The Berawan are a group of people that have been long-time practicers of endemic warfare and headhunting.
A Berawan village consists of a longhouse, in which the entire community lives, as well as various other buildings.
A typical Berawan mortuary rite consists of four stages.
1. After a person dies, their body will be left out in a sort of ritual preparation that can last anywhere from 2 to 10 days.
2. After the body has been ritually prepared, the family will wrap it up in rattan mats and hang it from the ceiling of the communal longhouse. (The bodies are kept in an obscure corner of the house, somewhere in the vicinity of the sleeping area given to the anthropologists...)
3. This stage is part of what is referred to as "Secondary Burial". After a period of time (usually 8 months, at the very least) the body of the deceased is taken down from the ceiling and the bones are cleaned of any remaining flesh. (This is one of the most important parts of the mortuary rite.) Then a feast is prepared, using special ingredients, so the deceased can become one with the living. Literally. (Endocannibalism is actually quite common around the world...)
4. The bones of the deceased are placed into a ceramic jar and placed at their final resting place, which is usually some hollow on a cliffside, or something of that nature...
The Deeper Meaning...
The Berawan believe that the fate of the body provides a model for the fate of the soul. As the body decomposes, the soul undergoes a metamorphosis. When the decomposition is complete, the soul will be free to enjoy the afterlife.
The Berawan also believe that during decomposition, a malignant spirit may reanimate the body to create a horrible monster. Thus, they leave the bodies to decompose where they can be carefully watched.
Apparently, a Western Anthropologist tried to explain to the Berawan about how we treat the dead in our society. The Berawan freaked out, because they believed we were trapping spirits in their bodies by having them embalmed. They also thought that America was carpeted (filled with cemeteries) with armies of potential zombies...
So...What did you learn in school today?
heart heart heart heart
Distorted Gaze Community Member 
|
|
