Alternative Memorials: Ghost Bikes

This entry will focus on alternative twenty-first century Canadian memorial practices and how they can relate to the archaeological record.

 Canada is a conglomeration of multiple cultures, as such there are various mortuary rituals that allow people to grieve for their deceased loved ones in an extremely personal way. After googling various memorial practices I came upon a PDF book by Robert Tobler called “Alternative Memorials: Death and Memory in Contemporary America.” In this book Tobler examines unique memorial practices such as the creation of Myspace memorial pages, tattoos, and ghost bikes as methods of grieving. I have often heard and seen the first two methods of commemoration and memorial practices but I had never heard of Ghost Bikes before. According to Tobler, ghost bikes are found “at the sites of fatal bicycle-automobile collisions,” (pp. 4 Tobler).

Putting Todler’s book aside, I began looking up images of ghost bikes on google images and discovered that ghost bikes are beautiful bicycles, painted white and decorated with flowers, cards, and photographs. These memorials can certainly be temporary but let’s just say in a future archaeological  excavation one of these bicycles is uncovered, with the residue of flowers, cards, and the metal of the bike still contains white paint, containing an engraved name of the deceased and the day of death.

Ghost bikes are just one of the amazing examples of contemporary temporary memorial artifacts, that reveal our society as commemorating the dead in a public way, preserving the life of the living by constructing an artifact that resembles how the person died, and or what the person loved to do while alive.

Moreover, temporary memorial sites such as ghost bikes, provide ways for the living to grieve by placing flowers on the bicycle, notes, photographs. For example, I’m sure the craftsmanship of the bicycles can reveal a lot about the economic status of the deceased individuals.

 Websites:

I wrote this blog rather quickly, because I won't have time to write all weekend, I'll come back and edit my citations later.

https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/10821/Dobler_Robert_ma2010su.pdf?sequence=1

“ALTERNATIVE MEMORIALS: DEATH AND MEMORY IN CONTEMPORARY

AMERICA” by Robert Dobler.

http://www.ghostbikes.org/

Necropolis at Caere

After I thought about what I wanted my own grave site to look like (i.e. replication of my bedroom) I had a Greek and Roman studies lecture on an Etruscan city named Cerveteri or Caere.  This site, which is very close to Rome, is one of the most famous Etruscan cities and dates back to 9C B.C.E.. The image above shows the famous Necropolis, a mass grave site, where the people replicated their entire homes! How cool is that!?

I fancy my grave to be...

Imagine the garden walks so memorable to the novels of Jane Austen:  acres of trees, hidden grottos, lakes, and mysterious mausoleums that look as though they came from ancient Rome.

If I were to choose one place in the world for my body to rest for all eternity I would choose a place like that, a mausoleum hidden from civilization.   To throw a little morbid twist to this fancy I’d like to imagine the interior space of the mausoleum to reflect everything I love and encapsulated during my lifetime. To begin with, I want the interior to replicate my bedroom! Yes you heard me, I want my four poster bed, my dresser, my piano, my book shelves and all the books that I have read and love in the tiny little space. I want my own paintings of acrylic, watercolor and oil. I’d also have copies of my journals and photographs of my travels in the hope chest at the foot of my bed.  Moreover, I’d like my collection of Road to Avonle, Anne of Green Gables and Disney movies to accompany me on the long journey to the otherworld.  To stick with tradition of so many graves in many cultures, I would like all my favorite foods to go with me as well: sprite, green tea, popcorn, apples, grapes, CHOCOLATE. Lastly, I would like to be buried with a winning Lotto 649 ticket for 3.5 million dollars, which would pay for this elaborate funeral.

If this mausoleum, my grave, were to lay undisturbed for thousands of years and then eventually was excavated I would like people to know my personal hobbies, my joys in life, that I was educated, loved history, and worldly traveled. These grave goods would also reflect that I was a daughter, a sister, a romantic, and enjoyed my childhood.

In reality, because I am so young, and live off a student’s salary, I have no control over how I am to be buried. It will probably be my parents choice of where to place my body. I pray they burry me and not cremate me, because ever since I read the Cremation of Sam Mcgee by Robert Service the idea of cremation has scared me. It will be a simple and plain burial somewhere in Victoria, British Columbia. My family probably would dress me in white, NOT BLACK, and bury me with my novels, some tacky flowers, and a little memorabilia that remind them of me like a photo of camping, or a letter. These modest grave goods would display that I was the youngest daughter, a sister to three siblings, and that my grandparents played a prominent role in my life. It would also display that I come from a middle class family, not an overtly wealthy, or religious family but I'm sure they would put one of my cross necklaces around my neck. Lastly, I'm sure my friends will place disney drawings into my grave like Beauty and the Beast and awesome stories and letters they have written for me over the years.   

Digging for Shakespeare: Field Experience in England anyone??

Howdy,
I would like to take the time to share with you an upcoming archaeology volunteering opportunity for anyone interested in traveling to England from April-November 2011.
 Last summer I volunteered at the New Place archaeology site (Shakespeare's Home), in Stratford Upon Avon. The project is called ‘Digging for Shakespeare’ and was supervised by two really awesome grad students from Birmingham University. As well, many of the volunteers I worked with were experienced archaeologists/ professors that lived close to the site. It was like a free field seminar course, and I gained a lot of hands on experience:  how to use excavation tools like a trowel, sifter  (harder then you’d think), identifying stratigraphy changes, or the difference between medieval from Victorian sediments,  and discovering how to identify fire pits, post molds, rock from bones, medieval pottery from Victorian pottery. I also got to assist in drawing site maps, laying out datum points. I got to clean, organize, label the artifacts I discovered. My favorite duty on site believe it or not was explaining to the Nash House museum visitors the history of the site.  The majority of the excavation site is viewed by the visitors to the museum, which they view from a walk way platform, but there was an interactive activity area where each visitor, particularly really young kids, got to test out archaeology tools and clean medieval and Victorian artifacts. I really enjoyed explaining the importance of archaeology and what archaeology is to the visitors.
SUPER FUN... anyone who is interested in John Nash, Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare, or how archival research leads to excavating sites would loveeeeeeeeeee this town!

For people who are interested in wanting to know more about the excavation and how to get involved email:

Chloe Malendewicz (Chloe.Malendewicz@shakespeare.org.uk)

website to browse: http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/

Anthropology 392: Beyond the Grave

Captains Blog,

First blog entry. The date is 1/6/2011.

 It has been two days since my assignment has been known to me and my fellow peers. Now it is time I must reflect alone, on the reasons why I am so determined to complete the blog mission of exploring archaeology beyond the grave. What is it that sparks my curiosity of wanting to learn more about the cultural practices and rituals the living perform in commemoration of the dead?

I suppose the reason I enrolled myself in this course stems from the recognition that I am a living person who loves and is loved. I am a woman that will one day die and when that day comes I would like to think that my loved ones will commemorate me, honour me, and provide a marker of where I am buried.  I would like to be buried so that hundreds of years from my now my ancestors will know that I existed and that they have a history because of me.

I am interested in this class because I want to know more about my own cultural story which is revealed to archaeologists through the excavation of burials and through the analysis of funeral inclusions. I believe this course will supply meaning to the artifacts that are found at burial sites and will teach me how to respect the people who lived in the past. My goal for this class is to become a voice for the dead and an heir to their story.  

One of my main areas of interests in the field of archaeology is primarily Celtic, particularly Le Tene and Hallstatt culture. In the discipline of history I am most interested in Scotland and Ireland because that is where my family originated before immigrating to Canada. When I visited the places my great grandparents grew up I felt a strange sense of belonging. My crazed obsession with the British Isles has led me to apply to UVIC’s outgoing exchange program for next fall and or spring semester. I hope in the near future to study at Stirling University or Exeter University.

I look forward to meeting and working with my fellow archaeologists this semester and wish everyone luck in our exploration of death and the afterlife.

Adieu,

Megan Dicks