Multi-culture & Death

            Dr. O'Riordan began to give seminars on multi-culture and death at John F. Kennedy University, University of Santa Clara, nurses and social workers at Stanford University, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, KARA, Palo Alto and other organizations. He teaches people to be aware of cultural variables as a way for the hospital and hospice staff to decrease their stress about death and increase their cultural communication with the family.

            He also teaches the variety of mythical stories from around the world about death. Each society has its own day to honor the dead and take time to give the cultural respect to the dead. The Innit or Inuit people have their own stories about the dying and death. They believe that death is closely related to the Aurora Borealis. There is a rich supply of stories about the Hummingbird in the Native-American mythology of the dead. From ancient times, the people of Michoacan have honored the past lives as the Days of the Dead (Dias de los Muertos) and celebration have traveled into Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas.

            The festival of the dead is recognized in China during April 4, 5, or 6 and is called QuingmingJie (Clear Brightness). In Japan, death is celebrated on August 13, 14, and 15 and is called O-Bon Festival. In Viet Nam, March 9 is called Giay cokhi chon cat (Weed pulling of tombs) and July 15 is the Chet khong nguoi nbidong doi (Death without descendants) as a way to remember the dead. For thousands of years the people of the seven Celtic nations have honored Mo rrigan (spirit of the dead) during the month of November. December 26 is the spirit Cernunnos day to remember the death of animals, birds and especially those who have been killed for our food.

            Contact Dr. O'Riordan by telephone at (650) 948-9989,
or by email at tubrid@stanford.edu 

Resources

Berrin, K., et al. (Eds.). (1993). Teotihuacan. Thomas & Hudson, New York.

Carmichael, E., et al. (1992). The skeleton at the feast: The day of the deadinMexico. University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas.

Childs, R. V., et al. (1982). Vive tu recuerdo: Living traditions in the Mexican days of the dead. (H. Quinones, trans.), University of California Press, Los Angeles, California.

Chow, Claire S. (1998). Leaving deep water: The lives of Asiain-American woman at the crossroads of two cultures. A Dutton Book, New York.

de Garis, F., et al. (Eds.). (1964). We Japanese: Being descriptions of many of the customs, manners, ceremonies, festivals, arts and crafts of the Japanese besides numerous other subjects. Yamagata Press, Yokohama, Kanagawa-Ken, Japan.

de la Raza, G. (1989). Annual el dia de los muertos celebration. Mission Arts Consortium, San Francisco, California.

Ebersole, G. L. (1989). Ritualpoetry and the politics of death in early Japan. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.

Echo-Howk, Roger C, et al. (1994). Battlefields and burial grounds: The Indian struggle to protect ancestral graves in the United States. Lerner Publications Co., Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Egyptian book of the dead. (1967). (E. A. W. Buge, Trans.). Dover Publications, New York. (Original work published 1895).

Greenleigh, J., et al. (1991). The days of the dead: Mexico's festival of communion with the departed. Collins Publishers, San Francisco, California.

Guillemin, H. (1973). Joan: Maid of Orleans. (H. J. Salemson, Trans.). Saturday Review Press, New York.

Helllman, Cecil G. (1994). Culture, health and illness. Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford Press, New York.

Irish, Donald P., etal. (Eds.). (1993). Ethnic variations in dying, death, and grief: Diversity in the universality. Taylor & Francis, Washington, District of Columbus.

Japanese death poems, (1990). E. Turtle Co., Tokyo, Tokyo-Ken, Japan.

Kalish, R. A., etal. (1981). Death and ethnicity. Baywood Publishing Co., Inc., New York.

Kraut, Alan. (1995). Silent travelers: Germs, genes, and the immigrant menace. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Ohio.

Regents of the University of California. (1993). Dia de los muerios: An illustrated essay. University of California, Santa Barbara, California.

Rosenbaum, Edward E. (1991). The doctor. Random House, New York.

Salinas-Norman, B. (1991). Indo-Hispanic folk art traditions II. Pinata Publications, Oakland, California.

Simon, Mariam. (aka., Starhawk)., & O'Brian, Aline., (aka., M. Macha NightMare). (1997). The pagan book of living and dying: Pactical rituals, prayers, blessings and mediations on crossing over. HarperCollins, San Francisco, California.

Stepanchuk, C, et al. (1991). Mooncakes and hungry ghosts: Festivals of China. China Books & Periodicals, San Francisco, California.

Takaki, R. (1989). Stramgers from a different shore: A history of Asian Americans. Penguin Books, New York.

Takemoto, A., et al. (1986). Death: Rites of passage. The Nembutsu Press, Los Angeles, California.

The Tibetan book of the dead. (1957). (F. Fremantle, & C. Trunga, Trans). Oxford University Press, London, England.

Watson, J. L., et al. (Eds.). (1990). Death ritual in late imperial and modern China. University of California, Berkeley, California.

Yarrow, H. C. (1979). North American Indian burial customs. Eagle's View Publishing, Ogden, Utah.

Video

Thomas, J. (Producer). (1990). Dia de los muertos. [video]. Productions, Santa Fé, New Mexico.