DEATH SONGS

HawaH in meditation

Gregory E. Woods, African Absaroka NDN
“Dying is the last of act of power we have in this lifetime. The whole of our lives evolves around death. It is a constant exercise. It is a dance. It is a consistent presence in the everyday affairs of each day. Our sleeps are the little deaths. Knowing this, and understanding how vital this relationship is to living a good life the end, the... See More last act of power should be sung to; hence the reasons we, Indians, have always prepared death songs. These are the words of a Grandfather, a Keeper of Stories, and a Keeper of the Drum. AHO!”

 Mereana Taki, Iwi woman Bone People, New Zealand
"One of our words for 'dying' is mate (sounded as mar teh). It is also the word for 'desire' ...for 'longing' ...for 'yearning'. Whatever dying is ...the Soulbearers vessel no longer serves its Earthly purpose ...as bearer. Our tangihanga are our ceremonial rituals for 'realm crossing'. The immortal Self continues to its formless journey as All that... See More IS. Perhaps we no longer understand this mistaking the vessel for the destination of All that IS. The tangata ora ...the conscious ... Soulbearer changes status as Tihei Mauri ora ...breathing the consciousness of this Realm to ...Tihei Mauri mate ...crossing to the next Realms. Tangihanga remains the last refuge of our cultural practices which has not be broken apart by our Colonizing relatives. We are in ironic ways 'the best' at this dying ceremonial thing as ...our Tribalz drop everything they are doing and attend. Many leave jobs to attend what takes often 3 days solid in ceremony. The 'living' and 'the dead/tupapaku' farewell each other, re connect Tribalz ties, arrange marriages, touch the faces of new children and then ...return to lives designed by the power base of Strangers who rape and pillage our Mother and flaunt our freedoms like jewellery as Food bowls literally become the toilet bowls for greedy selfish chronically asleep and disappeared material BEings."

Scott Reimers
I don't yet either. Deaths can be simple exits from this experience, but they can also have power and meaning. My focus right now is choosing the power and meaning of my life let alone my death. However, when my time comes I would like my death to also have power... When the time comes, I'll have a better understanding of its purpose. Who ... See Moreknows, I kinda like the idea of an expression of joy toward death... let people see love of life and death being the same. Shake the silly people who are afraid of death up a bit and shake the people who are afraid of living up a even more!