Chapter 13 Section 5 Tree Burial

Tree burials are also called wind burials, forest burials, hanging burials, and air burials, and they are open-air burials like sky burials.In the past, the Oroqen, Ewenki and other ethnic groups used this burial style.After the person dies, put them in a single wooden coffin, transport them to the woods, place the dead head facing south on a tree branch about two meters high, ask the wizard and shaman to recite spells, and relatives and friends will carry out some sacrifice activities, and the funeral is over.The reason why they use trees to bury is because they believe that after death, the soul is immortal, and the sun will call the soul to the sky and turn it into a star in the sky.Therefore, the Oroqen people deliberately inserted two pieces of wood at both ends of the coffin as wings for the soul to ascend to heaven.One or two years after the burial, if the coffin does not fall to the ground, it is considered that the sins of the deceased have not been redeemed, so he has not been able to ascend to heaven, and a shaman should be invited to pray.The coffin fell to the ground, and the soul of the deceased ascended to heaven.

The Chashan Yao of the Yao nationality believes that the child is sent by a flower goddess in charge of fertility.Therefore, before the child is five or six years old, a sacrificial ceremony to reward Hua Po God is held, which is called "Huan Hua".If the child dies before "returning the flower", they think that the child's soul will return to the flower god for a second reincarnation.In order to allow him to reincarnate quickly, "hanging burial" is adopted for the deceased doll.That is to wrap the small corpse with rags or brown skin, put it in a bamboo basket, ask the Taoist (wizard) to recite the scriptures, and hang it in the woods to let it rot quickly.The child's soul can be reincarnated quickly.

The Daur people only use trees to bury those who suffer from smallpox and other chronic diseases and die in childbirth.