Cave Burial - Hawaii

     Hye ! We are back again with the eighth entry today. I am so delighted to share about the next bizarre burial according to Hawaii custom which is Cave Burial. Does the dead body is just simply buried in the cave? Or it is anything else that Hawaii people do to complete this burial? Actually,this kind of burial was practiced in the ancient time. Normally, the dead body was laid out in the cave with his or her knees drawn up to the chest. A rope was wrapped around the dead person's legs and it has been placed around his or her neck. After that, the rope will be pulled tight to position the of the body and shaped into a round shape. The tapa cloth ( it was made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree) is used to wrap the deceased and then it will be prepared for the burial tradition. 

The cave in Hawaii which involved with cave burial - courtesy of Google

The "tapa cloth" is used to wrap the dead body before the burial activity is done - courtesy of Google

     There are some cases involved with the removal of the dead body's internal organs and the body cavity will be filled with salt. This acts as a preservative method before the burial is carried out. Hawaiian believes that the bones of the dead body must be treated with massive respect because they contained divine power or as know as "mana". As usual, when a king of their kingdom died, his skull, leg and arm bones will be preserved. They will be preserved, guarded or hidden for the person who is very possessed with the bones of an ancestor which is believed will be beneficial from the power contained in them. 

The picture shows the skulls found in the cave somewhere in Hawaii - courtesy of Google

     How do you feel with this burial tradition? As for me, I am a little bit impressed because I can get to know that the real tradition of Hawaiian when it comes to burial things. I think this culture is very unique because they use cave as a place to conduct the burial ceremony. Their belief is also unique because they think that bones of the dead body are very powerful and must be treated with respect. So, I think that's all for this entry. I sincerely hope that this post will expose the readers to the unique belief of Hawaiian in conducting burial activity in the ancient time. Till we meet again, goodbye and happy reading!