2.7.3 Death and funerary customs The belief systems and funeral practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples vary greatly between different communities, cultures and language groups. Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples believe that when someone dies, their spirit returns to the Dreaming, ancestral beings, or a specific spiritual place, such as a waterhole or a sky world. However, the details of these beliefs and the journey of the spirit differ among groups. In southeastern Australia, burial sites were marked by mounds of earth, piles of stones or carved trees. Funeral traditions varied across Australia and included: • Simple burials with bodies either stretched out or crouched: Grave goods were sometimes included. • Cremation: The remains were collected and later buried or placed in a tree hollow. • Desiccation, the drying or smoking of bodies: The dried remains were sometimes kept before burial. • Leaving the body on tree platforms to decay: The bones were later collected and often finally buried. Bodies might be buried with personal items or painted with totem designs. Sometimes, they were covered in ochre. The Kulin Peoples of Victoria buried important people with possum cloaks, stone tools and woven bags. Mourners painted their faces white, women cut their hair, and everyone sang and danced to honour the person’s spirit. 2.7.4 The tombstone openings of the Torres Strait The final stage of mourning for the dead is marked in the Torres Strait islands by a tradition that is both a sign of respect and celebration of life. The ritual releases the spirit, allowing the deceased to return to the land of their ancestors. The ritual has two main parts: • A memorial tombstone is created as a record of the deceased’s position in the community and the significant events in their life. • The memorial is ‘opened’ to the people of the community to begin celebrations that may last for a few days. People feast, dance, sing and conduct spiritual ceremonies in honour of the dead. Kinship ties are strengthened, and children are taught ceremonial practices. The tombstone opening is a farewell to the spirit of the dead, and a celebration of the ties of kinship and community. 2.7.5 Tiwi and tutini The Tiwi Peoples live on what we now know as the Bathurst and Melville Islands, 80 km from Darwin. For thousands of years, they had little contact with mainland communities, believing spirits of the dead lived there. They created special art for their death ceremonies called ‘pukumani’, which had many steps and took months to complete. • Iliana: This was the first funeral ceremony at the time of death. The body was painted with totem symbols and decorated with hair ornaments. Mourners painted their bodies white. • Tutini: Elaborate burial poles were carved to honour the deceased and as gifts to their spirit. Made from ironwood trunks, these poles were placed around the grave to signify the person’s importance. • Final pukumani ceremony: This was held about six months after the burial to help the dead enter the spirit world. Mourners painted themselves with ochre, wore special headbands and armbands called pamajini for protection, and sang and danced, following the stories of the Dreaming ancestor Purukapali. • Ceremony end: Mourners departed from the grave, leaving the tutini to decompose.
42 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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