What are some of your traditional ways of grieving

[Awful_Mnom_Woman]

I think it will be very interesting to see how our ancestors grieved. I am in the process of learning how Menominees traditionally grieved, and I will report back. Meanwhile, got anything to share?

[Riverwoman]

People up here cut their hair VERY SHORT when someone passed. They also have a potlatch, and then a year later, a headstone potlatch.

[RezRatz_4Life]

Originally posted by Tahemet
People up here cut their hair VERY SHORT when someone passed.

Same here. We don't know how short we have to cut it, it just depends. It supposed to be so the one that passed away can take something of their loved ones with them.

[Kakeeya]

Our people don't cut the hair during mourning. Since the one that passed is going into another world where everything is still alive, we dress our people in new buckskin clothes, so that the animals spirit will also come back to life. We also hold traditional services and sing songs to assist that person to get to the other world. We do a lot more but I think I have said enough.

[WolfTears]

We cut our hair , send items with them for the other side . Dress them an sing .

[Blackbear]

Originally posted by MenNie Turtles
We cut our hair , send items with them for the other side . Dress them an sing .

we do??? I know we don't cut our hair, and their possessions are given away and a place is set for them at a table and we have 10 day feast......then there is the condolence wampum (however I do not believe this is still in practice much).

[WolfTears]

yep mom said we cut our hair but today that is optional . I will ask her about the rest since I have not be involved in any family memorials I cant speak for fact . But I will get them .

[DeusExMachina]

I'm not entirely sure about the tradish. Mvskoke ways of mourning, my uncle said it sometimes varies with the town and Clan. Mebbe if I'd actually paid more attention, I wouldn't be stuck in this little loop of denial, rage and lots of boohooing that I just can't seem to got out of since my Gramma J.J. died.

[VIP4life]

I follow my cali wayz and cut my hair and we also fast .

[Homalosa]

I tried to avoid cutting my hair when Shane died. I later went to the hairdresser and he cut 4 inches off. He said, "girl this hair is dead. You gotta get it, something has died here." He showed me a lock of what used to be healthy strong hair. It had turned to vine like prickly stems. There's not that much split ends in the world.

A family tradition is that someone commissions a poem for the beloved. I take this as the highest honor because they ask me to write lines that comfort as well as remember the loved one well.

[Crow_hunny_420]

Black Clothes Cuttin hair. then when they want a Mourner to stop they take away their black clothes and give em new ones and tell em to stop mouring feed em i dunno yo i cant explain wait i will get back to ya

[Leslie Stonechild]

Cree Tradition I understand

Tansi,
My kookum lost my Auntie almost 3 years ago and that is when I was intstructed in the Cree traditions. First I need to share that I grew up away from my traditions and no one in my family that I know practices the Old Ways or understands the ways. My family was assimmilated by the Residential schools and practice the more Catholic form of acknowledging the Creator. My journey was heightened with the passing of my Auntie, since that death and being involved in the re-burial or repatriation of some our Ancestors this is what I understand.

The death tells us that the journey or the learning that person had to earn here on Mother Earth has ended. The suffering they endured for spiritual growth is all the Creator intended for them is done. The learning or the life that person had passes on to their loved ones. This can mean for the little ones who are just born and gone soon after or the ones whos life ends abrubtly.

Around this begins the preparation of the persons soul to what we call the Happy Hunting grounds. I was told that this place has many many parts to it. The peace had there can be best shown by this, if you were to poke a pin into this world and look inside than you would want to be there so badly you would kill yourself, that is how much beauty and love is there. The spirit of the loved one is smudged as soon as possible and their journey to the happy hunting grounds begins. I was told to use a specific type of smudge for this.

Will continue this in the next post................