Death Ritual Rite of Passage of The Ancient Egyptians and Native Americans
A rite of passage is a ceremonial event that is exhibited by virtually all societies that mark a person's transition from one religious or social status to another. Generally, anthropologists can determine people's beliefs, values, and hierarchy of particular cultures through a rite of passage. Usually, a rite of passage by any community is based on the following categories. Religion comprising baptism and confirmation, milestones for example birth, puberty, marriage and death, scarification through piercings, tattooing and body modification, and coming of ages characterized by changes of events in one's life. Hence, in most communities, the event is considered of much importance.
In many societal set-ups, the rituals are given much consideration since it marks an individual’s transition from one status to another. For instance, at birth, coming of age, or during the funeral, youths are believed to undergo a series of changes of status in which they are considered vulnerable especially to spiritual forces. This paper will focus on the death ritual rite of passage of the ancient Egyptian societies and the native Americans. The ancient Egyptian society thought in rebirth which they get from the death rites of passage. According to them, death does not mark the end of life but only a transition. There is eternal life acquired by leading a religious experience and conserving the bodies of those who are already dead by mummifying them.
The ancient Egyptians believed that the body of a human being is made up of the name, body, and shadow which ensures the eternity of life (Assmann). As a result, they entomb in the desert so that the bodies can be well preserved by the aridity. This form of burial was mostly done by the poor Egyptians who could not manage to pay for a formal funeral of their loved ones. Otherwise, individuals from well-off backgrounds resorted to burying in stone tombs that ensured non-natural mummification of the bodies. The burial ceremony was more of official as it involved the removal of internal organs and then the body could be covered in linen before it is buried in a wooden casket. However, the preservation practices ceased to happen during the Roman and Ptolemaic eras when greater consideration was given to the external appearance of the corpse. Rich people were given luxurious send-offs in a conventional manner and with valuable items.
However, all burials, irrespective of the social status, were characterized by goods for the departed souls. This was done by the family and friends of the deceased person who was expected to occasionally take to the tomb foodstuffs and present prayers for the departed soul. To Egyptians, body preservation by mummification was the only way to eternal life (Assmann). It involved the use of a carved mask as a burial ritual for the deceased to cover the face. The costume was believed to protect the soul and strengthen the spirits of the mummy on its way to the next world. Also, they thought in the fragile state of transition with a thought that the deceased would effectively surpass in their spiritual and physical flight from the current world to the next.
On the other hand, the native Americans have recorded the history of death and burial rituals characterized by the invasion of the modern Christianity customs to form a captivating and also weird current practice at times (Irish, Kathleen " Vivian). The current setup has recorded a significant number of notable changes in the death rituals in America, especially the United States. Most of the changes are results of improvement in the long-rooted ritual practices while others are not. The American death culture has significantly changed in the past and is still showing a remarkable change in different American society. While the southern part of America death rituals predominantly continues to be extremely sanctified events, the western region has a completely different scenario. To them, some ceremonies are executed ceremonially with no interpretation of the Bible, no religious words, no mentioning of God, and no holy hymn.
The current death rituals in America corresponds to the economic, emotional and symbolic sides of their lives. However, arguments have been made concerning the parsimonious explanation of the death rituals in America. It is claimed that the manner in which death rituals are conducted show the nature of capitalism and materialism (Irish, Kathleen " Vivian). However, another group of elites asserts that the death rituals inclines to the core beliefs of the social system and that life is holy. Nearly all death rituals in America are marked relaxed and unconcerned public shows of the deceased in their last time before send-offs. This is because the Americans are confident that the body of the deceased will at long previous decay, even though no one has come out to spell how they are fed up with the practices. Dead bodies are also treated usually to show that no manipulation has been done contrary to the capitalist systems. The southern part of America, on the other hand, is marked with a decent send-off where after the death, the deceased is washed and dressed in the best cloth before the body is placed in the casket.
Although both ancient Egypt and native American inscribe to entirely different forms of death rituals, the culture of ancient Egypt and the mummification of their deceased has been a source of great mystery and desirability to the people of the American. Beliefs by the Egyptians that mummied bodies are capable of flying out of the tombs and transit to the next life terrifies a significant number of Americans. Although such ritual differences have existed with, the Egyptians have shown drastic changes in the manner in which they conduct their ritual practices. They have given up on the mummification of the dead bodies as well as burying the dead with valuables like gold and otherworldly things. The modern Egyptians have inscribed to Muslim religion thus when one of them dies the funeral arrangements are quickly made, and the body gets buried as soon as possible with the body wrapped in a temporarily clean sheet.
In conclusion, both ancient Egypt and the native American have different views regarding the ritual practices, especially how the dead are treated before the bodies are finally buried. Although ancient Egypt was characterized by mummification of dead bodies, they have shown dramatic improvement to inscribe to the modern-day ritual practices. A modern person is very likely to disregard the history of the death rituals that existed in ancient Egypt. Similarly, the native American has exhibited conflicting views on their ritual practices. The southern part of America has a different perspective to that of the western region. However, present-day Egypt has shown drastic changes regarding their cultural orientation, and evidently, they have adorned the Muslim religion in the country.
Work Cited
Assmann, Jan. Death and salvation in ancient Egypt. Cornell University Press, 2011.
Irish, Donald P., Kathleen F. Lundquist, and Vivian J. Nelsen. Ethnic variations in dying, death and grief: Diversity in universality. Taylor " Francis, 2014.
