Diagnosis: Death! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cannibalism

The Fore tribe practiced a type of ritualistic endocannibalism. When someone died, they would eat pieces of the deceased in an attempt to gain the life force of the person who had died. It was done as a sign of respect. The men would eat muscle and the women and children would eat organ meat including the brain. Eating of the brain caused a fatal prion disease called Kuru.

It is related to mad cow disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The disease caused uncontrollable shaking and hysterical laughter.

It had an incubation period of as long as 20 years and was uniformly fatal.

Answer: Hinduism

The Hindu practice of suttee (or sati) is very rarely practiced today. At one time it was much more common and was practiced as a voluntary and sometimes forced ritual by the widow. The widow was often dressed in bridal finery before she was led to the funeral pyre.

The fire was then lit by the eldest son. The practice was seen as a testament to the grief suffered by the surviving spouse.

Answer: Storage for cremated ashes

Columbaria were large underground vaults used for storing the ashes of the deceased after cremation. Even the poorest of the poor were helped to pay for a small vestibule in a columbarium so that the family would have a place to keep their ancestors sacred remnants.

The Romans also had an unusual ritual wherein the eldest surviving male of the dying persons family would attempt to lean over and inhale the dying person's last breath. It was thought to bring them strength and good health. It is unknown how much disease may have been passed nor how many thousands of people died from this practice.

Answer: Ships

The Norse would often bury their dead in the ground inside large stone and/or wooden ships. Sometimes they would put the deceased inside a ship and fill it with food and other provisions, set the ship on fire and send it out to sea. Because ships and the sea was very important to the Nordic culture it was frequently found in their death and funerary rites.

Answer: Ocean

Most, but not all, people were laid to rest in the ocean. Their spirits returned to that which gave them and their people life and sustenance. Bodies were often wrapped in red cloth in the belief that this attracted sharks. If sharks were seen disposing of the deceased, it was thought that this provided a measure of safety to the deceased's sons and grandsons when they went to sea. Occasional burials in caves and sacred areas of the island did take place, and there was a tribal shaman who was called the keeper of the bones. But, by and large, burial was at sea, and the funeral celebrated the deceased as opposed to mourning him.

This was common practice until the 20th century.

Answer: China

The unusual hanging coffins of the Bo civilization are found in the southwestern part of China. Extensive works has been done to save these unique relics. When someone of the Bo tribe died, a solid piece of wood was hollowed out and the deceased was put inside. Men would hang off the side of limestone cliffs and bore holes in the cliff wall to put wooden braces.

The deceased was then lowered over the side and laid to rest in the open air cemetery. Other than their hanging coffins, very little is known about the Bo. Most of their culture and its beliefs have disappeared in time. Extensive work is being done at this time to try and save these important relics of China's unusual and varied past.

Answer: Vulture

The deceased were taken to areas similar to charnel grounds where the body was prepared. The remains were then taken to high secluded areas at the tops of the mountains where they were donated to the vultures. The land in the area is not favorable for underground burial plus the cadaver is only seen as a vessel from which the spirit has departed.

It is believed that the spirit will be reborn.

Answer: The Australian Aborigine

The disbelief in natural death was part of the Australian Aborigine culture. When someone was dying, the village became very calm and contemplative. They believed that any dead person was poisonous and could ruin hunting for the tribe. The could also cause a lack of drinkable water.

When someone died, loud wailing and crying would start throughout the village. The family of the deceased questioned everyone to make sure that they did not murder the deceased. The body was then smeared with red earth which was reminiscent of the blood present at birth.

The idea was that the deceased was born into an alternate plane of existence. Clan designs were painted on the body and then the body was put into the tallest tree in the area. About 90 days later the remains were retrieved, the bones were cleaned, and they were kept in the living area for three months.

After this, there was a quiet celebration that included a bonfire in which food was prepared and the bones were burned to ash. The spirit was eased into the next world and the tribe was then safe from retribution by the deceased.

Answer: His 1973 Pontiac Catalina

Mr. Holloway was interred sitting in the front seat of his Pontiac with all his guns beside him. Videos of this can be seen on YouTube and various other websites. He is not the first person to do this and will probably not be the last. After the vehicle, complete with body was lowered into the ground the whole thing was sealed with over a thousand pounds of concrete. Talk about taking it with you!

Answer: Catholic

It may surprise many people to know that this is a practice of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church has been known to disinter deceased persons that they think may be saints. The disinterment can happen after a few months or many years after death. If minimal signs of decay are noted these people are declared "Incorruptible" and are "reburied" in elaborate above ground glass coffins for the world to see.

They are often said to smell sweet and no odor of putrefaction can be detected. Enter the words "The Incorruptibles" into your tool bar when you are done this quiz to see some fascinating ritualistic death practices still done today, in the "modern world".