Grave Considerations - A photo essay

[Tronhard]

We live very close to the largest cemetery in Auckland, if not New Zealand. It's not the first time we have been close to a cemetery: in a previous residence they were just over the back fence, and it was a beautiful mature park with many native trees. It was alive with the calls of native birds and the cats that pursued them or the occasional rabbit inhabiting the undergrowth. This latest one is across a bush-covered valley. They make great neighbours: so quiet a night! It was only after we bought our home that the realtor told us that some people were put off by the concept of having sight of a graveyard, so their loss was our gain. Even the view we have is being obscured by a stand of tall bamboo.

When Europeans, and I guess especially people from the UK, think of cemeteries I suspect they see something like this:





or...



and...



Overgrown, lonely places that have many long-abandoned graves. Certainly these images represent parts of this cemetery that fall into that category, particularly the ones dominated by European Christian burials:


It is interesting to see where the clear limit for care ceases..

But this cemetery holds remains from many cultures. This area was heavily settled by immigrants from Dalmatia, who created many large market gardens before the urban sprawl swallowed them up. Their mark in the cemetery is made with some particularly imposing mausoleums (or if you will mausolea):

ALL of these structures belong to one family!


Then there is this imposing structure...



There is even one for some Muslim remains


And even one for a Hindu Lord (I'm not sure if that is a religious lord or a peer of the realm) - certainly the building is impressive and immaculately looked after.



We often have occasion to drive past the parts of the graveyard occupied by Maori and people from the Pacific Islands: from Tuvalu, Tonga, the Cook Islands and Fiji to name the majority. Their cultural approach to burial is dramatically different to that of the Europeans. The graves of family are places to visit and to share their lives with.


When burials take place there are large extended family (in Maori, Whanau - pronounced Fanau) gatherings and graves are bedecked with many floral and other tributes.



However, that does not stop there. The plots are carefully maintained and tended, and tokens are kept fresh and clean. Some cultures allow cremation but many (like Maori) prefer a traditional burial with major expenditure on grave stones to identify and express the lives of those who have passed on.


The grave of a distinguished figure from the island nation of Tuvalu

I had planned to photograph these and as we decided to go for a Christmas Day stroll through the area, I took my trusty Canon EOS 5DIV with the 24-105 f4 L lens along. I was amazed at the sights that greeted me: while the European areas were empty, the Pacifica sections were vibrant with families:





The place was alive with Pacifica families visiting their forebears. They brought chairs, food, beverages and sat in companionable connection to the graves as one would visit a dear living relative. In some cases they played traditional music. To me this part of the graveyard was not about the loss of life and being forgotten; it was about celebrating a life lived and continuing an association through generations with the ancestors. It was vibrant, colourful, respectful and totally engaging.


The Fifita family of Tongan origin gather to share Christmas with their cherished ancestors.

We could learn a lot from these lovely people.

[Shadowman]

We have a cemetery with a similar popularity, it is just as much a city park as it is a place of rest. The cemetery also has a very strict photography policy. Nice series.

https://www.forest-lawn.com/
https://www.forest-lawn.com/faq

[Donald]

What an amazing series.

There's definetly a photobook arising from this exploration/project, which may be in its early stages, but offers so many opportunities.

[Manfred M]

Fascinating series, Trevor.

I've always found that the funeral customs of various places around the world make interesting photographic topics, although they tend to be images of academic interest only as most people wouldn't necessarily put one of these on their wall. I have been considering entering a five image series of B&W images I took at the main cremation site in Kathmandu, Nepal into a photo print competition, just to gauge the reaction of the audience.

[rpcrowe]

Great series. Showing wonderful traditions of the Pacifica Families..... The Mexicans have similar traditions of visiting the graves of family members on "El Dia de Los Muertos" often shortened to "Dia Muertos" when graves are decorated and families join their departed loved ones in joyous, not sad, reunions at the grave sites...



Along those lines...I have pictures of the graves of one Irish branch of my family who settled in South Texas when Texas was part of Mexico around 1829. They were recruited by Mexico to act as a Roman Catholic buffer between Mexico proper and the encroaching Anglo settlers from the USA.

These images are in no way excellent photos however, they are very important to me, Both emotionally and as references for my genealogy; providing birth dates and places for those ancestors. I'd love to visit those grave sites someday and decorate them for "Dia Muertos" but, that is rather a low priority on my "bucket list"...

[Tronhard]

Hi Richard and thanks for your comments. Yes, visiting relatives for Europeans is less common because of our physical remoteness and also (I think) because of a cultural habit that make graveyards dark places. I have yet to find or visit the markers for my own parents I am sad to say.

[Tronhard]

Thanks to both Manfred and to Donald for your kind comments. Manfred, I would love to see your own images - I am sure they will be excellent!

The place is very interesting at night too, as many graves have solar lights, some of which change colour or sparkle. I shall have to make another trip!

[Tronhard]

There is a Jewish section, immaculately kept, but somewhat understated compared to the Pacifica sections:







I was intrigued to see that many plots here have a set of small stones laid by the head of the grave, as per this new plot.

[pschlute]

Great set of images. I remember the Hollywood Forever cemetery in LA, and Pere Lachaise in Paris as being the most interesting ones I have visited. When we lived in London we were close to Brompton Cemetary which had some famous inhabitants too.

The town where I now live made it's name because of burials. In the 19th century, London's cemeteries were becoming full and so the trend was to have your burial outside of London in Woking/Brookwood. You would travel from Waterloo with your party and coffin and be met at the station to be transported by horse and carriage to the cemetery. The town actually grew up after the station was built. This is the reason the main entrance to the station faces away from the town.

[davidedric]

Has anyone visited Madagascar? There, you are expected to build your parents a tomb bigger than your house. Note to self, must ,look out and scan Madagascar slides.
For myself, I'm hoping for a green burial and a cardboard coffin .

Dave

[DanK]

I was intrigued to see that many plots here have a set of small stones laid by the head of the grave,

A very old custom, but there is no agreement about how it originated, so there are similarly several different interpretations of the symbolism.

[Tronhard]

A very old custom, but there is no agreement about how it originated, so there are similarly several different interpretations of the symbolism.

I was wondering if it was symbolic of stones used to cover a grave to protect it from animal violation...

[rpcrowe]

Many, certainly not all but many, cemeteries that I have visited in the USA seem to be centered around one religion or one culture (the Hollywood Forever Cemetery is an exception to this).

The eclectic grouping of the various cultures and religion in the cemetery that you visited is very interesting...

This is a wonderful cartoon film that explains generally the feelings of El Dia de Los Muertos among people of Latin Culture...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygGtma-gAao

In Latin cultures, the Calaveras (skeletons) representing the departed loved ones are not something to fear but, are friendly and are symbols of love. That is why they are decorated with flowers. IMO we of Anglo Saxon heritage could learn a lot from this film in consideration of our attitudes towards the deaths of our departed loved ones.

BTW: The Ringling College of Art and Design is located in Sarasota, Florida and offers majors in many MFA areas.

https://www.ringling.edu/

Being a private college, it is extremely expensive to attend However, if this short animated film is an example of the quality of the education at that school, it might be worth considering if the student has the resources and talent...

[Tronhard]

That's interesting Richard. I am not aware of any exclusive cemeteries in NZ, except for a relatively new Mormon one in Hamilton, and Maori ones scattered around the country that precede European settlement. I think that in part at least, NZ's fairly recent and eclectic immigrant history has meant we all just shared. NZ is a very young nation.

[DanK]

That's interesting Richard. I am not aware of any exclusive cemeteries in NZ, except for a relatively new Mormon one in Hamilton, and Maori ones scattered around the country that precede European settlement. I think that in part at least, NZ's fairly recent and eclectic immigrant history has meant we all just shared. NZ is a very young nation.

They are common in the US. It's interesting that they aren't in NZ. I doubt that recency of immigration is the reason. A good bit of the immigration into the US was after NZ was established. The last big wave of immigration to the US before the current one started around 1880 and ended only in 1924, when nativists pushed through a bill that established immigration quotas based on the 1880 census. This is the immigration wave that accounts for much of the Italian, Slavic, and Jewish population in the US. Some of those immigrants are buried in sectarian cemeteries. Some of the eastern European Jewish immigrants set up "landsmanshaftn", associations of immigrants from the same area, to help each other in their new country. Some of these landsmanschaftn set up their own cemeteries or areas of their own within existing sectarian cemeteries.

[Tronhard]

I understand what you are saying but NZ was settled in the vast majority from the UK, so most people were Anglican, CofE, Methodist, or Catholic. The intensity of settlements from Dalmatia and another group from Nordic regions in the lower central North Island were anomalies rather than the rule. Settlements were small and often isolated, and geographically often hard to create space for anything unnecessary as NZ bush is VERY thick in places. I would suspect that it was easier to just share the spaces.

NZ's population grew in spurts, with spikes during the gold rushes and early settlement company projects, but the NZ wars that dominated the last few decades of the 19th Century saw a major slowing, probably because the US and Australia were growing. Population grew in bursts after each world war, but given that NZ is much larger than the UK, we still only had a population of 3 million about 1970.
See: https://teara.govt.nz/en/graph/28720...city-1840-2013

For quite a long time NZ has become less and less inclined towards any one religion, in fact in a recent national survey 63% of NZ did not identify with a religion. Given the religious polarization in the world one could say "thank heaven" for that, but then for most it would be meaningless!!

[Antonio Correia]

Trev, I have been to Guatemala last October at about 4 or 5 November.
We visited Chichicastenango where I took these photos on the 31.st October when they were preparing the festivities of the Day of the Dead. I have a few others in another cemetery.
I hope you don't mind if I post these images here. Thank you !

[rpcrowe]

Antonio... Pouring beer or some sort of spirits such as tequila is also a common practice if the departed one enjoyed drinking those beverages...

Our local Hispanic oriented supermarkets often have entire sections devoted to grave offerings...



From what I gather, Dia de Muertos (which is what El Dia de Los Muertos is generally called among the Mexican People) is one of the major holidays in Mexico and in Mexican communities outside of Mexico...

[Antonio Correia]

In Portugal, as far as I know as I am not religious, we do not have the habit of offerings but deposing flowers is very frequent.

[lunarbo]

I am pleased to find I am not alone in my fascination with cemeteries- all denominations, all areas, and when my husband and I go on our trips abroad then if there's a cemetery nearby then we'll go,with my camera. These places all feel different.
Some have stunning views (!), some have poignant messages or articles to remember the departed, all should be visited with respect to appreciate that brief but meaningful footprint that we hope to make upon Life.
Nowhere does this affect me more than in military cemeteries where often you can find rigid rows, immaculately kept, with the saddest inscription of all- "Known Unto God"
Contrast that with the tumbledown, stacked high stones Jewish Cemetery in Prague or the richly endowed mausoleums in Sicily where I suspect the Mafia guiltily paid on Earth for Quality Time in the Afterlife

You have inspired me to put them together as a project. If my Lightroom was properly organised this would of course be simple...

Meanwhile, Tronhard, we never found time to visit your "local" in Auckland but this lovely slope in Napier, enriched with blooms , gave it an unique charm.