1/15/15Archeologists Study of BurialI. Interpreting Deathwaysa. Connecting Modelsi. Focus on deathways, not psychological reactions to deathii. Based on study of many cultures (useful cross-culturally)1. Are general, abstract frameworks, not culture specific2. Good at explaining the “weird”b. Robert Hertz – French sociologistsi. Studied the dead leaving an influence on drawings/frameworks (8 points)1. Death a processa. Intermediary period – period when individual neither alive nor fully dead (middle) – in the jar for protection during transitional period (length it takes body to fully decay is 8 months – 2 years for Berawansb. Secondary burial – after initial mortuary treatment, corpse recovered and buriali. Indonesiaii. Madagascariii. Bundle Burial – body in ground the dug up by relatives for a ceremony – things gone on after they are buried before they are fully dead1. Bones in anatomical positioniv. Secondary deathways associated with individual becoming truly deadv. 2nd Burial ceremony1. All relatives attend2. Soul of dead return to village3. Soul given food, sacrifices, money4. Priests chant to transport soul to family home in “Prosperous Village”5. Person considered “fully dead” once they are in the “Prosperous Village”6. Relatives clean bones of deceased7. Bones safely contained in the spirit house – now “fully dead”2. The condition of the body is linked to the state of the spirita. “Fate of corpse model the fate of the soul”i. Why Berawans are so concerned with the state of decay of deceased – how they monitor the bodiesii. Ex. Until body reaches permanent state (dry bones), spirit of deceased can’t enter final world of the dead1. As corpse rots to dry bones, soul slowly transformed into final spirit form3. Spirit/ghost of dead is dangerous in this transitional, intermediary perioda. Transitional – spirit sad, lonely, jealous in its painful limbob. Berawan believe person can still see and hear from the jarc. Must be appeased and fed because it can’t sustain itself like spirits of the fully dead4. Death is a “tear” in the fabric of society a loss to the social collectivea. Roles lost to societyb. Relationships severed by deathi. Reduces survivors too (social, psych amputation to loved ones), transforms them to mourners, widowsc. Social, emotional, legal roles of dead need to be adjusted, re-allocated to the livingi. HOW??? By DEATHWAYSd. The socio-psych function of deathways in society (period of adjustment for dead and loved ones)i. Disaggregation – removal of deceased from society (physical/socialii. Re-establishing of social order1. Ex. “king is dead”, long live the king”iii. 2ndary deathways1. Ex. Reading of the will5. Scale of funerary ceremonies will reflect the size of the tear in fabric of society (extent of the loss to society)a. Why funerals of famous people are big deals = big tearsb. Explains why scale of funerals varyc. Deathways express social standings… different people for different statusesd. Unmarked cemeteries = “Potter’s Fields”6. Funerary ceremonies resemble birth, initiation, marriage and have many similaritiesa. Has a parallel structurei. Exclusion to integrationii. Double change in status1. Individual status and social membershipb. Marriagei. Individual1. Single - “Engagement” – Fiancé – wedding – Marriage (ritual exclusion with presentation of the ringii. Social1. Parent household - Engaged – Own Household2. Fathers property  Husband’s propertyc. Deathi. Living human – intermediary – tiwah (marks their inclusion sending soul in world of spirits) – spiritii. Living society – waiting room – world of the dead7. Reunion of Bonesa. Grave setting symbolize living social orderb. Live in families, don’t want to see strangers, want to be put together with familiesc. Society of dead parallel society of living where kinship strong  collective