Jedan od običaja koju zapadni svet smatra „morbidnim, nenormalnim, nedopustivim, necivilizovanim“ jeste i način sahranjivanja koji praktikuje etička grupa Ifugao koja živi na severu ostrva Luzon, na planini Provins u mestu Sagada na Filipinima.

Jedan od običaja koju zapadni svet smatra „morbidnim, nenormalnim, nedopustivim, necivilizovanim“ jeste i način sahranjivanja koji praktikuje etička grupa Ifugao koja živi na severu ostrva Luzon, na planini Provins u mestu Sagada na Filipinima.

Narod u ovom mestu ima zaista jedinstveni ritual sahranjivanja. Stariji ljudi sami sebi rezbare kovčege unutar debala drveća, ili ukoliko su bolesni i nemoćni, to za njih čine njihova deca. Onda kada osoba umre, a ispostavi se da proporcije kovčega nisu odgovarajuće, uobičajeno je, ne da se pravi nov kovčeg, već da se lome kosti pokojnika, kako bi mogao da stane.

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The hanging coffins of the Philippines and China are mysterious in a number of ways... . Bodies have been placed in these precarious cliffside graves as recently as 2007, but remains have been discovered dating back as far as 3000 years. Nobody is sure how, or why, ancient people practiced this strange burial rite, although there are several theories. . How: Evidence of lots of rope was found at these sites, so it is generally believed that a lot of rope was used in the process of positioning the coffins. Some believe that scaffolding was used to position them from below, others believe ropes and pulleys lowered them down from above. In any case, it would have required a tremendous amount of effort, which brings us to... . Why: Many think the people who did this believed that placing the body up high would put the soul closer to heaven. Some think this was done to protect the bodies from animals. However, there is evidence suggesting that the bodies were buried and allowed to decompose prior to being put in the hanging coffins. Some believe the objective was to protect from looters, but it's inevitable that the rigging decomposes as well, and the remains eventually fall down. Tourists visiting the site are warned not to stand under the coffins. . Do you have any theories of your own? Why do you think this tradition originated? . -Kellen . . . . . . . . Photo credit: allcontinentsinonelife #hangingcoffins #cliffcoffins #deathrituals #deathpositive #funeral #funeralrites #history #archaeology #traditions #china #philippines #cliffburial

A post shared by Alyse Gray (@autopsy.pathology) on Jun 28, 2018 at 12:37pm PDT

Čak ni to nije „najluđa stvar“ koju ovaj narod čini. Ti kovčezi se ne zakopavaju u zemlju, što nije tolika retkost, ima mnogo naroda koji ne žele da prljaju zemlju, ali postoji li još negde gde kovčezi vise sa litice ili unutar pećina?

Ono što je sličnost sa zapadnim svetom, jeste da se vodi računa da članovi iste porodice budu sahranjeni jedni kraj drugih, a ovaj običaj se u Sagadi poštuje više od 2.000 godina. Postoje neki kovčezi koji su stari više od veka, ali većina je nakon što kanapi i drvo istrule, padala u ponor, piše "atlas obscura".

Razlog iz kojeg se kovčezi vezuju da vise sa litice je taj što narod u Sagadi veruje da što je na većoj visini pokojnik imaće veće šanse za bolji zagrobni život. Do mnogih kovčega je gotovo nemoguće i doći, što je takođe bila zaštita od zveri i neželjene pažnje drugih ljudi.

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Burial for the Igorot people ⚰️ 💀: 1, 5-6. Layaan cave (Abatan) 2. Hanging coffins (Sagada) 3. Lumiang burial cave (Sagada) 4. “Fire” mummy from the Timbac Cave (Kabayan National Museum) #smileytraveler #traveler #sagada #death #dead #coffin #coffins #burial #burialcave #bones #skull #skulls #thrill #cave #kabayan #mummy #igorots #hangingcoffins

A post shared by Bogdan Veselovski (@smiley.traveler) on Dec 8, 2019 at 6:36am PST