Gravehouses

Moderators: Elvis, DrVolin, Jeff

Gravehouses

Postby chiggerbit » Sun Jun 08, 2008 1:07 pm

After I had noticed a little building on a grave in one of Seamus' flicker pics ....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27391394@N06/2554368038/

....I coincidentally came across a reference to gravehouses a couple of days later when I was doing some googling on the Melungeons, not only with reference to the Melungeons, but also some Celtic practice. This was interesting to me, because quite a few years ago, I'd seen something that would probably be called gravehouses on graves in an Ojibway (Ojibwa?) cemetery in central Minnesota. The Ojibway ones were about the size of a larger doghouse, and looked a bit like a wood cabin, yet not a log cabin. And then years after I had seen the Ojibway practice, I read a reference to what looked like the same practice in reference to the burial of Chief Black Hawk, prior to his body having been stolen, back in the ninteenth century.

Does anybody know anyting about these practices?
chiggerbit
 
Posts: 8594
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 12:23 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Postby chiggerbit » Sun Jun 08, 2008 1:20 pm

Here's a pic of an Ojibway spirit house, but it doesn't really look like the ones I saw near Mille Lacs Lake.

Image

Now that I think about it, it might have been in Walker, Minnesota or thereabouts.
Last edited by chiggerbit on Wed Dec 30, 2009 11:08 pm, edited 2 times in total.
chiggerbit
 
Posts: 8594
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 12:23 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Postby chiggerbit » Sun Jun 08, 2008 6:01 pm

The first description here is the one I was thinking of as a gravehouse, the second not so much so:

http://www.iowaoldpress.com/IA/Polk/1907/MAR.html


Black Hawk was not living at his wick-a-up in Lee county when he died, but higher up, near Iowayville. I had not seen him for several months before his death, but three months after he died I saw his body where it had been placed in a shack or grave at the upper end of the prairie near Iowayville, in Davis county. The body had been placed in the shack or pen which was about 18X15 feet in size. At his side was placed the cane which Henry Clay had given him. A number of his relics were also placed near him. Outside the pen was a post, about fifteen feet high, on which was painted in red paint the pictures of the animals Black Hawk had killed in his lifetime.

Three months after the burial I went to the pen and lifting up a board at the corner looked in, saw the chief, the cane and the things that were buried with him. A few months later somebody in Cincinnati stole the body, to exhibit it, I guess, and the Indians raised an awful fuss. The government took the matter in charge and finally brought a skeleton and put it in the pen where Black Hawk had been buried. The Indians were pacified, but I have always felt sure that the body reburied was not the body of Black Hawk at all.
--
Fulton, in "The Red Men of Iowa," gives more particulars of the burial of Black Hawk than does Mr. Read. Fulton's account is extremely interesting:
The body was placed on the surface of the ground in a sitting posture, with the face toward the southeast, and the body supported in that position by a wooden slab or puncheon. On his left side was placed a cane given him by Henry Clay, with his right hand resting upon it. He was dressed in a full military suit, which had been presented to him by President Jackson. Three silver medals hung upon his breast, all of which had been presented to him by distinguished persons during his visits to Washington. There were also placed in the grave two swords, an extra pair of moccasins, and some other articles of Indian costume, with a sufficient supply of provisions to last him three days on the journey to the spirit land. Around the body and the articles buried with it were two large blankets closely wrapped. Two wooden forks were then firmly driven in the ground, and a pole placed upon them extending over the body. The whole was then covered with sod to the depth of about one foot. At his feet, a flagstaff was placed, floating a beautiful silk American flag, which had been presented to him. The flag remained over his grave until the winds tore it to pieces and long after the body had disappeared. A post was planted by the grave, on which was inscribed, or painted, some figures commemorative of his deeds. Subsequently his relatives and friends enclosed the grave with a rude picket fence, and fondly hoped that the remains of the great was chief were at rest.
Last edited by chiggerbit on Wed Dec 30, 2009 11:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
chiggerbit
 
Posts: 8594
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 12:23 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Postby chiggerbit » Sun Jun 08, 2008 6:10 pm

http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Art ... es_fa.html

In My Father's House: North Louisiana Gravehouses as Art and Technology

By Marcy Frantom

Most people can't tell you what the little wood houses with picket fences built over graves are called, but recognize something familiar when they spot one in a photo of a Methodist or Baptist country cemetery. Strangely enough, they've become a part of what we consider things southern, but we still don't know exactly who made them or what they were supposed to represent. We don't know whether the memorials were a fad brought on by easy access to virgin lumber and the widespread use of the scroll saw, or whether they were deeply traditional to several folk groups settling in Louisiana. To make matters worse, scholars began to notice gravehouses only after most of the tradition was already gone--those who made them had moved away or died, rural communities quit taking care of their local cemeteries, and most of the gravehouses, many more than 100 years old, had fallen down or been destroyed.

We have learned some things about them, however. The typical north and central Louisiana gravehouse is found in Anglo Protestant country cemeteries, and consists of a roof supported by upright posts and cross-members bearing fence pickets. The shingle roof usually had fern growing on it and a cedar tree planted at the head. Local people say they protected graves from excessive settling, but their primary function was to protect graves from desecration by animals before cemeteries were fenced. However, at least two other traditions were also practiced in Louisiana. Solid wall gravehouses were built in South Louisiana in predominately Catholic cemeteries, and are reported to have been built to "keep rain off the face" of the deceased. Louisiana Native Americans also probably practiced a tradition in which the structures functioned as spirit houses. While many cultures worldwide have used house-shaped memorials, they probably have different uses and meanings even when the objects were similar.

Luckily, there are a good number of north and central Louisiana gravehouses still in existence to compare and see what sort of variation occurs. One thing that happens from about 1870 to 1900 is that they change from low, small, enclosed wooden houses made mostly of hand-split wood to larger open structures decorated with ready-made bricabrac. After 1900, people quit using the surrounding pickets and the structures became sheds with shells, bulbs, and ceramics decorating the interior. The pickets were probably no longer necessary because most of the cemeteries were fenced by then, and the Stock Law limited the grazing of livestock. More people recall them being called "shed" than anything else.

While the shapes of gravehouses have changed over time, the people who are honored by them have not. They are usually special people--small children, mothers who died young, and soldiers. Locals seem to think that the troubles in upkeep for gravehouses are justified when the person died tragically or in a special situation. Some gravehouses cover family plots, but in most cases at least one small child is included among the burials. Local stories commemorate these special people and are told at cemetery homecomings when the graves are maintained. These stories are dramatic and provide a sense of history for the community. For example, a young boy dies in a fire (some versions blame his mother's carelessness) and is buried in the woods protected by a gravehouse. Fires that sweep through the woods leave the gravehouse untouched. Another story tells of two little boys who serve as flag bearers for their father's confederate unit and are killed in battle. In some cases, the story may be recalled even after the gravehouse no longer exists.

Another part of the gravehouse tradition that holds true is their function as a technological device to protect graves from molestation by animals. Before World War II, country people took care of the burials of their relatives and friends. They understandably had a horror of the graves being disturbed, and relied on folk practices to guide them in these matters. They brought many useful ideas for protective devices with them from Europe--above ground brick or rock vaults, rock cairns, slabs over the grave called "wolf stones," low stone roofs known as "hog-back tombs," wrought iron "safes" placed over graves to protect from robbers, board fences on the center of the grave, vine "wattling" baskets over the body, and brick or stone fencing. In North Louisiana, protective devices such as cairns were preferred as more permanent; however, wooden gravehouses were used where rock was not available. For families increasingly on the move after the Civil War, they were "perpetual care" memorials.

In addition, the artistic opportunity of gravehouses was not lost on the master carpenters who built them. They may have been expressions of "heavenly homes" which appeared in popular hymns or the Bible verse John 14:2 (noted in one gravehouse at Sikes): "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." The materials are usually the same as those used on a house of the period. Some are well finished with beaded board ceilings; pineapple, diamond, or willow topped pickets; scrollwork around the eaves; and a clock on the gable. The interior could be decorated like a garden with bulbs, honeysuckle vines, or ceramic objects. While the basic shape was ordained by popular consensus, the selection of details was left up to the craftsman. Gravehouses were built to be functional but also could be beautiful. And they could also be continually redecorated as future generations added a coat of white paint or replaced a shingle roof with bright green roofing material.

Lately people have become interested in maintaining or rebuilding the gravehouses that survive as a way to commemorate the pioneer settlers who built north and central Louisiana. The structures give us insight into the way in which our ancestors approached their necessities with technological innovation and graceful artistry.
Last edited by chiggerbit on Wed Dec 30, 2009 11:15 pm, edited 2 times in total.
chiggerbit
 
Posts: 8594
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 12:23 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Postby chiggerbit » Sun Jun 08, 2008 6:16 pm

See link for photos:

http://kentuckybackroads.spaces.live.co ... !119.entry

Gravehouses
These are some interesting things that I have found while going down the backroads of Kentucky. They are either wood or stone "gravehouses" built on top of graves. They do not contain bodies like a mausoleum, but act as a shelter for the grave. 1. Sandstone gravehouse with tin roof 2. Cut stone gravehouse (largest of four on the site) Appox 7' long x 5' high...each stone weighs approx 150 lbs. 3. Large wooden structure contains 4 childrens graves..Exterior 4. '' " "
chiggerbit
 
Posts: 8594
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 12:23 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Postby chiggerbit » Sun Jun 08, 2008 6:19 pm

A number of photos of gravehouses here:

http://www.thegravewalkers.com/gravehouses.htm
chiggerbit
 
Posts: 8594
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 12:23 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Postby chiggerbit » Sun Jun 08, 2008 6:31 pm

Here's a Siberian custon. This reminds me of the Blackhawk burial:
At the tombs one could see the deceased's personal belongings: reindeer sledges, boats, oars, skis, sledges, and so on.




http://www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol7/khants.htm
ON THE FUNERAL CUSTOMS OF THE NORTHERN KHANTS
IN THE LAST QUARTER OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Edgar Saar

The Khants live in West Siberia, on the banks of the Ob River and its tributaries. The Khants' burial customs have been studied by K.F. Karjalainen, V. Chernetsov, Z. Sokolova and V. Kulemzin. This paper is mainly based on the material collected by the author during fieldwork between the years 1974 and 1989 and in 1996. The paper gives a survey of the funerals in the Oktyabrskoye, Beloyarsk and Beryozovo regions of the Khanty-Mansi autonomous district (okrug) and the Shuryshkary and Priuralsk regions of the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district.

In the Oktyabrskoye, Beloyarsk, Beryozovo and most part of the Shuryshkary regions the Khants bury their dead in a grave dug in the ground. Nowadays the coffin is made of boards, in earlier times it was made of a boat, the ends of which were sawn off. The Khants bury their dead on the third day after death. In former times it was sometimes done on the day the person passed away.

In the summer of 1988 I witnessed a funeral in the graveyard of the Azovy village in the southern part of the Shuryshkary region. The coffin was taken to the graveyard on a sledge drawn by a horse (* Photo 1). The coffin was fastened to the sledge with ropes. An axe was placed under the head of the coffin to keep away the evil spirits. The sledge was drawn to the graveyard by a horse. The graveyard was situated at a distance of about a kilometre from the funeral building, in the forest near the village. The forest consisted mainly of pines with some spruces and birches among them.

In the graveyard the coffin was taken off the sledge and put on a stand made of boards. The horse with the sledge was taken back to the village. The lid was taken off the coffin and placed next to it. Then the men started to dig the grave. The mourners had brought some food - white bread, salted fish, candies, cookies, and a jar of cloudberries. They had also brought glasses, bowls, and a kettle. A fire was made and the kettle was put on it. A small table, which was placed next to the coffin, was taken from a nearbay tomb. hich was placed next to the coffin. After some time a horse drawing a sledge with a small dining table on it reached the graveyard. This table was also placed next to the coffin and the food and tableware brought from home were put on it. After the about 80cm-deep grave had been dug, the mourners went to the tables to have something to eat. Another sledge drawn by a horse arrived from the village, carrying boards. After the men had had a bite, they started to build a gravehouse from the boards (* Photo 2), which resembles a small house and has a two-gabled roof. The women put some clothes (a jacket, a pair of trousers, some shirts) into the coffin and covered them with a width of cloth. Before putting the clothes into the coffin, they were brushed over five times with a birch twig to purify them from evil. When the gravehouse had been completed, the mourners again came to the tables to have something to eat. They also drank diluted spirits from a glass which was passed round.

After that the coffin was covered with the lid. A pole was placed on the lid lengthwise and on it two smaller ones were laid crosswise. They were fastened to the coffin with ropes which were tied around the coffin. All the mourners went to the coffin one by one to raise it. While doing it, they grabbed the end of the lengthwise pole and raised the head of the coffin a little. Both men and women did this three times cach and also gave the lid of the coffin three parting kisses.This was first done by the deceased's sisters and brother and then all the others followed suit. I also did this. Later on I asked them about the reason for this tradition. The Khants explained that it was to bid farewell to the deceased.

After that four men lifted the coffin and carried it to the graveside. The edges of the grave were brushed over five times with a birch twig to purify the grave from evil. The bottom of the grave was covered with a rug and an axe was put at the head. The ropes tied around the coffin and the poles placed on the lid were removed and the coffin was lowered into the grave. Bundles of clothes were tucked behind the coffin in the grave. The coffin was covered with a cloth and on it were placed a jacket and two fur coats. These were in turn again covered by a cloth.A dented bowl was also put into the grave. Over the grave they placed five bow-shaped birch branches which had been purified from evil with a birch twig. On the bow-shaped birch branches two strips of tar-paper were placed over the grave. On the tomb a small gravehouse was placed, and the roof boards were fastened with nails. In the front side of the gravehouse there was the so-called soul's opening. Earth was shovelled to the sides and back of the gravehouse. In front of the gravehouse a table was set with a bottle of diluted spirits, a glass and a bowl with cookies on it; pieces of bread were thrown in through the soul's opening to treat the deceased. After some time the bottle with diluted spirits, the glass and the bowl with cookies were taken away from the table in front of the gravehouse and put on the dining table. The mourners ate and drank at the table. After that the mourners went to bid farewell to the deceased. They knocked at the gravehouse three times and also gave it a parting kiss. At last the soul's opening was covered with a shutter. The dining table which the mourners had taken from a nearby tomb after their arrival at the graveyard, was put back. The other one, which had been brought from the village, was placed on the brand-new gravehouse with its legs up. The kettle was also left at the gravehouse. Then the mourners left the graveyard.

There were over 60 graves in the Azovy graveyard (* Photo 3). The gravehouses were made of boards. Some of them had birch bark under the roof boards, others had tar-paper. Some, however, had neither. All the gravehouses had soul's opening on the front side. Some of the older gravehouses were decayed. On the gravehouses or near them small dining tables, kettles, buckets, mugs, bowls, and other objects had been placed. These objects are used at funerals and later on at remembrance feasts. The graveyard abounded in empty bottles of strong alcoholic drinks. At the tombs one could see the deceased's personal belongings: reindeer sledges, boats, oars, skis, sledges, and so on. Not far from the graveyard, in the forest under the trees the deceased's clothes and footwear had been laid.

The Azovy graveyard is similar to the ones situated near the Khants' villages in the Oktyabrskoye, Beryozovo and Beloyarsk regions and in most part of the Shuryshkary region. The Khants from the northern part of the Shuryshkary region and the Priuralsk region bury their dead in small gravehouse on the ground (* Photo 4). The sides of the house become wider at the top. Each gravehouse has a soul's opening in the front side . The roofs of the gravehouse are covered with turf, grass and moss. On some roofs small birches grow, put there together with the turf.

Reindeer are slaugtered during the funeral.The meat is eaten, but the antlers are placed on the gravehouse. On and at the gravehouse one can see reindeer sledges, skis, kettles, buckets, dining tables, ladles, mugs, bottles, and jars.

After the funeral the Khants come to the graveyard to remember the deceased. If the deceased is a female, it is done after four days, if it is a male, it is done five days after the funeral. The next ceremony takes place in 40 or 50 days, respectively. When the Khants come to the graveyard to remember the deceased, they all knock on the gravehouse three times to greet the deceased. The shutter is removed from the soul's opening. A fire is made in the graveyard, and tea is made and meat and fish are cooked. The food is put on a small table. First of all a glass of vodka or wine and some food is put in front of the gravehouse to treat the deceased. Later on they are taken away and put on the dining table among the other drinks and food. All the Khants who have come to remember the deceased, drink and eat at the table. Before leaving, the soul's opening is again covered with the shutter and everyone knocks three times on the gravehouse to say good-bye.

I have repeatedly mentioned that there is a soul's opening in the front side of the gravehouse. The Khants believe that a human being has several souls. According to V. Chernetsov, the Khants maintain that a woman has four souls and a man has five. What exactly do they think they are? The first one is a shadow-soul, is-hor, which is described as a visible shadow. After death this soul goes to the grave together with the body. The second soul, urt, is described as man- or bird-shaped. After death it goes to the realm of the dead. The third one is wood grouse-shaped. It is inside a human being only when he is asleep, that is why it is called the sleep soul - ulem-is. This is the one that dies together with the human being. The fourth one, lil, is a breath soul. It is a renascent, reincarnating soul, which, after the person's death, goes into a doll image specially made for it - ittyrma - (* Photo 5), and later on into a newborn baby of the same kin. The doll image for a dead person's soul is still made today. If the deceased is a female, the doll is dressed in women's clothes, and if it is a male, in men's clothes. I saw one of the male dolls at Synya Khants in 1979. It was kept in a box in the holy corner. And now what is the fifth soul of a Khant man? Some Khants believe that it is the energy of a man but others think that a man has two reincarnating souls.

In the case of an unnatural death (e.g. freezing, drowning, suicide) the Khants on the banks of the Synya River build a small house and put it on top of a pole. (* Photo 6) Then they make still another soul dummy called a ura, which they put into the house. In 1979, near the Khants' village Ovgort, I saw 23 houses built of boards and put on top of poles cut out of growing trees. The upper part of the tree had been cut off, the lower part together with the roots served as a pole.

If we compare the funerals of the Northern Khants with those in neighbouring regions, we can say that the funerals by the Khants who bury their dead in the ground in a coffin are most similar to those of the Northern Mansi and the Eastern Khants. The funeral customs of the northernmost Khants who bury their dead in gravehouse on the ground are similar to those of the Nenets who inhabit the lower course of the Ob River. The Nenets also bury their dead in gravehouses on the ground and place skis and reindeer sledges by them. The difference between them is that the Khants put the deceased into the gravehouse in a coffin whereas the Nenets wrap them in reindeer hides and put them in the gravehouse without a coffin.

In conclusion, it can be said that if we compare the Khants' funerals of today with those at the beginning of the 20th century, we can say that more and more people tend not to believe in the afterlife. In comparison with earlier times, fewer objects are put into the grave and not all ceremonies are performed. Formerly the grave was covered with birch bark, whereas nowadays tar-paper is also used; formerly gravehouses were built from tree trunks, nowadays they are usually made of boards.Funeral customs have become simpler; however, one may say that the Northern Khants' funerals are still quite traditional.

Translated by Tiina Mällo
Last edited by chiggerbit on Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:11 pm, edited 2 times in total.
chiggerbit
 
Posts: 8594
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 12:23 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Postby Jeff » Sun Jun 08, 2008 7:09 pm

I was totally unfamiliar with this custom - thanks so much for this!
User avatar
Jeff
Site Admin
 
Posts: 11134
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2000 8:01 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Postby chiggerbit » Sun Jun 08, 2008 7:11 pm

Ojibwa customs remind me a bit of the Siberian customs.

http://www.everyculture.com/North-Ameri ... lture.html

"......Death and Afterlife. Upon death the corpse was washed, groomed, dressed in fine clothing, and wrapped in birchbark before burial in a shallow grave. Following death, the soul of the deceased was believed to journey westward for four days to an afterlife in the sky. Among the Southwestern Chippewa the deceased was also painted prior to burial and lay in state in a wigwam. The funeral ceremony was attended by friends and relatives and was conducted by a Mide priest, who talked to the deceased and offered tobacco to the spirits. After the ceremony was concluded the body was removed through a hole in the west side of the wigwam to the grave site, where it was buried along with personal possessions. The door of the wigwam was not used when removing the deceased for fear that the departed soul would return through the door. In later times a long, low, gabled plank house was constructed over the grave. The Plains Ojibwa also employed the gabled grave house and left offerings of food and water at the grave house for four days after burial for the soul's subsistence on its journey to the afterlife."
Last edited by chiggerbit on Sun Jun 08, 2008 7:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
chiggerbit
 
Posts: 8594
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 12:23 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Postby chiggerbit » Sun Jun 08, 2008 7:16 pm

chiggerbit
 
Posts: 8594
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 12:23 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Postby chiggerbit » Mon Jun 09, 2008 12:40 pm

I was so busy talking to myself here yesterday that I missed your comment, Jeff. :lol:
chiggerbit
 
Posts: 8594
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 12:23 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Postby chiggerbit » Mon Jun 09, 2008 12:54 pm

If you google "spirit houses", you get mostly info on Thai spirit houses which, apparently, have noting to do with graves. However, Wiki says this:

A spirit house or san phra phum in Thai (Thai ศาลพระภูมิ) is a shrine to animist spirits found in the Southeast Asian countries of Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. Most houses and businesses have a spirit house placed in an auspicious spot, most often in a corner of the property. The location is often chosen after consultation with a Brahmin priest. The spirit house is normally in the form of a miniature temple and is mounted on a pillar or on a dais.

The house is intended to provide a shelter for spirits which could cause problems for the people if not appeased. Offerings are left at the house to propitiate the spirits.


[edit] Another form of Spirit House
Spirit Houses also refer to the above ground structures used by some of the Carrier people of Northern British Columbia (for example, Nazko) for burial rites and rituals. The Spirit Houses contain artifacts family and clan members have deposited for their loved ones life on the other side and they are used to be unknown and have bad spirits in them.
chiggerbit
 
Posts: 8594
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 12:23 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Postby chiggerbit » Mon Jun 09, 2008 12:58 pm

Here's a video of a spirit house cemetery in Bever Cemetery and Barnoski Cemetery in Oklahoma:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dcqHUEy8xU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_uTGpwi ... re=related
chiggerbit
 
Posts: 8594
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 12:23 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Postby chiggerbit » Mon Jun 09, 2008 1:06 pm

It looks like it's also a custom in Alaska:

http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1059659273

EKLUTNA, Alaska- A trip to see the spirit houses of the local Athabascan Indians is well worth the short 20-mile drive from Anchorage.

And in an example of cross-cultural pollination, seeing the above-ground funeral structures also involves a trip to see Santa Claus!

Several dozen of the spirit houses, built over graves to hold essentials for the afterlife, are on view at the Eklutna Historical Village, a low-key centuries-old mix of the Den'aina Athabascan and Russian Orthodox cultures.

More are said to be out in the woods beyond the official site, which is still a functioning burial place despite the fact that not many of the Indian families now use the Orthodox Church on the premises.

One of the key structures on the village tours, which are given by Russian Orthodox clergy, is the Old St. Nicholas Church, built about 1870 in the nearby town of Knik and moved to Eklutna about 1900 or so.

And yes, St. Nicholas, as can be seen from the Russian icon displayed in the church, is the same saint who became a prototype for the modern-day Santa Claus.

The tiny church, unused since a new church was built adjacent to the old one in 1962, is getting ramshackle. A prayer chapel built nearby in 1979, so tiny it can only hold one or two people, is even more dilapidated.

The Russian Orthodox structures exist rather incongruously with the spirit houses, which the Natives kept constructing even after their conversion to Russian Orthodoxy during the time of Russian control of Alaska (The United States bought Alaska from Russia just after the Civil War).

There are several dozen of them outside the church structures, each only a couple of feet high, painted in family colors and often decorated with fences, blankets and family-specific markings. Indian Country Today is honoring the Village's prohibition of commercial reproduction of photos of the spirit houses, although individuals are free to take pictures.

Before conversion to Orthodoxy, the Athabascans generally cremated tribal members and placed the spirit houses over them, according to the tour guide. Now they generally bury the bodies, although they continue to build spirit houses, and held a burial in the yard as recently as last November.

Some of the spirit houses have family names identified, although some do not.

The new church has about 35 congregants, although most of them now are non-Natives from the nearby town of Wasilla.

The simple tour costs a reasonable $5, and visitors are well-advised to bring mosquito repellant. They should also remember to respect gravesites and walk only on the trail through the spirit houses.
chiggerbit
 
Posts: 8594
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 12:23 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Postby chiggerbit » Mon Jun 09, 2008 1:16 pm

Pics here for the above--very colorful:

http://www.danielmitsui.com/hieronymus/ ... it-houses/
Last edited by chiggerbit on Mon May 25, 2009 11:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.
chiggerbit
 
Posts: 8594
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 12:23 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Next

Return to Culture Studies

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests