North American Death Practices

The United States is a very large country comprising 50 states, each with its own state Constitution and laws. With a population of nearly 330 million made up of people from dozens of different cultures and ethnicities, its practices around death and dying are varied and rich. The following articles offer a sampling of death practices and traditions you might encounter among the people living in various regions of the U.S., including the Inuit people of Alaska and Native Hawaiians. 

Here are 27 practices:

• Ethnic Minorities in Cities Across the U.S. Honor Their Loved Ones on Memorial T-shirts. 

• Every August, Thousands of Americans Gather in the Nevada Desert to Honor Impermanence at Nine-Day Festival Known as “Burning Man” 
• Americans Display Their Irreverent Humor by Giving Cocktails Deadly Names
• One of America’s Favorite Columnists Takes a Humorous Look at Where Cats Go After Crossing “The Rainbow Bridge.” 
• Long Before Funeral Homes Became the Norm, American Women Cared for the Dying and the Dead
• Upon Their Arrival in the New World, America’s Pilgrims Faced Mass Death and Impossible Burials
• Each Year on the Summer Solstice, Hundreds of Americans Celebrate the Cycle of Life and Death at The Pagan Spirit Gathering in Illinois.
• Social Media Is Impacting How Americans Mourn in Positive and Negative Ways.
• More Americans Are Choosing to “Witness” Their Loved One’s Cremations, But the Option Isn’t Available to All
• In the U.S., The Tradition of Sending Flowers to Mourners Dates Back Hundreds of Years
• The Traditional Burial Practices of America’s South Appalachian Mountains Are Enjoying a Rebirth in Today’s Green Burials
• African Americans in New Orleans Carries on the Age-Old Tradition of Playing Festive Jazz Music as a Send-Off for the Dead
• A West African Tradition of Dancing the Dead to Their Final Resting Place Is Still Practiced in the American South
• Some Americans Are Adopting the Ancient Tradition of Capturing Tears in Small Bottles as a Tribute to Those Who Have Died
• During the Victorian Age, American Women Turned Black Mourning Attire into Seductive Dresses to Attract the Opposite Sex
• Some Americans Are Incorporating Their Loved Ones’ Cremation Ashes Into Memorial Tattoos
• Long-Standing Military Rituals Honor Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces After Their Death
• Horses and Flags Have Been an Integral Part of American Military Funerals for Over a Century, 
• Gunfire Has Become a Widely Accepted Way to Salute Fallen Soldiers Who Served in the U.S. Military
• In American Cities Hard Hit by Gang Violence, Drive-Thru Funerals Offer a Safe, Convenient, But Deeply Unsatisfying Way to Say Goodbye 
• Victorian-Era Funeral Wreaths Are Inspiring Americans to Create Beautiful, DIY Wreaths as Modern Funeral Decor
• In a Fitting Tribute, “Star Trek” Creator Gene Roddenberry Took a Symbolic Spaceflight After His Death 
• Two U.S. Companies Are Offering to Fly a Small Part of Your Cremation Ashes Into Space and Back
• Cremation Has Surpassed Burial as the Preferred Method of Final Disposition in the U.S. 
• Though Technically Illegal in the U.S., Psychedelics Like Ayahuasca Are Enjoying a New Found Acceptance in End-of-Life Care
• The Funeral Traditions of America’s Earliest Settlers Reflected the Harsh Realities of Their Difficult and Too Short Lives
• Americans Are Turning to Digital Tools to Connect With Their Ancestral Roots

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

Canada is a large and culturally diverse country. Its original inhabitants were the same Native American tribes that populated much of the U.S., including the Souix, the Huron-Wendat, the Iroquois, and the Cree. But European settlers, first from France and later from Great Britain, colonized the country, leaving only small populations of Indigenous inhabitants in their wake. 

Today, two main groups dominate Canadian culture, those of French descent (French Canadians) and those of British descent. Although the two battled for control of the country for more than a century, they now live quite amicably side by side, speaking different languages and practicing different religions (most French Canadians are Catholic; most of the Britons are Protestant.) There are also about 1.67 million Canadians who identify as Aboriginal persons. They are divided between First Persons (Indians), Inuits and Metis. Each of these groups has its own language, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs, including beliefs about death and the afterlife. 

With that being said, traditional funerals with the body present remain the norm for most Canadians, followed by cremation or, less often, burial. Canada has the highest cremation rate in North America at 73%. 

Read more about how Canadians view death, mourning and remembrance below. 

• The Indigenous Haida People of Canada’s Pacific Northwest Once Left Their Dead to Decay in the Elements in Open Pits

The country of Mexico is large and diverse, with over 31 states and one federal district, each with its own cultural norms. Once home to three of the pre-Columbian world’s most sophisticated civilizations (the Toltecs, the Mayans and the Aztecs), Mexican culture was heavily influenced by the Spanish, who destroyed the Aztec Empire in 1521 and occupied the country until it won its independence in 1822. Due to the influence of Spain and the many Roman Catholic missionaries who began arriving in the country around 1523, modern Mexico is overwhelmingly Catholic. Nonetheless, many of the country’s over 100 million people retain deep bonds with their indigenous roots, and their traditions and rituals around death and mourning reflect that connection in many ways.

Read more about Mexican traditions, customs and beliefs around death and mourning below.

• Mexico’s Ancient Aztecs Had a Belief System Around Death So Complex  That It Included over 1,000 Gods, 14 Heavens and Nine Hells. 
• In Central Mexico, the Influence of the Ancient Zapotec Culture Is Still Felt in Modern Rituals Around Death
• Each Year on Mexico’s Day of the Dead, Families Honor Those Who Have Died by Building Ceremonial Altars and Lighting Candles in Their Homes
• Mexico’s Day of the Dead Is Actually a Celebration of Life
• Ancient Zapotec Rituals Included Burying the Dead Under the Family Home, Bloodletting at the Gravesite and Preserving Loved Ones’ Bones

Central America is a narrow isthmus that sits between North America and South America. It  comprises the countries of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. Originally home to many Native Americans, the area was colonized by the Spanish in the early 1500s, and Spanish culture and the Roman Catholic Church (nearly three-quarters of Spaniards are Catholic) have heavily influenced the region since that time.. Nonetheless, many of the traditions of the Indigenous people of Central America, including rituals around death and mourning, live on to this day. 

Read more about some Central American beliefs and customs around death, mourning and remembrance below.

• A Mix of Ancient Superstitions and Roman Catholic Rituals Are Apparent at Guatemalan Funerals

The Islands of the Caribbean are located in the Caribbean Sea to the east of Central America. The largest of these islands are Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Hispaniola (which encompasses the Dominican Republic and Haiti) and Cuba. Culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse, the islands are largely populated by the descendants of African slaves, 5 million of whom were brought to the Caribbean in the early 18th century by Spanish settlers to work the sugar cane fields. Later, the Spanish were joined by other European settlers and large numbers of Christian missionaries, which accounts for much of the cultural diversity seen in the islands today. 

Although nominally Christian, many of the islands’ inhabitants cling strongly to their African roots, and ancient superstitions, mysticism and rituals, especially around death and the afterlife, are still prevalent throughout. 

Read more about the beliefs and traditions of the people of the Caribbean below.

Haitians

• In the Tiny Country of Haiti, Ancient African Funeral Traditions Are Evident in the Widespread Practice of Vodou

Jamaicans

• In Jamaica, Mourners Prepare a Meal For a Deceased Loved One On The Ninth Night After Their Death to Celebrate Their Entry Into the Spirit World.