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ysabetwordsmithI spotted this news article today, relating to the disposal of human remains from the earthquake in Haiti.
I can see both sides of the issue; mass graves are practical and efficient, but undignified and potentially troublesome. An important point not specifically highlighted in the article: Haitian vodou is ancestor worship. Visiting family graves to reverence the ancestors is a key part of the practice for some people. If you don't know where your ancestors are buried, you can't do that. Tossing hundreds or thousands of corpses into a mass grave therefore creates an impediment to practicing one of Haiti's most popular religions.
I can see both sides of the issue; mass graves are practical and efficient, but undignified and potentially troublesome. An important point not specifically highlighted in the article: Haitian vodou is ancestor worship. Visiting family graves to reverence the ancestors is a key part of the practice for some people. If you don't know where your ancestors are buried, you can't do that. Tossing hundreds or thousands of corpses into a mass grave therefore creates an impediment to practicing one of Haiti's most popular religions.
