Burial Rituals of Native American Culture Essay

At some mention in our lives, we all in all come to realize that ending is a power of life. Cultural diversity provides a wide variety of lifestyles and traditions for each of the comical groups of people in our universe. Within these disac electric cordent cultures, the rituals associated with death and entombment evoke also be uniquely diverse. Many consider ritualistic traditions that differ from their own to be somewhat strange and a lot perceive them as unnatural. A prime example would be the burial rituals of the Native Ameri roll in the hay people.Leslie Marmon Silkos narrative entitled The Man to Send Rain Clouds describes a funeral service carried out by a Native American Pueblo family. though many perceive the funeral service narrated in this story to be deficient in emotion and also lacking respect for the passing of their love one, it portrays a ceremony that is quite common for the Native American communities. in that respect is also a hint of conflict occur ring between the characters in the story that atomic number 18 carrying out their traditions while including an outside religious figure in the ceremony.The death of an old man sets the stage for this story and tells of the way his family goes virtually preparing him for his journey into the afterlife. A feather is tied into the old mans hair, his face was painted with blue, yellow, green and white paint, pinches of corn meal and pollen were tossed into the wreathe and finally his body was wrapped in a red drapery prior to being transported. According to Releasing the Spirit A Lesson in Native American Funeral Rituals by Gary F.Santillanes, Pueblo Indians c ar for their own dead with no funeral director involved. The family forget take the departed, usually in their truck, back to the place of the deceased and place him or her on the floor facing eastern to west, on a native blanket. Depending on the deceaseds altitude in the tribe, his face may be painted in the traditio nal nature. A powdery substance is placed on the face of all the dead usually made of corn, traditional prayers and maybe dances argon end (www. umn. du).The feather tied to his hair is a prayer feather and the picture of the face is to ensure that he leave behind be recognized in the undermentioned world by his ancestors who reserve crossed over forwards him. The colors ar representative of the earth, sky, sun and water. The sprinkling of corn meal and water are said to provide the dead with nourishment on their journey to the next world. The pollen is representative of the earths renewal from the rainclouds that will be sent back by the spirit of the deceased.Silko frequently refers to a red blanket that the old man is wrapped in for burial (149). The Native American people often leave a cord hanging from the blanket which wraps the body of the deceased and is thought to provide a way for the spirit to be released into the afterlife. All Native American cultures excite st rong beliefs in life after death, although the means of reaching the next life may vary from tribe to tribe.They traditionally conceptualise that death is a part of a natural cycle in which their pot likker are transported back and forth between this world and the spirit world so that they can bring renewal and new life when they return. approximately consider this transition to be an honor or privilege since it will ensure the survival of their people. In Native American culture, it is believed that neglect of tribal rituals can result in death and sickness, because the spirit returns without blessings, having been unable to accede the other world. According to Who Were The Anasazi?Published by The Bureau of Land Management, religious concepts and events were associated with seasonal tasks like farming (in spring and summer) and hunting (in fall and winter) which would be a plausible explanation for the belief that the old man could get away back rain clouds and also for heat henish beliefs in the spirits travel to life (http//www. blm. gov/co/st/en/fo/ahc). Many tribes perform ceremonies which can include elaborate and colorful tribal dances. Modern rituals sometimes earmark for outsiders to watch the ceremonies.During the burial process there are also practices that are more common to what many people consider to be normal. Bodies are dressed in nice clothing and some of their possessions are often placed next to them. The Native American people prepare nutrient to be given to the families of the dead, members of the community visit to pay their respect to the deceased and at times a religious service is included. When these religious function are conducted, they are held in churches on their native land where they have their native religious beliefs with their own gods (www. umn. du). Native American religious specialists operate wisdom from inherited traditions.Priests bring rain through ceremony and prayer. They are thought to have a special le vel of communication with the spirits (www. umn. edu). The Native American culture often frowns upon outside religious rituals much(prenominal) as last rites being included in the ceremonies. This is thought to be partly because of the controversy surrounding the invasion of Catholics upon their land and partly because they believe that it will impair the transition into the afterlife and condemn the soul of the deceased.Pallbearers are employed to transport the bodies to the grave site, but in several tribes, no one else is allowed to touch the body or the grave. The pallbearers must eventually go through a cleansing ritual following the burial. Regardless of our cultural heritage, treating our loved ones with respect, tradition and dignity is usually our primary concern. Though we may not understand the practices of other cultures, it does not mean that methods by which burials are conducted are any less spiritual or correct.We all track down to believe in our own gods and the f act that there will be something else waiting for us when we pass from the world in which we exist. We all sense the need to make sure that our loved ones are properly hustling for their journey by whatever means our traditions dictate. The only differences seem to be the methods in which we believe will help us make that transition. thither is no doubt that family cohesion and socioeconomic status play an in-chief(postnominal) role in the overall success of the transition but with the proper support system, even those in disadvantaged communities can make the trump of a bad situation.