Ritual de Morte: Recent Episodes
Kimmy Mai Penny
This episode explores possibilities surrounding living and deceased donation of organs, tissue, and whole body, in honor of donate life month.
DISCLAIMER: I know, I know. Why did I wait until May 1st to publish if Donate Life month is APRIL?! That was not my intention. I had this recorded weeks ago and just now published. I'm sorry. But- that doesn't mean it's not relevant anymore! Organ and tissue donations are greatly needed and awareness should be spread year-long!
In this episode, we learn about the earliest practice of mummification came from a tribe called the Chinchorro in South America. The Chinchorro people were the earliest inhabitants of the Atacama Desert in what is now Southern Peru and Northern Chile; they are responsible for producing the first artificially preserved mummies over 7,000 years ago.
To view photos and videos related to this episode, check out our instagram account @ritualdemorte_podcast
The festivities of Christmas were not always filled with happiness and cheer. In fact, Christmas during the Renaissance and Medieval periods were downright violent! In this episode, learn about how Christmas used to be the spookiest time of the year and how it relates to the dead.
References
Aton, Francesca. “Ancient Mosaics Unearthed at the Tomb of St. Nicholas, Inspiration of Santa Claus.” ArtNews, 21 October 2022. Web. Accessed 20 December 2022.
Buja, Maureen. “Sex and Music: The Renaissance and Early Baroque.” Interlude, 16 April, 2016. Web. Accessed 20 December 2022.
“Christmas Death Traditions.” Talk Death, 15 December 2019. Web. Accessed 20 December 2022.
Coghlan, Alexandra. “Christmas Carols: The History Behind 9 Festive Favourites.” History Extra, 22 December 2021. Web. Accessed 20 December 2022.
Eveleth, Rose. “The Irish Used to Celebrate the Day After Christmas by Killing Wrens.” Smithsonian Mag, 26 December 2012. Web. Accessed 21 December 2022.
Hawthorne, Ainsley. “Celebrate Christmas the Old-Fashioned Way: With Drunken Mayhem” CBC N.L., 21 December 2029. Web. Accessed 22 December 2022.
Hawthorne, Ainsley. “The Christmas Season, Not Halloween, Was Once Considered the Spookiest Time of Year.” CBC N.L., 01 January 2021. Web. Accessed 22 December 2022.
Hawthorne, Ainsley. “Yowling Cats and Murdered Frogs: The Bizarre Victorian Origins of Christmas Cards.” CBC N.L., 26 December 2021. Web. Accessed 20 December 2022.
Handwerk, Brian. “Where’s Santa Buried? Resting Places of the Real St. Nick.” National Geographic, 22 December 2018. Web. Accessed 20 December 2022.
Kruse, Colton. “The History of Creepy Victorian Christmas Cards.” Ripleys, 23 December 2019. Web. Accessed 20 December 2022.
Rana, Aashima. “How the Wren Became the King of All Birds.” Raidió Teilfís Éireann, 22 December 2021. Web. Accessed 21 December 2022.
“Sexuality During the Renaissance.” Sexuality Throughout the Ages, 12 April 2012. Web. Accessed 20 December 2022.
“St. Stephen.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 December 2022. Web. Accessed 22 December 2022.
“The Legend of St. Stephen’s Day.” CelticMKE, 25 December 2015. Web. Accessed 22 December 2022.
Velasquez S.J. “Is Santa Claus Buried in Ireland?” BBC Travel, 22 December 2022. Web. Accessed 22 December 2022.
Weaver, Fran. “Christmas Eve in a Candlelit Finnish Cemetery.” Web. Accessed 21 December 2022.
“Which Birds Symbolize Death?” The Bird Guide. Web. Accessed 20 December 2022.
Wills, Matthew. “Wren Folklore and St. Stephen’s Day.” JSTOR Daily, 26 December 2020. Web. Accessed 22 December 2022.
In this episode, we learn about an indigenous Indonesian village on the mountainous island of souther Sulawesi called Tana Toraja. The unique and intricate funerary ceremony in Torajan culture is called Rambu Solo,which include buffalo sacrifices and burial rites in cave tombs. Following the funeral, families of the deceased exhume their loved ones every few years to reconnect and celebrate.
To view photos and videos related to this episode, check out our instagram account @ritualdemorte_podcast
The Roma are a unique nomadic minority from northern India. They have faced many hardships and persecutions due to their migratory nature. This migratory nature has also provided them with very interesting death rituals that combine their old world beliefs with the new religions they have adopted, such as Christianity or Islam. In this episode, I discuss a brief historical overview on Roma culture before diving into traditional Roma beliefs and death practices.
As the world mourns the loss of Queen Elizabeth II, this podcast serves to discuss not only the timeline of events for the funeral procession but details of the Queens coffin, the royal undertakers, and the traditional funeral rites and regalia that will be seen in the Queen's funeral -- and a short history behind the traditions.
May HRH Queen Elizabeth II rest in peace.
References
“A Proclamation on the Death of Queen Elizabeth II.” The White House, The United States Government, 8 Sept. 2022.
“Bespoke State Hearse for Queen Who Was Consulted on the Design.” Bespoke State Hearse for Queen Who Was Consulted on the Design.
Chappell, Bill. “'Operation London Bridge' Maps out the 10 Days after Queen Elizabeth's Death.” NPR, NPR, 11 Sept. 2022.
“Death and Dying.” Encyclopedia of Death and Dying.
Goodey, Emma. “The Commonwealth.” The Royal Family, 9 Sept. 2022.
Gruffydd, Mared. “Queen Elizabeth II: Traditions That Will Be Followed at Her Funeral.” Express.co.uk, Express.co.uk, 8 Sept. 2022.
Guyoncourt, Sally. “Why the Royal Standard Is Being Draped over the Queen's Coffin Instead of the Union Flag.” Inews.co.uk, 11 Sept. 2022.
Harman, Laura. “The Significance of Queen Elizabeth II's Floral Wreath and Its Sweet Link to Prince Philip.” Woman and Home Magazine, Woman & Home, 12 Sept. 2022.
John, Tara. “Queen Elizabeth's Coffin Has Arrived at Buckingham Palace.” CNN, Cable News Network, 13 Sept. 2022.
Lawrence, India. “When and How Will the Queen's Body Return to London?” Time Out London, Time Out, 12 Sept. 2022.
“'London Bridge Is Down': The Secret Plan for the Days after the Queen's Death.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 17 Mar. 2017.
“Member Countries.” Commonwealth, The Commonwealth.com.
Milton, Josh. “Find out What Jewels the Queen Will Be Buried In.” Metro, Metro.co.uk, 13 Sept. 2022.
Neustaeter, Brooklyn. “Why Is Queen Elizabeth II's Coffin Lined with Lead?” CTVNews, CTV News, 13 Sept. 2022.
“Queen's Death: What Will Happen in the Run-up to the State Funeral?” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 12 Sept. 2022.
Slater, Jack. “Learn All about the Different Coded Operations of the Royal Family.” Metro, Metro.co.uk, 10 Sept. 2022,
Specia, Megan. “Planning for the End of Elizabeth's Reign Began at the Beginning.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Sept. 2022.
How far back do human burial practices go? In this episode, I discuss the purpose of archaeology to understand primitive burial practices and beliefs before a written record existed.
References:
- “Archaeology.” National Geographic Society.
- Croucher, Karina, et al. “Archaeology and Contemporary Death: Using the Past to Provoke, Challenge and Engage.” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, 29 Dec. 2020.
- Crowther, Alison. “Cave Site in Kenya Reveals the Oldest Human Burial in Africa.” UQ News, University of Queensland , 6 May 2021.
- Gibbons, Ann. Experts Question Study Claiming to Pinpoint Birthplace of All Humans ... 28 Oct. 2019.
- “Human Emotions Revealed in the Oldest Known Burial Site.” Daily Journal Online, 18 Aug. 2022.
- Kenyan Cave Provides New Insights into Later Stone Age | Sci.news. 10 May 2018.
- Knodell, Alex R. “Defining Burial in Archaeology.” Contemporary Issues in Archaeological Theory, Brown University, 14 Feb. 2008.
- Magazine, Smithsonian. “Scientists Discover Oldest Known Human Grave in Africa.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 5 May 2021.
- McGraw, Julianne. “Learning from the Dead: Why Do Archaeologists Excavate, Move and Analyse Human Remains?” Dig It!, 29 June 2021.
- “Mortuary Archaeology.” Portal to the Past.
- Nakkazi, Esther. “Africa's Oldest Modern Human Burial Found in Kenyan Cave.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 27 June 2021.
- “Panga Ya Saidi Cave, Kenya.” Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
- Planck, Max. “The Oldest Human Burial in Africa.” EurekAlert!, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
- “Qafzeh: Oldest Intentional Burial.” The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program, 29 June 2022.
- Strauss, Mark. “When Is It Okay to Dig up the Dead?” Adventure, National Geographic, 3 May 2021.
- Vandermeersch, Bernard, and Ofer Bar-Yosef. “The Paleolithic Burials at Qafzeh Cave, Israel.” PALEO. Revue D'archéologie Préhistorique, Société Des Amis Du Musée National De Préhistoire Et De La Recherche Archéologique (SAMRA), 29 May 2020.
- “What Is Archaeology?” Society for American Archaeology.
In this special bonus episode, Kimmy recites her favorite ethnography by Horace Miner on the "strange" cultural practices of the Nacirema tribe of North America.
What are rituals? How did rituals come to be? What are the different types of rituals and what part do they play in death? In this first episode, I explore some terms and ideas about the meaning of religion and ritual using theories by William Robertson Smith, James Frazer, Émile Durkheim, Mircea Eliade, and Anthony F. C. Wallace.
References:
- “Anthropology.” Ritual & Types of Ritual Flashcards | Chegg.com
- Brenner, Erich. “Human Body Preservation - Old and New Techniques.” Journal of Anatomy, vol. 224, Issue 3, 2014, pp. 316-344.
- Chegwidden, Paula. "Wallace's Typology of Rituals." Sociology. Acadia University. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. [http://plato.acadiau.ca/courses/soci/chegwidden/rop/ritualfolder/Wallace.html]
- Crossman, Ashley. “Ritual.” ThoughtCo, Aug 26, 2020.
- “Death Rituals, Ceremonies & Traditions around the World (and How the West Lost Loss).” Eterneva, 21 Dec. 2021, eterneva.com/blog/death-rituals/.
- Mayer, Robert G. Embalming: History, Theory, and Practice, 5th ed., McGraw Hill, 2012.
- McCutcheon, Russell T. “The Insider-Outsider Problem in The Study of Religion- A Reader.” Continuum, 1999.
- Pals, Daniel. “Nine Theories of Religion, 3rd ed.” Oxford University Press, 2015.
- Sacred Rituals, www.billstifler.org/myth/files/5D-052-ritual.htm.
- Thury, Eva M. and Margaret K. Devinney. Introduction to Mythology: Contemporary Approaches to Classical and World Myths. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2013. Print.
Episode 0 is an introductory episode that introduces listeners to the host, Kimmy, who discusses her interest in the study of death rituals and the purpose of the podcast.