DEATH & REBURIAL
(Updated August 4th)
This page is for raising issues regarding death and dying, subjects still regarded as taboo by mainstream Western industrialised societies although they profoundly affect us all.
In the mid-1990s, Greywolf was among the first UK Pagans to raise the issue of the respectful reburial of ancient human remains held in museums or uncovered during archaeological digs. He was inspired by similar requests from Australian Aboriginals and Native Americans, in particular the case of a Lakota chief, Long Wolf (left), who had fought at the Little Big Horn and who died in 1892 in London, where he had been performing as part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. After a long campaign, Long Wolf's remains were finally repatriated to the USA in 1997, and he now lies with his ancestors in Wolf Creek, South Dakota.
REBURIAL BOOK MEETING
This Friday sees the first meeting of the group of Pagans and academics who are coming together to produce a book that will present the whole reburial issue from all angles with the purpose of moving the debate forward. It is to be edited by respected Pagan academics, Robert Wallis and Jenny Blain (see their other publications on amazon). Provisionally entitled 'Archaeology and Ancestors: Science and Spirituality in the Treatment of Ancient Human Remains in Britain,' other contributors will include Greywolf, Paul Davies, Emma Restall Orr (Honouring the Ancient Dead), Sebastian Payne (EH), David Thackray (NT), and other Pagans, prehistorians, archaeologists and curators. I'll post another update after the meeting...
AVEBURY REBURIAL Consultation Update
Background: In 2006, English Heritage (EH) and the National Trust (NT) received a request from Paul Davies, Reburial Officer of the Council of British Druid Orders, for the reburial of prehistoric human remains currently in the Alexander Keiller Museum at Avebury. This request raised broader issues on the treatment of remains of ancient pagans by archaeologists and museums. In 2008, EH asked interested parties, including the BDO, to comment on the request. After consultation with about 60 members of the BDO, OBOD and other Druids and Pagans, Greywolf submitted a response on behalf of the BDO covering the Avebury request and the broader issues raised by it. Our thanks to everyone who contributed. To read the BDO submission, click here to open or download a 96kb pdf file.
Results: The results of the consultation undertaken by EH and NT have now been published. It comes as no surprise that they have opted to maintain the status quo, leaving the contested remains in the custody of the Avebury Museum. Overall, 9 percent of individuals and 15 percent of groups favoured reburial. There was a certain amount of bias in the consultation process. For example, only three options were offered: reburial, reburial with access, or retention by the museum. Amongst the 60-or-so people I spoke to, the majority favoured reburial with the retention of small samples for research purposes. This option was not put. Had the consultation been broader and fairer, there's a good chance that the percentage in favour of reburial would have been higher. However, we strongly doubt that the conclusion would have been any different. The default position on the treatment of ancient human remains, by which they automatically become the property of museums or similar institutions, has been in place for so long that it will take a lot more time and work for an alternative position to be seen as viable.
Where to now? Paul Davies has asked us to post his response to the Avebury Report and you'll find it HERE. You might also like to read the response made by Emma Restall Orr on behalf of Honouring the Ancient Dead. Click HERE for that. The BDO are still considering our response. It will be posted here.
MANCHESTER MUSEUM REBURIAL Consultation
Manchester Museum are holding a consultation to decide what to do with 370 sets of ancient human remains, some dating from the Neolithic period. All the remains in question are poorly-provenanced, meaning that they have little or no research potential or educational value. Because of this, reburial is seen as a viable option. The consultation period ended on January 29th, 2010. Here is a link that should open a pdf file of Manchester Museum's consultation document. Here is a link to the response Greywolf submitted on behalf of the BDO, based on the sample of 60 members of the BDO, OBOD and other Druids and Pagans that informed our response to the Avebury request. If this link doesn't work, you can find the text of the BDO submission on the BDO Forum, in the thread entitled 'Reburial of ancient pagan remains' under 'News & Announcements'.
OPEN AIR CREMATION VICTORY!
Four years ago in Newcastle, elderly Hindu guru, Davender Ghai (left), asked for a ruling on whether he would be allowed a traditional Hindu open air cremation. Newcastle City Council and the Ministry of Justice argued that outdoor cremations were illegal. The resulting legal wrangling nearly bankrupted Davender Ghai and cost the British taxpayer tens of thousands of pounds. In the end, it turns out that open-air cremations have been legal all along. The Court of Appeal has ruled that there is nothing in Britain's laws forbidding open air cremation as long as it is conducted in an enclosed building away from the public's gaze and abides by environmental regulations. The Court ruled that an enclosed building does not have to have a roof. As he was carried out of the Royal Courts of Justice by jubilant supporters, Ghai remarked that the judges' verdict had "breathed new life into an old man's dreams". It also, happily, opens the possibility of open air cremations for Druids. Yay! Thank you, Davender ... Many Druids, Greywolf included, also wish for the right to be cremated on open pyres. It was a Druid, Doctor William Price, who first established the legal right to cremation in the UK when he was prosecuted in 1884 for cremating the body of his infant son, Iesu Grist, on a hillside in Wales. Dr Price regarded cremation as a properly Druidic funeral rite, preferring it to burial on the grounds that "It is not right that a carcass should be allowed to rot and decompose in this way. It results in a wastage of good land, pollution of the earth, water and air, and is a constant danger to all living creatures". Dr Price's own cremation is shown left. Davender Ghai is founder of the Anglo Asian Friendship Society, where you will find more on the cremation issue.
(Updated August 4th)
This page is for raising issues regarding death and dying, subjects still regarded as taboo by mainstream Western industrialised societies although they profoundly affect us all.
In the mid-1990s, Greywolf was among the first UK Pagans to raise the issue of the respectful reburial of ancient human remains held in museums or uncovered during archaeological digs. He was inspired by similar requests from Australian Aboriginals and Native Americans, in particular the case of a Lakota chief, Long Wolf (left), who had fought at the Little Big Horn and who died in 1892 in London, where he had been performing as part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. After a long campaign, Long Wolf's remains were finally repatriated to the USA in 1997, and he now lies with his ancestors in Wolf Creek, South Dakota.
REBURIAL BOOK MEETING
This Friday sees the first meeting of the group of Pagans and academics who are coming together to produce a book that will present the whole reburial issue from all angles with the purpose of moving the debate forward. It is to be edited by respected Pagan academics, Robert Wallis and Jenny Blain (see their other publications on amazon). Provisionally entitled 'Archaeology and Ancestors: Science and Spirituality in the Treatment of Ancient Human Remains in Britain,' other contributors will include Greywolf, Paul Davies, Emma Restall Orr (Honouring the Ancient Dead), Sebastian Payne (EH), David Thackray (NT), and other Pagans, prehistorians, archaeologists and curators. I'll post another update after the meeting...
AVEBURY REBURIAL Consultation Update
Background: In 2006, English Heritage (EH) and the National Trust (NT) received a request from Paul Davies, Reburial Officer of the Council of British Druid Orders, for the reburial of prehistoric human remains currently in the Alexander Keiller Museum at Avebury. This request raised broader issues on the treatment of remains of ancient pagans by archaeologists and museums. In 2008, EH asked interested parties, including the BDO, to comment on the request. After consultation with about 60 members of the BDO, OBOD and other Druids and Pagans, Greywolf submitted a response on behalf of the BDO covering the Avebury request and the broader issues raised by it. Our thanks to everyone who contributed. To read the BDO submission, click here to open or download a 96kb pdf file.
Results: The results of the consultation undertaken by EH and NT have now been published. It comes as no surprise that they have opted to maintain the status quo, leaving the contested remains in the custody of the Avebury Museum. Overall, 9 percent of individuals and 15 percent of groups favoured reburial. There was a certain amount of bias in the consultation process. For example, only three options were offered: reburial, reburial with access, or retention by the museum. Amongst the 60-or-so people I spoke to, the majority favoured reburial with the retention of small samples for research purposes. This option was not put. Had the consultation been broader and fairer, there's a good chance that the percentage in favour of reburial would have been higher. However, we strongly doubt that the conclusion would have been any different. The default position on the treatment of ancient human remains, by which they automatically become the property of museums or similar institutions, has been in place for so long that it will take a lot more time and work for an alternative position to be seen as viable.
Where to now? Paul Davies has asked us to post his response to the Avebury Report and you'll find it HERE. You might also like to read the response made by Emma Restall Orr on behalf of Honouring the Ancient Dead. Click HERE for that. The BDO are still considering our response. It will be posted here.
MANCHESTER MUSEUM REBURIAL Consultation
Manchester Museum are holding a consultation to decide what to do with 370 sets of ancient human remains, some dating from the Neolithic period. All the remains in question are poorly-provenanced, meaning that they have little or no research potential or educational value. Because of this, reburial is seen as a viable option. The consultation period ended on January 29th, 2010. Here is a link that should open a pdf file of Manchester Museum's consultation document. Here is a link to the response Greywolf submitted on behalf of the BDO, based on the sample of 60 members of the BDO, OBOD and other Druids and Pagans that informed our response to the Avebury request. If this link doesn't work, you can find the text of the BDO submission on the BDO Forum, in the thread entitled 'Reburial of ancient pagan remains' under 'News & Announcements'.
OPEN AIR CREMATION VICTORY!
Four years ago in Newcastle, elderly Hindu guru, Davender Ghai (left), asked for a ruling on whether he would be allowed a traditional Hindu open air cremation. Newcastle City Council and the Ministry of Justice argued that outdoor cremations were illegal. The resulting legal wrangling nearly bankrupted Davender Ghai and cost the British taxpayer tens of thousands of pounds. In the end, it turns out that open-air cremations have been legal all along. The Court of Appeal has ruled that there is nothing in Britain's laws forbidding open air cremation as long as it is conducted in an enclosed building away from the public's gaze and abides by environmental regulations. The Court ruled that an enclosed building does not have to have a roof. As he was carried out of the Royal Courts of Justice by jubilant supporters, Ghai remarked that the judges' verdict had "breathed new life into an old man's dreams". It also, happily, opens the possibility of open air cremations for Druids. Yay! Thank you, Davender ... Many Druids, Greywolf included, also wish for the right to be cremated on open pyres. It was a Druid, Doctor William Price, who first established the legal right to cremation in the UK when he was prosecuted in 1884 for cremating the body of his infant son, Iesu Grist, on a hillside in Wales. Dr Price regarded cremation as a properly Druidic funeral rite, preferring it to burial on the grounds that "It is not right that a carcass should be allowed to rot and decompose in this way. It results in a wastage of good land, pollution of the earth, water and air, and is a constant danger to all living creatures". Dr Price's own cremation is shown left. Davender Ghai is founder of the Anglo Asian Friendship Society, where you will find more on the cremation issue.
Made by Greywolf
Copyright
British Druid Order 2011
Copyright
British Druid Order 2011
