Shrouds and their symbolism - Waiting for the sky

Shrouding the dead has acquired a rich amount of symbolism throughout history. In various cultures and rituals, this act has been interpreted in its own way, leading to many different meanings. Every week we share a story from the rich cultural history of the shroud.

Waiting for the sky

In present-day Peru, there once was a large society called the Chachapoya, also known as the Cloud Warriors, that predates the Incas. From what archaeologists have been able to determine, this society seems to have eschewed hierarchies. Their burial practices, while elaborate, were very egalitarian. The Chachapoya dead were buried as close to the sky as possible, resulting in high mountain burial sites. The bodies were mummified and wrapped in woven shrouds, a Chachapoya expertise, and placed on a cliff, almost as if waiting for something to come down from the sky and bring them home. It would have been an incredible amount of work to get the dead up to this height, and to create a place of reverence for them. In this tradition, the shroud becomes a sign of equality, and a remarkable testimony to the lengths people are willing to go in the name of reverence.