So I was searching online to find an interesting news article related to death or funerary practices and lo and behold, I found a great National Geographic article! The article is entitled, "New Death Ritual Found in Himalaya- 27 De-fleshed Humans." Obviously the title of this article caught my eye right away so I decided to read on.
In 2010, the remains of 27 individuals - men, women, and children - were found in cliffside caves in Nepal with some of the remains dating to 1,500 years ago! Apparently these caves are man-made and sit 4,200 meters above sea level. If that wasn't interesting enough, the researchers found cut marks on several of the bones, suggesting that they had been de-fleshed (most likely with a metal knife). The researchers think this could be part of an unknown Himalayan death ritual! The researchers also found the remains of goats, cows, and horses, which might have been sacrifical offerings. So how did these bodies end up in "cliffside caves" anyhow? Researchers believe people used to access the caves using rocky outcrops and ladders but the caves are eroding so they are harder to accesss now. In the photo above, you can see that the cliffside caves and the human remains that they contain are only accessible by expert rock climbers.
The researchers do not think the bodies were de-fleshed as a result of cannabilism because this usually entails smashing the base of the skull to get the brain out and breaking other bones to get the marrow; however, the bones discovered in the cliffs do not show these signs. Furthermore, some DNA tests have been performed and they suggest that the deceased individuals are related. This has lead the researchers to hypothesize that these mortuary caves are traditional burial places for extended families!In 2010, the remains of 27 individuals - men, women, and children - were found in cliffside caves in Nepal with some of the remains dating to 1,500 years ago! Apparently these caves are man-made and sit 4,200 meters above sea level. If that wasn't interesting enough, the researchers found cut marks on several of the bones, suggesting that they had been de-fleshed (most likely with a metal knife). The researchers think this could be part of an unknown Himalayan death ritual! The researchers also found the remains of goats, cows, and horses, which might have been sacrifical offerings. So how did these bodies end up in "cliffside caves" anyhow? Researchers believe people used to access the caves using rocky outcrops and ladders but the caves are eroding so they are harder to accesss now. In the photo above, you can see that the cliffside caves and the human remains that they contain are only accessible by expert rock climbers.
The team of researchers think this ritual is connected to two other death rituals: Tibetan sky burials and a funerary rite from the Zoroastrian religion. Tibetan sky burials involve dismembering bodies and exposing them to the elements. Similary, Zoroastrians de-fleshed bodies and then fed the flesh to animals. The researchers think the people who created the cliffside burials in Nepal adopted the rituals of Zoroastrians who were were travelling through the territory. Then, this cave ritual in Nepal might have turned into, or inspired, the sky burials of Tibet. In this way, the cliffside cave burials might have acted as a "previously unknown bridge" between the Zoroastrian ritual and the later Tibetan sky burials.
Why a cave on a cliff?
The researchers believe that these isolated cliffs were chosen as burial spots because of local religious beliefs. For example, Buddhism was practiced in the region and this religion puts high value on the idea of religious retreat. Also, the people who practed this funerary ritual might have felt a connection to the landscape and viewed these caves as sacred.
This was my summary of the researchers discoveries and interpretations. For more info on this story go to this link:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/03/110301-himalayas-caves-defleshed-skeletons-science-nepal-mustang/
I think this find is very exciting since it can shed some light on the funerary rituals that were being practiced by this Himalayan group during this time period. I especially like the researchers' interpretation that this funerary practice might represent a "bridge" between older rituals and newer rituals. I think people in our culture are intrigued by stories like this one becase they present practices that are unheard of in our culture so people are fascinated by them. The funerary practice that is descrbied in this article shows two practices that are unique to our culture: burial in a cliffside cave and de-fleshing of the dead. For this reason, people think this story is "newsworthy." I know it certainly caught my eye!
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