Sky Burial Ceremony

[mgltacoma]

I just had interesting conversation with my co-worker. He just mentioned something about some Native Americans believe that eaten by a bird burial is common among them. When he said that I also remembered that in Mongolia we do the same thing(mostly in rural areas in olden times). After doing some googling This ceremony is called "Sky burial". It is also common among Tibetans. What do you guys think about this ceremony and its relation to Native Americans and Asians who practice it?

[Temüjin]

Tibetans do it because they can't bury their deads due to the ground being hard to work.

[sarmat]

I read that in Tibet it may an influence of Zorastrinism, though the hard working ground explanation seems very logical...

[Subu'atai]

Open burial seems to be a very nice way to make sure my corpse doesn't go to waste. But of course, knowing wifey, if I die, I'll probably get a freaking Christian cross above my corpse for all eternity!!! -.-

[H. İhsan Erkoç]

It was also used by some early medieval Turkic peoples in southern Siberia as well.

[Ardavarz]

In Zoroastrian religion this kind of burial (called daxme neshini) is explained by the taboo of not polluting the natural elements (earth, fire or water). When the corpse is laid on a "silent tower" (daxme) it is believed that if the vulture eats first his right eye, the deceased person goes to heaven.

There was some Steppe tribes who adopt Zoroastrianism although it was generally a religion of sedentary peoples. Zarathushtra himself was probably born amongst Saka-Scythian tribes in Middle Asia (around nowadays Kazakhstan). Maybe a similar custom was not uncommon in the Steppe too.

[Bor Chono]

Just my opinion on this :
My father`s side grandfather asked for this. He is a Lama =Tibetian Buddhist. But his father and his father is buried in Khentii aimag.
Scythians used to bury their dead, Huns used to bury their dead,

Mongols have fairy tales how to bury a warrior. it says you kill a horse put the dead with his armor & weapon inside this horse and bury.

If evil shaman insists his dog and wife can go too

Ofcouse those shamans are different type ;D they will ask to bury them under a young tree. Tree will become worship tree or holy tree.
Buddhism came and brought many changes.

Some shamans say burning and offering body to bird and wolf is wrong. U usually give your enemy body to fire and wild animals. Own dead must be collected from battle field before crows eat their eyes. Next life will be different if your body is disrespected. Everyone is buried in special place. The dead ancestors will protect you and your land.

Turks know that Mongolia is their ancestral land because of Turkic graves.

[snafu]

The Orkhon Uighurs supposedly buried their dead warriors standing up.

[H. İhsan Erkoç]

Yes, more correctly, not just the Orkhon Uyghurs but the entire Gao-che 高車 people, of whom the Uyghurs were a part of, did.

[Bor Chono]

Nov 20, 2010 18:50:46 GMT 3 snafu said:

The Orkhon Uighurs supposedly buried their dead warriors standing up.

Not a good position to rest in peace