suitable for excavation, this along with a very limited supply of fuel required for cremations (Martin, 1996, pp 360).  Another interpretation is that it is a final gift back to nature.

Will this ever be undertaken in Canada? Doubtful, very doubtful. While it is an important part of Tibetan culture I feel that this tradition would never gain acceptance in western society due to its graphic nature and aversion to widely held religious beliefs.  Nonetheless, it is still one of the most unique and fascinating funeral practices I have ever come across.

2. Space Memorial 

 

Star Trek Funeral retrieved Jan 17, 2012 from: http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/File:John_Kelly_burial.jpg 

Alright so we may not have the technology to have a full on Starfleet funeral aboard a starship, but should you so choose you can currently have your ashes shot into space aboard scientific or commercial spacecraft. This service is currently available to anyone in the world through a company known as Celestis (http://www.celestis.com/).  This company offers families the ability to send as much as 14g of cremated remains into Earth orbit.  In the future they hope to place remains aboard spacecraft orbiting the moon as well as travelling out into deep space.  Another option Celestis offers is a space flight with return to Earth. Through the website families can book accommodations and plan activities around a space launch, once the remains return to earth the capsule is returned to family members as a keepsake.

 

Memorial Spaceflight trajectory retrieved from: http://www.celestis.com/popUps/New_Mexico_trajectory.htm

While this may seem odd to some, many people, in life dream, of visiting outer space.  In fact, this funeral practice may be in clear religious conflict for many.  However, this is a just one type of a new and developing funeral practice and is a prime example of taking a loved ones last wishes into account and honouring their memory. While this is an American based company, it is open to anyone that wishes to have their remains sent up to eternally explore the "Final Frontier."

3. Eternal Reef

Last, but definitely not least, on my list of unique funeral practices is the eternal reef (http://www.eternalreefs.com/about/about.html). This idea began  in the 1980s as an attempt by two college students  to assist the recovery of damaged coral reefs off the Florida Keys. Several years later one of the founders father in-law mentioned in passing that he would like nothing better to be a part of the reef system when he died and thus this gave rise to the idea of the Eternal reef.  Individuals that choose this burial method are cremated and placed within specially designed "reef balls." Also included on these reef balls is a memorial plaque to recognize the person entombed within. 

This a very interesting combination of memorial and ecological restoration. Not only does it provide a relatively long lasting structure which can be visited by loved ones, it also helps to restore reef habitat and effectively integrate the individual back in the environment.  As issues affecting the environment continue to at the forefront of our minds these days, I feel funerary practices such as this will gain in popularity as individuals seek to make a positive impact on the environment, even in death.  Although Canada may not have coral reefs, an idea along the same lines as this would definitely be a viable option.   Until this search I had never really thought of funerary options like this. However, after giving it a good deal of thought this definitely an option I would consider.

Having to condense all the interesting funerary practises down into a list of the top three was not easy.  There are so many different practices that are significant or special in their own way.  Since Canada is such a multicultural country, in the future I would expect to see a rise in non-standard funerals or at least rise in funeral practices of different cultures.  Some practices, such as Sky Burials, will most likely never be fully accepted by western society, however, understanding its significance and importance to some cultures is still crucial.

REFERENCES



 Smith, D 1996, 'On the Cultural Ecology of Sky Burial on the Himalayan Plateau', East and West, vol. 43, no. 3.