It’s a Christian thing where people want their bodies preserved as long as possible in the belief that when the biblical end times arrive, you want a full body to rise from the dead. I’ve heard many relatives say to me that if you get cremated, there’s nothing left to rise when the Lord comes and takes everyone.

I’m Indigenous Canadian and the historic burials we had hundreds of years ago before colonization by Europeans and their Christian traditions was a lot different. I’m Cree / Ojibway in northern Ontario where there is mostly swamp, or rock and very little in between. Historically when we buried our dead, we built a simple scaffold of trees about ten feet high, then place the body on top, then mark the location with the tallest straight pole we could make. The body and marker would last maybe five to ten years before it would all disappear because of animals, insects, extreme cold, damp, and even forest fire. It takes longer to decompose if the body is left in or near swamp or wet areas. In deep swamp, the conditions are such that a body and bones could last for decades (look at the historic discoveries like Tollund Man )

When I went out to visit many of the places where my ancestors were from, my family knew where they all lived and travelled … but there were no markers, identifications, headstones or anything anywhere.

The land was just as pristine and beautiful as when they first used it while they were alive.

That’s exactly what I want to do with my legacy.