Native American Death Practices

The term Native Americans or Indigenous Americans encompasses numerous cultures and subcultures. According to the National Congress of American Indians, there are 574 federally recognized Indian Nations (also known as tribes, bands, communities and native villages.) About 229 of these tribes are located in Alaska, where Indigenous Americans are generally referred to as Inuits (the term Eskimo has fallen out of favor in recent years.) Others are spread over 35 states, including Hawaii, where over 525,000 people identify as Native Hawaiians — descendants of the island chain’s original Polynesian settlers. Like the rest of the U.S., these groups are culturally, linguistically and ethnically diverse. For this reason, it’s important to recognize that any of the following articles may only apply to the particular tribe that is discussed therein. 

• On the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation in Central Minnesota, People of the Ojibwe Tribe Practice Rituals that Honor the Connection Between the Living and the Dead
• Since 2016, Citizens of the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota Nations Have Been Battling U.S. Oil Companies to Preserve Ancient Burial Sites
• Native American Tribes of the Pacific Northwest Are Working to Preserve Centuries-Old Totem Poles that Honor the Dead
• Among Many Native American Tribes, Life and Death Are Part of an Infinite Continuum with No Beginning and No End
• Long Before the Term Green Burial Existed, Native American Tribes Across the U.S. Practiced Rituals That Honored the Earth Along with the Dead

• The Tolkotin Tribe of the Pacific Northwest Had Elaborate Burial Traditions That Included a Ritual Cremation Followed by a Burial.
• The Wampanoag Tribe of New England Sent the Dead to Their Graves with Tools and Furs to Use in the Afterlife 
• Some Ancient Hawaiian Tribes Buried Secretly Buried Their Dead in Natural Caves Tucked into the Island’s Lava Rock