Xurugwi Death Beads

According to the Xurugwi faith, once a soul has a left a body, the body is no longer important. Therefore, Xurugwi Funeral Rites traditionally entail the body being left in the wild for consumption by animals/a return to the Earth. Xurugwi followers also believe, however, that the soul leaves an imprint on the body. Therefore, after a time, family and friends return to the site where the body was left and scour it for bones, which are then carved into works of art, most frequently, decorative beads, which are then strung on necklaces and given to children who are born in or near the site where the person died. The Xurugwi believe that the new child is the reincarnation of the person who just died, and the beads will help them reconnect with their old lives and the lessons they learned in those lives.

Traditional Variations

by Vương Nguyễn

Though beads are the most common form of Xurugwi bone art, they are not the only one. Sometimes, when a person is well known for a specific skill, their bones are carved into something which reflect that skill. For example, the bones of Trickster-Trappers, skilled musicians who are said to be able to trap and repel trickster demons, are often carved into flutes. The Xurugwi believe that when another trickster-trapper uses such a flute, they are able to harness the ability of dead to assist them in their goals.
The type of art also varies based on how much bone is recovered after the body has been scattered by animals. If enough bone is recovered, not only do family fashion a string of beads, but they also create smaller works of art such as game pieces and figurines to share with the loved ones of the dead. If no bones are recovered, the Xurugwi believe the soul of the person has been chosen to spend eternity in the afterlife with the creator.

Cultural Reception

In more recent times, the practice of Xurugwi bone art has become less common, due to negative stigma from other cultures. Because death beads are made from human bone, many people find them unsettling, and the practice has been declared illegal in some countries, particularly on the Minor Continent, meaning the practice is now more common in the southern hemisphere than the north. In other places where the practice technically remains legal, many Xurugwi give it up, choosing instead to donate their bodies to scientific study or be buried without a casket in a forest or garden. Other Xurugwi have given up the practice due to living in large cities, where it is difficult to leave a body out for animals.

Antaran Buttons

Due to its incredible diversity, as well as the need to conserve space for the living, rather than for cemeteries, Xurugwi bone art has long been accepted inAntarand. Until recently, Antarand was one of the few places where children are not born into Xurugwi families frequently receive death beads from Xurugwi neighbors or co-workers. As cities grew and space for traditional Xurugwi death rites diminished, universities and other scientific organizations developed relationships with Xurugwi followers who were willing to donate the bodies of their dead for the purpose of scientific study. The organizations would then return the clean bones to the families so they could be fashioned into art. This new practice spread to many of the smaller towns as well.
After the Florarovan Colonization, the new government declared the practice illegal. Because it is considered acceptable within Antaran culture, however, many scientific organizations continue to work with Xurugwi families, accepting bodies and returning bones in secret. To prevent their bone art from being spotted, Xurugwi families in Antarand often create buttons, instead of beads, which they will sew on to clothes, continuing to cut them off and re-sew them as children grow.

by Priscilla Du Perez

Myths about Murder

Many rumors have developed, based on the creation of art out of human bone, that the Xurugwi are murderers and even cannibals. These are untrue, however. Though, like any group of people, there is sure to be the occasional Xurugwi killer, as a whole, Xurugwi bone art is only made out of the bones of those who have already died by other causes.

Type

Imagery, Religious

Medium

Organic

Xurugwi Button from Antarand:

by Smithsonian Institute