3.20Commemoration of the Dead- Remembering the deado Roadside shrineso Candlelight vigilso Ghost bikes – painted in white to remember people who died accidentally as a result of car accidentso Tattoos- Commemorations – the act of honoring the memory of a person or evento Strong attachments to social memoryo Performed – ceremonies, paradeso Ritualizedo Appealing to emotionso Collectiveo Memory is kept alive- Commemoration of the deado Simply a special way of remembering the dead? Or is it more than that?o “The Glorious Dead” – commemorates those that died during WWIo Not just a remembrance; more about remembering principleso Principles of remembering (dead is a shorthand): Social, cultural, political aspects- I.e. kinship ties, gender, religion, social values, status; display ofpower, identity, and group membershipo What dead are commemorated?o Who are just remembered? We remember car accidents, but not in every case do we commemorate themRemembering the Dead in Turkey (some common practices)- Visits to cemeteries- Cleaning and decorating tombstones (considered a sign of respect)- Memorial structures- Reuse of names (the name of the dead person can be given to a newborn child, which indicates remembrance and respect)- Photographs- Periodical family gatherings (the family comes together to remember the dead)Commemoration of “Ataturk” in Turkey- Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (known by his last name)- 1881-1938- Founder of the Republic of Turkey- Ata (ancestor) + Turk = ancestor of Turkey- National ceremonies, flowers on the monument; Ataturk’s memorial and picture are usually accompanied by the Turkish flag; Obama also visited the memorial when he came to Turkey- November 10th – Ataturk’s Death Anniversary (moment of death is 9:05, where a moment of silence is observed at this time)- These ceremonies are associated with national identity and national liberation, so remembering Ataturk’s death is also celebrating these idealsCumartesianneleri – Saturday Mothers- Military coup in 1980- Children gone missing under police custody (likely they were killed)- These mothers get together on the same location on Saturday to remember the dead- Contested past (this is something the state does not want to recall, unlike the ceremony of Ataturk)o More about giving the dead justice- Similar case: Argentina (mothers gather at “Plaza de Mayo”)Ancestor Worship/Veneration- Common in societies organized by kinship (kin groups larger than families; clans or lineages)- Veneration of apical ancestorso Apical ancestors – from them, inherit group affiliation and membership (through the male side); i.e., a father is more important to a son than an uncleis to a nephewo Links individual to the founding (apex) ancestor of a groupo Kids are not ancestors- Characteristicso Notion of “family” includes dead and livingo Ancestors play an active role in societyo Ancestors desire/require activities provided by the livingo Living desire/require activities provided by the ancestors Ancestral spirits have power Intermediaries with the gods Ancestors source of care and good fortune Ancestors can also punish you (for example, you can be punished for not having children) Ritual communication links the living and dead May be concepts of reincarnation- Deathways includeo Protracted burial rites (example Secondary Burial)o Tangible reminders (parts) of the ancestorso Worship linked to geographical place; burial creates relationship between people and space The dead as “place markers”Residential Burial at Chalcatzingo, Mexico (Gillespie 2010)- Amatzinac River Valley- Major political center:o Middle formative period (900-500 BC)- Modification to the built environment:o Terracing of the natural hillside slopes and creation of level fieldso One residential structure on each terraceo Dispersed settlement patterno Long life spanso Intentionally burned at certain intervals, then rebuilt (the same areas were reused several times)- Burial patterns:o Under house floors – “inside” burials The typical treatment Privateo Open spaces – “outside” burials Located in patios (terrace 25), especially the central plaza area- Burials as Referential Chainso Forget about whether the burials are inside or outside, and rather examine the burials as referential chainso Says we should look at: The importance of patterns (meaningful choices made in place of other alternatives) Citations of prior actions (look for links between previous actions and how they lead to the current burials) Repeated practices Flow of timeo By looking at these aspects, it is possible to see chains of mortuary practices: Vertical perspective:- Linear relationship between an individual and persons now deceased- Continued burial of individuals in the same space (living to the ancestor for the kin group)- Paired burialso Two internments at different timeso On top of one another, or side by sideo Separated by several centimeters of eartho Complementary grave goodso Linkages between the ancient dead, the recently dead, and the living Horizontal Perspective- Substantive linkages between an individual and other living persons- How individuals and groups form connections to other individuals and groups- Ex. Terrace 25 o Open space, high visibilityo Access to larger audienceo Dead is from Terrace 25 residential groupo Few paired burials Conclusions- Two different deathways? No- One death way but two different treatments- Dead are used to make referential chains- Vertical referential chains (more about chain between ancestors)o Ancestor <--> ancestor <--> living o Tombs betweeno Commemoration- Horizontal referential chains (more about the chain betweenthe living family)o Living family <--> living family <--> living family <-->o Funerals betweeno Community making- Discussion question: founding fathers – ancestors?Anthropology: understanding similarities and differences among cultures- Globallyo “Dead as shorthand or symbols” Particular dead embody political or cultural principles, such as patriotism or sacrifice, etc. In kinship societies, these are likely to be ancestors (ancestor veneration) Lots of cultural variability, but shared underlying idea- Common deathways among cultureso Beautification of the dead Ex. Hi li and power in Sumerian culture Ex. Tlatilco: losing the