The Romani: Death and Mortuary Practices
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Document Type
Event
Professional Biography
Samantha Zahn is a second-year Master’s student in an Applied Anthropology Program at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Her research focuses particularly on bioarchaeology, osteology, and funerary analysis of historical midwestern populations. She received her bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, English, and a certificate in American Indigenous studies. Samantha’s past professional experiences have been in Harghita County, Romania where she worked in an archaeological dig and completed the following funerary analysis.
Description
The complex narratives of the Romani have been collected by anthropologists, historians, and ethnographers throughout the 18th century and even present day. However, the representation of Romani has been romanticized in academia due to their social status and multifaceted religious beliefs and practices. Specific forms of funerary traditions have been observed and analyzed by outsiders to recognize the uniqueness of Romani culture. The Romani death rituals not only focus on the deceased, but the sacredness of landscapes and the form of spirituality that the Romani associate themselves with throughout their lifetime. By addressing the history of the Romani and their death practices, anthropologists can interpret contemporary mortuary and funerary customs that involve relationships between the living and the dead.
Keywords
Romani, mortuary analysis, death practices
Degree
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Anthropology
College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
First Faculty Advisor's Name
Kathleen Blue
First Faculty Advisor's Department
Anthropology
First Faculty Advisor's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Zahn-Hiepler, S. (2018). The Romani: Death and Mortuary Practices. Presented at the 2018 Graduate Online Symposium, Mankato, MN. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/gos/2018/presentations/9/
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
The Romani: Death and Mortuary Practices
The complex narratives of the Romani have been collected by anthropologists, historians, and ethnographers throughout the 18th century and even present day. However, the representation of Romani has been romanticized in academia due to their social status and multifaceted religious beliefs and practices. Specific forms of funerary traditions have been observed and analyzed by outsiders to recognize the uniqueness of Romani culture. The Romani death rituals not only focus on the deceased, but the sacredness of landscapes and the form of spirituality that the Romani associate themselves with throughout their lifetime. By addressing the history of the Romani and their death practices, anthropologists can interpret contemporary mortuary and funerary customs that involve relationships between the living and the dead.
