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Tori Willis
Dr. Adrienne Cassel
ENG 1201 219
3, December 2015
Cultural Views Surrounding Death
Its no secret that we experience life differently than those in other
parts of the world. When we leave our community and immerse ourselves in
the unknown, it is possible for everything to be different; the clothes we
wear, the food we eat, the way we speak, and the way we manage our time
are a handful of differences we may experience when we step into a new
world. When given the pleasure to meet someone outside of our own
culture, we have so many questions about how they live their lives on a daily
basis. However, living is not the only part of life. Often, we do not consider
death. The World Health Organization estimated 56 million people died
worldwide in 2012 alone. On average, that is 153, 425 deaths each day or
1,073,975 deaths each week. With so many cultures found in the world, it
can be hard to imagine the abundance of death rituals currently being
practiced across the board.
Upon hearing about death rituals and why cultures practice them, the
first thing that may come to mind is religion. Religion, a huge influence in
life, usually determines where one will precede after death. However, religion
does not always determine the rite of passage in death for any given culture.

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Even so, it does not make the rituals or beliefs surrounding a cultural view on
death less interesting. How do cultures develop their beliefs surrounding
death that compel them to treat their dead (and dying) in a certain manner?
A problem with not understanding the lives and deaths of cultures
separate from ones own, can result in a lack of sympathy and empathy for
other people of the world. When openly trying to understand the reasoning
for traditions of different backgrounds, one can change or further develop
their own perspective, while helping further the understanding of their own
culture. The world could be a more compassionate place if minds were
exposed to the knowledge of funerary rites and death rituals across the
globe because this knowledge has the capability of opening up why people
live their lives in a certain fashion, while also showcasing what qualities of
life a culture values. People should understand death rituals and funeral rites
from various cultures and viewpoints from around the world to better
develop their own perspectives about life and death.
In our own culture (western culture), our death rituals are fairly simple.
When one passes away, a burial ceremony is held or the body undergoes
cremation (reduced to ashes by burning). If the expired person (or their
family) sought for a burial, there is typically a viewing of the body where
those who were close to the individual go to pay tribute to their loved one.
This gives the individuals loved ones an opportunity to say goodbye on a
personal level before the burial. After the viewing, those who were close to
the individual travel to the burial site. Then, pallbearers (participants who

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carry the casket at a funeral) transfer the casket from the vehicle that
transported it to the burial site of the bodys final resting place. Then, those
who were close to the individual may listen to a priest deliver a speech or
sermon about the person regarding their life and death. Finally, the casket is
lowered into the ground and buried.
In America, choosing between cremation and burial ceremonies has
not always been an easy choice. In Purified by Fire: A History of Cremation in
America, Stephen Prothero speaks about the introduction of cremation in
modern America in 1876, in the middle of what he describes as the age of
debate. According to Prothero, much of the public was against cremation
because they believed it interfered with Gods ability to resurrect the dead
(18). However, a sanitarian, Persifor Frazer, Jr., and Reverend Octavius B.
Frothingham, argued for cremation over burial, explaining that cremation
promised not only a more hygienic, but also a more spiritual America,
claiming that the burning of a body did not interfere with Gods ability to
resurrect the dead. The two argued that burning the dead would stop
diseases like Cholera, caused by miasma, from spreading (17). This disease
occurs when you inhale dangerous gaseous emissions from decaying organic
matter. It is on record that the first cremation in modern America was
performed on the deceased body of Baron Joseph Henry Louis Charles De
Palm in Washington, Pennsylvania on December 6, 1876 (1).
A cultures view on death derives from emotions towards the loss of a
loved one. In Death, Ritual, and Belief, author Douglas J. Davies attempts to

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answer the question why do we have funerary rites? Davies explains

individuals can think of their own absence from society by pondering the
death and removal of others (5). He goes into detail suggesting that
humans adapt their responses to death due to their own self-consciousness
and that they develop their identities in relations to other persons, to the
world around them and to supernatural realms (4). Davies believes the
rituals held for the dead are a way humans have adapted to the occurrence
of death; the rituals help the living cope with the passing of a loved one.
Although this may be easily understood, many cultures pull their emotions
towards loss from a different place. For an example, in Rituals in Death and
Dying: Modern Medical Technologies Enter the Fray, Michael Gordon
describes the reasoning for death rituals as a ceremony to honor the courage
of loved ones who have passed. While the sadness of their passing may be
the same, Gordon believes bereavement ceremonies are conducted to
remember the bravery a loved one showed when facing death. It is the
courage to keep fighting that is celebrated, as opposed to a human adaptive
response to death.
In Death Rituals and Identity in Contemporary Guam, De Frutos and De
La Rosa quote Christopher C. Fennel with the idea that Tombs and funeral
practices serve within a culture to express fundamental elements of a
groups cosmology and sense of identity in the world (462). Sound familiar?
This thought aligns with Davies explanation above, using death as a means
for humans to have a sense of identity, or a way to acknowledge their place

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in the world. De Frutos and De La Rosas views also mirror Davies, not just
on the sense of death and identity, but also when it comes to arguing that
death rituals are not natural. Davies quotes Philippe Aries who stated the
ritualization of death is a special aspect of the total strategy of man against
nature and that funerary rites are a defense of society against untamed
nature (4). De Frutos and De La Rosa quote Maurice Bloch who had a similar
statement, that death is a challenge to the social order (462).
De Frutos and De La Rosa go on to quote Rene Girard, author of Things
Hidden Since the Foundation of the World, who wrote Every death gives rise
to a unifying phase of mourning, and every death, in society, becomes a
major resource of life (4), starting the conversation that life does not end
with death, but begins rebirth. De Frutos and De La Rosa claim that in
cultures where reincarnation is a common practiced belief, funerary services
are held to recognize the unbroken cycle of life has momentarily stopped;
expressing that a stage of life has ended.
While many bereavement ceremonies are arguably held to celebrate
the life, courage, or loss of a loved one, there have been occasions where a
ceremony wasnt held at all. This is the case of Sylvester, the gunslinger
mummy, who can be found at Ye Olde Curiosity Shop in Seattle, Washington.
Sylvester, a mummified cowboy from the 19th century, died after a gun fight
in the Wild West, or so the legend says. In the legend, it is told that Sylvester
died in the desert after a gun fight over a game of cards; the heat
mummifying him. Many believed this to be true, as the mummy had bullet

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fragments embedded into his face, accompanying a small hole found in his
abdomen. Sylvesters corpse underwent several tests to find out if the
legend rang true. However, the Smithsonian debunked the theory of the
desert heat mummifying Sylvester, as he tested positive for massive
amounts of arsenic (a chemical previously used for embalmment). While it is
now known how Sylvester was mummified, it was unclear as to why he was
mummified, until recently. While the bullet fragments show that Sylvester did
live a hard life, further testing revealed he died of tuberculosis. It is
suspected that Sylvesters corpse was purchased by a conman, preserved to
be used as a sideshow attraction, and given a false bullet hole to give
Sylvester an intriguing backstory; The Gunslinger Mummy.
Many believe the death rituals of certain cultures to be barbaric. In
western culture, westerners are prescribed to having peaceful burial
ceremonies that include beautiful displays of flowers and light music with
attendees dressed for a formal affair. While this may be the western cultural
norm, in Bolivia, their mourning practices are much different. While a
ceremony is held for the deceased, the bodies of the dead are dug up a year
after burial to have their skulls removed. The families keep the skulls inside
their homes to feel close to their loved ones who have passed on, with the
belief that the skull will bring them luck. On November 8th, Bolivia celebrates
The Day of the Skull. The festivities include dressing up the skulls with
flowers, hats, and sunglasses, as well as sharing a smoke with the skulls. In

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our own part of the world, many would gasp at the idea. While the practice is
considered taboo here, it is a normal part of life for the living in Bolivia.
Death is often an uneasy topic to talk about. However, when speaking
about funerary rites in other cultures, one may see this as an opportunity to
further develop their ideology and beliefs. While cremation served as a way
to stop the spread of diseases from the dead, was it feasible for the
American people in the late 1800s to believe it would prevent their own
resurrection? Have funerary rites been developed as a means to identify
humans and their placement in the world, or to honor the courageous
everyday battles of the dying? Is the practice of funerary rites human nature,
or is it just culture? Can any part of the dead bring us luck? While any person
may be welcome to ponder these questions, let these questions serve as
encouragement when taking the opportunity to learn about fellow man.
Ultimately, use the results in an attempt to better understand oneself. When
comparing and contrasting the practices of other cultures, one might be
surprised of the underlying values that are shared.

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Works Cited
Davies, Douglas. Death, Ritual, and Belief: The Rhetoric of Funerary rites.
New York. Continuum, 2002.
De Frutos, David Atienza, and Alexandre Coelleo de la rosa. Death Rituals
and Identity in Contemporary Guam (Mariana Islands). Journal of
Pacific History 47.4 (2012): 459-473. Historical Abstracts. Web. 12 Nov
2015.
Gordon, Michael. Rituals in Death and Dying: Modern Medical technologies
Enter the Fray. Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal 6.1 (2015): 1-7.
Academic Search Complete. Web 5 Nov. 2015.
Journal- News. Celebrating Death in Bolivia. Cox Media group, 8 Nov. 2014.
Web.
Prothero, Stephen. Purified by Fire: A History of Cremation in America.
Berkley: University of California Press, 2001.
The Gunslinger Mummy. Smithsonian. 2015. Television.
World Health Organization. The top 10 causes of death. WHO 2015. 2 Dec.
2015. Web.