The non-Indigenous world is terrified of death.

When a person dies, the body is taken to a Funeral Home where visitations are held for viewing the “last remains”, Memorial Services are held at the Funeral Home and then the body is transported to the grave site for a final service.  In the indigenous world, in the Haida world from where I come, when there is a death in the family the body is brought to the home where all come for the deceased to have one last look at the loved ones left behind. Children are never kept out, instead are brought to be present and, thus they do not grow up with a fear of dead.  A Memorial Services is conducted at the home of the family.

After the funeral a feast is given wherein that person’s life is discussed.  A lot of joking indicates the importance of the event.  Previous to the invasion of the Western Europeans our world was much different; we cherished and honored our family members and, our leaders were not the ones with the most “money.” Leaders were trained from early childhood in the ways one serves the people for whom h/she was responsible. Once in a while one leader would emerge who was deemed extremely valuable to the community.  Often a prime characteristic of that person was that person’s “Soft-Mind” (a person who walks softly through life, a very kind and considerate leader).

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