Death Rituals
The Merina People "Turing of The Bones" & The Ifugao "Second burial"
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The Merina People "Dancing Bones"
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Located in the
central highlands of Madagascar live the Merina People. The Merina
practice a unique death ritual called Famadihana. To them death is the
most critical moment in life.They believed that once a body fully decays
and the appropriate rituals are completed that the sprit will join the
ancestors or (Razana as they would refer to them.) Because it is
believed that the relationship with the Razana can potentially
influence their lives, it is the Merina’s responsibility to avoid taboos
(fady) and grant the their wishes.
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The
ritual that the Marina people must perform in order to establish a
peaceful relationship is the Famadihana. Famadihana more commonly known
as The Turning of the Bones, is a death ritual in which the Merina
people exhumes the remains of their ancestors, dance to funeral music
with the corpse around the around the family crept, and rewrap it in new
clothing before returning the it to the tomb. Although to the outsider
the ritual may seem macabre it is actually not about mourning for a dead
loved one. This ritual usually takes place every five to seven years
and is done to maintain good ties with the Razana, to them it is
perceived as away of updating the dead ancestors about the living
family. It is a chance for the whole family to unit despite the distance
that they might have.
Unlike
a western funeral which can be perceived as a way of saying the last
goodbye to a loved one, Famadihana is a welcome back party.
Anthropologist professor Maurice Bloch, who has studied the ritual, has
concluded, “ it is an evocation of being together again, a
transformation of sorts so that the dead can experience once more the
joys of life, but most importantly it is an act of love.” During this
festival one would observe; laughter, dancing, drinking, and even people
selling cigarettes or frozen yoghurt in temporary stalls set out near
the tomb.
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I
will now try to describe what one would see attending a Famadihana
ritual. First the ritual starts of with a huge free-for-all celebration,
in fact the families that host have at times gone bankrupt due to the
expense. As the day come to its climax the time to exhume the bodies
approaches. Imagine, a low flat brick tomb, member’s of the family help
each other removing the stone door and one by one they walk inside. on
each side of the room are stone beds, here would lie bodies of the
deceased ancestors. One by one each body is introduced as they carried
out of the tomb and laid upon the ground. For example, a family member
would observe each body and as he remembers them he would introduce them
like so “ this is uncle phil, welcome back” than the other family
members would carry them outside the tomb. After they have been properly
introduced family members carry them on their shoulders and dance
around the tomb. Before they are placed back into their beds family
members might tear off a piece of their clothing and keep it, kind of
like a good luck charm that brings prosperity. Others might take use
this time to take pictures with the bodies. The corpse are placed back
with fresh new clothes, called lamas, along with money, alcohol, and any
other materials that their loved one might of enjoyed when they where
alive.
Unfortunately,
this mind blowing ritual has been on the decline. Certain urbanized
Malagasy find the ritual strange and out dated. Another factor is the
countries clash with Christianity. In the beginning missionaries to the
country tried to stop the practice and now increasing numbers of
evangelical Christians are turning away from famadihana.
The Ifugao "Second burial"
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Luzon,
an island located in the Philippines, is home to the Ifugao tribe. The
Ifugao have a burial ritual that takes a longer processes than probably
any another imaginable. What makes their burial ritual so special is
that is takes several days before the body is interment, eight days to
be exact. During this time the family partakes in elaborate festivals,
that honor the deceased’s spirit as well as any other spirits in the
family that have already passed. interestedly enough, the ifugao indulge
in a ritual called “second burial,” several years after the body has
been buried it is exhumed, the bones are cleaned and stored in the
family’s home.
The
Ifugao center their burial rituals in a way that appease the many
different deities they believe in. Prior to the burial the family
members pour rice wine onto the ground, this symbolic jester is an
offering to the spirits. To protect the deceased love ones spirit
against jealous spirits in the afterlife, the body is wrapped around
with old and torn blankets and cloths. This gives the appearance of
tattered garments a which trick the evil spirits into not steeling form
the decreased cloths. another ritual that helps ware off evil spirits is
hang the skull of a sacrificed pig out side the families home.
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Postponing
the burial allows for at least three days allows the family plenty of
time to mourn and celebrate in honor of the deceased. During these days
of waking, the body is seated in a chair outside the family’s house. A
small group of trained women keep a vigil in front of the deceased, they
constantly cry and shake the body ensuring wether if the deceased is
actually dead. The Ifugao people believe that a spirit might leave the
body and return in a day or two, but after three days most began to
speculate that the spirit has successfully passed to the after life.
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The
Ifuago call their burial festival “canao,” this festival can last
several days and contains several ceremonial feasting throughout the
village, foods include sacrificed pigs and chickens. The feast are
followed by elaborate energetic dancing, keep in mind that all these
things are happening around the corpse, which is placed in the middle of
all the action. After the celebrations are concluded the corpse is
finally buried.
The
corpse remains buried near the family’s home for two year, which is
roughly enough time for the body to decay and for the family to save up
enough money for the “second burial” ceremony. The bones are clean and
either kept in special mausoleum or at home. The family will keep the
remains ad periodically clean them to remove any illness or unwanted
supernatural mischief.
After
studying the similarities between the cultures I can conclude that both
have a strong believe in spirits and in the after life. The Ifuagdo
leave the corpse out side for up to eight days. why? Well its because to
them death is something that you can not come back from and they need
to make sure whether or not person has passed on. Both cultures have
this believe that sprits need to be remembered or else bizarre thing
will occur. This believe could derive from another believe in which if
you stop remembering an ancestor the existence of their spirit would
vanish.
Bibliography
Ifuago "second burial"
"People & Culture." Our Africa. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014. http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/articles-on-c-n-a/article.php?igm=4&i=225
"REMEMBERING THE DEAD: How Grieving Helps and Why Traditions Don't Change | The Mindful Word." The Mindful Word. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
"10 Fascinating African Tribal Traditions." AFKInsider. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.http://people.opposingviews.com/burial-rituals-beliefs-ifugao-4989.html
Merina "turing of the bones"
"Madagascar's Dance with the Dead." BBC News. BBC, 16 Aug. 2008. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7562898.stm
"11 Fascinating Funeral Traditions from around the Globe." TED Blog 11 Fascinating Funeral Traditions from around Theglobe Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014http://blog.ted.com/2013/10/01/11-fascinating-funeral-traditions-from-around-the-globe/
"People & Culture." Our Africa. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014.http://www.our-africa.org/madagascar/people-culture
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