Friday November 4, 2023 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends | CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS of the NOV 4 EVENT
The human desire to stay connected with ancestors is seen across many cultures.
That phenomenon will be explored for the afternoon by Camosun College students with a pop-up exhibit and presentation at the Royal BC Museum at 675 Belleville Street in downtown Victoria.
That’s happening on Saturday November 4, from 1 to 3 pm.
- Admission by donation to the local food banks (bring a non-perishable food item).
- Arrive at the museum’s main foyer to find the ‘Loving Ancestors and Restless Ghosts’ welcome booth.
This exploration of death literacy and grief management delves into cultural perspectives on good and bad deaths, communication with ancestors using mediums and technology, and global traditions of caring for ancestors.
The exhibit invites everyone to consider death not as a morbid topic but as an essential aspect of life. As people get older, they hope they will be remembered by their family. Many cultures have found ways to exercise this generational connection.
Anthropology of Death:
The instructor for the Camosun College anthropology course called Anthropology of Death is Nicole Kilburn. She has taught the course every fall around the Halloween season since 2018, to explore the veil between worlds as a way to maintain ongoing relationships with ancestors, with a cross-cultural perspective.
Kilburn says late October and early November is a time when natural seasonal changes have impacted human cultures to think about death and rebirth. For the Celts this is a new year season.
Halloween is on October 31, while All Saints Day is November 1 and All Souls Day is November 2.
The event also loosely ties in with the current Royal BC Museum exhibit called ANGKOR: THE LOST EMPIRE OF CAMBODIA (on until January 14, 2024).
Anthropology courses at Camosun:
Anthropology is an exciting discipline that offers insight into who we are as a species and how we came to be, says the Camosun Anthrology Department, where courses are offered in four sub-fields: cultural, biological, linguistic, and archaeological.
