It is very common in cultures that consider disease to be the result of
malign magical influences such as witchcraft, punishment for
transgressing taboos, etc. to perceive death as a form of "sickness." It
can, therefore, like other sicknesses, be transmitted. Such a belief is
strengthened by the experience that people who come in contact with
diseased people often contract the same illness. If the illness is
lethal, such as plague, death may also ensue. Death is often considered
a state that never occurs naturally but only as the result of an outside
influence.
This belief is almost universal among traditional Native Americans (as
it was among the Pagan Romans). One who comes in contact with the dead
is expected to go through some sort of purification process such as a
sweat before re-entering the community, so as to avoid spreading this
contagion.
A search through the literature of medical anthropology should be
helpful.
Martin Pickands
New York State Museum
>>> [log in to unmask] 4/5/2007 7:30 PM >>>
This inquiry was posted on another listserv, Early Americanists, but I
thought maybe some of you might be able to assist Ms. Hutter. You may
post to either listserv, or respond to Dr. Griffin directly; I can
forward your response if you'd like.
Amy
Edward Griffin <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2007 14:49:33 -0500
From: Edward Griffin <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Taboo about touching corpses
To: [log in to unmask]
One of my graduate students, Liz Hutter, brought this question to me,
and I blush to confess that I have no answer. So I thought I'd send it
to all of you and hope that somebody will point us in the proper
direction. I can forward replies to her. Here's Liz's query:
In my research (late eighteenth century) on preventing and saving
individuals from accidents that could cause sudden death, I have come
upon a couple of brief references to social taboos that prevented
people
from touching or assisting an apparently dead body because corpses were
not supposed to be touched. I have been trying to locate other primary
and/or secondary discussions of such a taboo about corpses. Where did
it
come from? Why was a corpse not to be touched, especially one without
visible indications of illness? I surmised at first that the literature
on premature burial might provide some clues, but I haven't had any
luck. I would consider anything from the 18th and 19th centuries; the
17th century, too, if that is relevant. Do you have any ideas of
sources
that might illuminate reasons for this taboo? Or suggestions about
where
such information might be found?
Edward M. Griffin
Department of English
University of Minnesota
[log in to unmask]
Amy C. Kowal, RPA
Department of Anthropology
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-7772
(850) 644-4281
[log in to unmask]
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