Traditional Sugar Cane Funeral Protocols

Helen Sandy, proofread by Jean William

Family Meetings; formal announcement of death is drawn up and released to the public, meet with WLFN representative to discuss the band’s contribution towards the funeral costs, assigning person to deal with issues that may arise and to coordinate action of each: head cook, pall bearers, cross bearer, bell ringer, pamphlet, person to sit with the coffin 24 hours, flower arrangement for casket — family, location of wake, location of food house (separate from wake), grave diggers, hearse driver.

Coordinator

Head Cook: Coordinates who will cook for each meal throughout the four-day wake, assign cooks for arrival of casket, and who will cook for the final feast.

One to arrange all to do with the casket: puts out request for pall bearers, assigns left and right arm carriers, works with assigned hearse driver / truck, bell ringer and cross bearer.

Family decides: who will take charge of funeral costs and arrangements with funeral home, will have final on hearse driver, pall bearer, honorary pall bearers, and cross bearer, family flower arrangement, location of wake, location of food house (separate from wake house), someone to build the rough box and cross.

Upon death, the wake house is completely cleaned using a mixture containing juniper (the kind that is flat, not the prickly kind). Mirrors and photographs are covered with black cloth. No TV or radio in wake house.

The men would go out to make wood for the wake fire; those who went out in the bush and the ones who stayed behind to chop the wood and make the fire pit, they would also clean up the yard for people to park and sit. A can is placed nearby to collect cigarette butts, location of church service.

A place in the wake house was chosen to place the casket. A white sheet or special blanket is placed on the floor beneath the coffin, an altar is placed at the head of the coffin; covered with a white clothe for the candles, flowers and holy water, a white sheet is placed on the wall behind the casket; decorated with small juniper branches, plastic flowers around the edge.

Hearse driver picks up the body from funeral home and drives a certain route to wake house. They must not exceed 60 Km/h throughout the drive home.

Sugar Cane Petroleum usually donates cigarettes for beside casket for people to take, decks of cards and tobacco to hand out to helpers.

The men and boys in the community dug the grave, the cooks fed them, young women and girls were sent out to collect the juniper, (flat kind, not prickly), to use for cleaning, disinfecting and smudging.