Willowshade

In the shade of the Willow, you will find who you have lost. -Qral Elder

The Willowshade is a funeral ritual preformed by the Qral tribes. It involves the kin planting a willow tree, specifically a Weeping Willow, where the person was buried. The Qral believe that the tree allows them to commune with the spirit of the person that is buried there.

Execution

When someone in a Qral tribe dies, their body is wrapped in a special hide to preserve it. The kin of the deceased then leaves on a journey, called the Willowseek, to find the Willow tree of the deceased' own parents or guardians. This journey can take days or even months, depending on how far the tree is. Now matter how far however, the kin are never lost or struggle to find it. This pilgrimage is where mourning for the dead happens, and the Qral are expected to overcome, or at least not show their grief by the time they return. When they reach the tree, the inform the tree of the passing of the deceased, and to expect their spirit to join them in the afterlife. After this, they remove a specific branch from the tree, and make the voyage back home.
When they have met with the tribe, the body is buried, and the willow clipping is planted on the surface. The Kin then say their passing messages and rites, and the tree is left to grow. The Willow grows quickly, and when there is enough tree cover to provide shade, they use the shade to commune to the individual buried there.

Components and tools

The Qral use a specially made hide to wrap the bodies, to preserve them until the Kin come back from the Willowseek.
The clipping from the elder willow is needed to grow the new tree.
In the rare occasion there is no elder willow available, or the person dies before the ones before them, Willow seeds are used to plant the tree instead of the clipping.

Participants

The body is preserved by Qral elders, but the children of the deceased person are the ones who preform the Willowseek. If there is only one child, they may choose one person to accompany them on the journey and grieve with them.

Observations

The Kin always seem to know where the elder willow is located.

The Willow tree always grows succesfully, and has a much longer life cycle than regular trees.

Related Ethnicities

• Qral