The discipline of anthropology is heavily
based on cross-cultural comparisons, thus I felt it was appropriate to include
an example of mummies and deification in another cultural context. In this blog
post I will outline the information present in Gildow’s (2005) article on
mummies and deification in contemporary Taiwanese society.
Gildow
(2005) described the Han culture of China and Taiwan as one that associates
much fear with the dead and tends to regard corpses as perpetuating a kind of
metaphysical pollution. Despite the taboo associated with corpses, mummies can
still be found throughout the Taiwanese countryside. These mummies are often enshrined,
guilded, and decorated with many jewels. They are then worshipped as deities,
with people going on pilgrimages to visit the mummies and seek wish fulfillment.
Despite their similar appearance to statues, these are still known to be bodily
remains. Gildow goes on to explain the reasons behind the apparent
contradiction in values surrounding mummy deification. The author also
describes the process of mummification and changing attitudes surrounding
bodily remains in contemporary Taiwan.
Mummification in Taiwan,
according to Gildow (2005:4), originates from two distinct but similar religious
traditions, Buddhism and Daoism. In the case of Buddhism, the individuals that
were mummified, enshrined, and worshipped were typically monks. Also known as “flesh-body
bodhisattvas,” these mummies were preserved throughout an elaborate process
involving dessication (with chemicals such as salt, charcoal, and lime) and the
addition of a protective lacquer coating. Although the bodies are preserved
through these processes, Buddhist beliefs maintain that the bodies of deceased
are allowed to endure because of the person’s spiritual virtues. In contrast,
the Daoist tradition involves the mummification and deification of individuals
who were perceived by their respective communities to be exceptional, and often
associated with some kind of spiritual power. In both Buddhist and non-Buddhist
examples, the preservation of the corpse is believed to preserve the power of
the dead (Gildow 2005:16).
Figure 1 from Gildow (2005) depicts an
example of non-Buddhist mummification and worship in contemporary Taiwan. This
is the mummified body of Dexiu, an important Daoist religious figure of the
late 20th century.
In other
cultural contexts within Taiwan, most corpses are feared and are said to be
most dangerous during the initial stages of decomposition (Gildow 2005:16).
Exhumation and second burial is said to be common in the Taiwanese culture. As
described by Gildow (2005:18) the bones of ancestors are typically collected by
a designated “bone collector”. The
condition of the body at the time of the exhumation is said to be indicative of
whether or not the corpse is considered good or bad. Particularly well-preserved
bodies are called “shaded corpses.” These bodies are considered bad and are
thought to bring misfortune (Gildow 2005:22).
These remains are dealt with by cremation or by cleaning the flesh off
the bones. If or when the bones are considered to be sufficiently clean, they
are reburied in burial urns. The decision of what to do with shaded corpses appeared
to be controversial as the destruction of the bones was said to destroy the
spiritual energies within the bones and sever the connection between the
ancestor and the descendants (Gildow 2005:22).
Figure 2 from Gildow (2005) depicts the
preservation process of the bones prior to reburial.
Ultimately,
Gildow concluded that the fear of corpses was not universal in contemporary
Taiwan. The moral evaluations of the dead were contingent on the cultural
traditions of the specific people within the society. In some cases, preserved
corpses were said to be beneficial, being able to grant wishes (as in the
Buddhist tradition). In general, however, well-preserved corpses were regarded
with disdain and fear (as seen with the shaded corpses).
References
Gildow, D.M. 2005. Flesh Bodies, Stiff Corpses,
and Gathered Gold: Mummy Worship, Corpse Processing, and Mortuary Ritual in
Contemporary Taiwan. Journal of Chinese
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