Bereavement Rituals in the Muscogee Creek Tribe

Abstract

A qualitative, collective case study explores bereavement rituals in the Muscogee Creek tribe. Data from interviews with 27 participants, all adult members of the tribe, revealed consensus on participation in certain bereavement rituals. Common rituals included: (a) conducting a wake service the night before burial; (b) never leaving the body alone before burial; (c) enclosing personal items and food in the casket; (d) digging graves by hand; (e) each individual throwing a handful of dirt into the grave before covering, called giving a "farewell handshake"; (f) covering the grave completely by hand; (g) building a house over the grave; (h) waiting 4 days before burial; (i) using medicine/purification; and (j) adhering to socialized mourning period. Cultural values of family, community, religion, importance of the number 4, Indian medicine, and the meaning of death contributed to the development of these rituals.

Muscogee Creek Spirituality and Meaning of Death

“…When asked about the spiritual aspects of deaths they had experienced, participants became more earnest, engaged in the interview, and even emotional in their answers. Although there was considerable replication when asked about other topics, such as bereavement rituals (Walker & Balk, 2007), participants often described spiritual experiences in an intensely personal way, as though the experience was intended specifically for them. Commonalities among the participants' spirituality were that all believed in life after death, for better or worse, and most had some sort of experience with spiritual beings related to a person's death.…”

“…Prior studies (Walker, 2008;Walker & Balk, 2007) have addressed general meaning of death for Creeks as a normal part of the life cycle, not an ending point but merely a transition, and not an event to be feared. Although opinions about specific factors regarding life after death differed, the general meaning associated with death was constant whether Christian, ceremonial ground member, or both.…”

“…All information in this article is intended to treasure and celebrate Muscogee Creek culture, spirituality, and meanings attributed to death. Previous articles (Walker, 2008;Walker & Balk, 2007) described Creek grieving and bereavement rituals and summarized the meaning participants associate with death. Whereas Chaudhuri and Chaudhuri (2001) provide a rich, complex, and eloquent description of the fundamentals of early religion, no studies in literature address specific aspects of Creek spirituality as related to death and bereavement.…”

Building Bridges in American Indian Bereavement Research

“…They brought in more and more Christian people to emphasize the teaching of the Bible and answering to God. They were not realizing that it was the same God (Walker, 2002). (50 year old man) Although tribal governance supports Creeks practicing religious freedom, tribal members continue to be divided, impacting the ability to derive an adequate sample.…”

Grieving in the Muscogee Creek Tribe

“…This model was used in a previous interpretation of Creek bereavement rituals (Walker & Balk, 2007), another application to communal as opposed to individual response. In keeping with this approach, I will use this perspective as the lens through which to view Creek grieving.…”