Ancient Burial Grounds of Hawaii

Ancient Burial Grounds of Hawaii

In recent years, ancient burial grounds have been frequently disturbed due to increasing surveillance by anthropologists and constructed on by state-of-the-art technology and are more critically protected than ever before. Understanding the importance of burial grounds gives an insight on the rich history of ancient Hawaii. They have influenced the burials performed, ancestors and their modern inhabitants, and how they have impacted modern Hawaii. Burial methods will range from the tallest peaks on land to burying those in the ocean. Ancestors influence these methods depending on their rank and actions, having their modern descendants have a choice to inherit these arrangements and protect their ancestors. By educating people about past burials, procedures performed by ancestors, and the impact today, it should provide a clear background of its importance in Hawaiian society.

Hawaiian burials by the types of burial, the ancestors’ actions, and their descendants. Ancient Hawaiians used a variety of methods before and after the arrival of white men, both burial and preparation. “The landscape and seascape were powerful symbolisms to natives” (Yalom 233). This had meant Hawaiians used not only the majority of the island as a resting place, but also the Pacific Ocean. Besides the significance in the land, they had also honored the deceased as they were sacred in the afterlife. “After someone dies, it was said that the spirit lingered in another relative’s bones. Therefore, they believed that physical infestation remained within the individual” (Gaylord).

Hawaiians used various methods to prepare bodies and bury the deceased. “As bodies were prepared for burial, they were closely wrapped in tapa in ...

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... they can provide us great information on past society, physical type, health, and demography.

Works Cited

Fullard-Leo, Betty. “Sacred Burial Practices.” Coffee Times. February 1998. 1 October 2013.

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Gaylord, Kimberlee A. Corralling Burial Wrongs Because the Dead Have Rights: An Analysis of

Native Hawaiian Burial Issue and the Associated Burial Preservation Laws in Hawaii.

N.p:n.p. 2005.

Kirch, Patrick U. Feathered Gods and Fishhooks: An Introduction to Hawaiian Archaeology and

Prehistory. Honolulu: University of Hawaii. 1985.

Redmond, Jodee. “Hawaii Burial Methods.” LoveToknow. N.p., n.d. 1 October 2013.

Yalom, Marilyn, and Yalom, Redi S. The American Resting Place: Four Hundred Years of

History through Our Cemeteries and Burial Grounds. Boston [u.a: Houghton Mifflin,

2008. 233.