Alternative Burial Practices

Alternative Burial Practices: 

          As all Victorians know, we aren’t exactly on the cutting edge of many things. Amazing concert? Nope, you will have to head to Vancouver for that, sorry. New obscure movie? Again, better luck next time. However, we apparently stay ahead of the times when it comes to burial trends. Victoria has one of only two natural cemeteries that are certified by Canada’s Natural Burial Association; the other lies about an hour outside of Toronto, in Cobourg, Ontario (May, 2010). Royal Oak Burial Park is a nonprofit cemetery, and you can find out more about their natural burial by visiting their website: http://www.robp.ca/our-services/natural-green-burial/ 

  Googling “obscure burial practices” will bring up a wide variety of options, many of which I have seen on other Anth 392 blogs. These include sky burials, “ashes to glass”, space burials, and cryogenics. One option I haven’t seen anywhere else thus far is offered by Holy Smoke, an American company that will place the cremated ashes of a loved one into live ammunition. This option has received a great deal of press in the US, and I couldn’t resist sharing a quote from their website: "The company offers a means to 'continue to protect your home and family even after you are gone,' by turning ashes into fully-functioning bullets." - Fox News. 

Holy Smoke Website 

References:

May, G. (2010, March 3). The green final frontier: eco-burial. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 21, 2012, from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-growth/sustainability/the-green-final-frontier-eco-burial/article1485643/

Introduction

Introduction

     My name is Claire Taggesell and I'm a BSc. Psychology major, pursuing a minor in Anthropology. I feel like I may be a bit of an anomaly, because so far most people who have posted their blogs are anthropology majors! This is my final semester at UVic and I am taking this class because of my interest in the cultural information about death/burial that can be illuminated through archaeology. In particular, I am interested in the relationship between anthropology and death in the context of the global "Red Market". Outside of anthropology, my academic interests include development over the lifespan, optimal aging, and communicable diseases.