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Behs 380 discussion 6

Behs 380 discussion 6

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behs 380

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Each of the different Native American tribes had different views when it came to end-of-life care and

death, but are similar in some aspects. For instance, when it came to end-of-life care in the Apache

tribe, the sick or suffering individual would be taken to the shaman and a ceremony that would take up

to 4 days was performed (COX, 2003). The suffering individual was not allowed to speak with anyone

except the shaman and the one who initiated the ceremony for the entire time. These ceremonies

consisted of loud music, dancing, communication, humor, art, and other things; all in an effort to drive

the illness away. This was the only form of “medicine” that was given to these individuals. If they were

to die, then they would be dressed in their best clothes, carried down the hill, and either thrown off a

cliff or buried in a shallow grave (COX, 2003).

The Navajo treated all of this a little differently. While they adopted many cultural aspects of the people

around them, like the Pueblos and the Spanish, the way they handled death and end-of-life maintained

its cultural traditions. The healing ceremonies were performed similarly to the Apache tribe, except it

involved more charms, sand paintings and prayer sticks. Even to this day, aspects of their traditional

ceremonies are still practiced, they are also just combined with some forms of modern medicine (COX,

2003). Where the Navajo differ, is their ritual when it came to death and burials. Unlike the Apache

tribe, they were buried with food, trinkets, and wrapped in a fashion to where they were kept in the

fetal position. This is because the Navajo believed your soul left your body through the top of your head,

so it needed to stay exposed and point upward (Navajo Traditional Teachings, 2019).

Both of these tribes’ traditions are completely different to how end-of-life and burial ceremonies are

handled in America. Unless otherwise specified, care is given to the individual up until the point of death

and the ceremonies are solemn, contrite, and quiet. More recently in American burials, the inclusion of

one’s wealth was a part of the ceremony. However, this was done to show socioeconomic status rather

than prepare the deceased individual for whatever they might deal with in the afterlife (HAYSLIP et al.,

2003). Even though some of the modern American culture has made its way into the Native American

traditions, they still hold fast to their cultural beliefs when it comes to end-of-life and death.

References

COX, G. R. (2003). The Native American Way of Death. Handbook of Death & Dying, 631–639.

https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412914291.n62

HAYSLIP, B., SEWELL, K. W., & RIDDLE, R. B. (2003). The American Funeral. Handbook of Death & Dying,

587–597. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412914291.n57

Navajo Traditional Teachings. (2019, September 3). Life Does Not End Navajo Beliefs on After Life

[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIqjccc35JE

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Each of the different Native American tribes had different views when it came to end-of-life care and death, but are similar in some aspects. For instance, when it came to end-of-life care in the Apache tribe, the sick or suffering individual would be taken to the shaman and a ceremony that would ta ...
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