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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| "MinoriTerres." Famadihana. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. |
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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| "Rituais Fúnebres Horripilantes #1." Minilua RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. |
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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| "Rituais Fúnebres Horripilantes #1." Minilua RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. |
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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| "Rituais Fúnebres Horripilantes #1." Minilua RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. |
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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