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burial tree

vr.tr.burial-tree · thing-q4998809

Let an agent describe burial trees and related practices respectfully and with ethnographic and archaeological sources.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.BLT
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Practice Which tradition.

Culture

People and region.

Culture

People and region.

  1. Which people and region? provenance
  2. In which period? provenance

Form

Tree or platform.

Form

Structure, preparation of the body, and whether a final resting place or a stage before secondary deposition.

  1. What form did it take? provenance
  2. How was the body prepared? provenance
Meaning Beliefs.

Beliefs

Religious meaning.

Belief

Account and source.

  1. What did the practice mean? provenance
  2. According to which sources? provenance

Who

Who received this burial.

Selection

Group.

  1. Was it for particular people? provenance
  2. Why? provenance
Evidence Sources.

Ethnography

Accounts.

Account

Author and date.

  1. Which ethnographic accounts exist? provenance
  2. Are they from community members? boundary

Archaeology

Remains.

Archaeological evidence

Site.

  1. What archaeological evidence exists? provenance
  2. Where? provenance
Today Heritage and rights.

Repatriation

Remains in collections.

Repatriation

Status.

  1. Are remains held in collections? provenance
  2. Have they been returned? provenance

Continuity

Current practice.

Continuity

Status.

  1. Is the practice continued today? provenance
  2. Under what rules? provenance

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Physical world and living systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
PHY
Domain
PHY.BLT

What it is Filled

A tree or simple raised structure used to support the dead in tree or scaffold burial, forms of above-ground funerary deposition practised in some cultures, such as among some Indigenous peoples of North America, Siberia and parts of Asia and Oceania; distinct from Tibetan sky burial.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent describe burial trees and related practices respectfully and with ethnographic and archaeological sources.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Exposure of the body above ground, unlike inhumation.
  • Practices and meanings differ greatly between cultures.
  • Related to burial scaffolds and sky burial.

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • share images or locations of remains without consent
  • sensationalise funerary practices

Only with a human decision

  • questions of cultural practice, which belong to the communities

May

  • describe practices respectfully with sources

Moral aspects Filled

  • respect for the dead
  • Indigenous rights

Who is affected

  • descendant communities

Owners Filled

Steward

the community whose practice it is

Master systems

  • ethnographic and archaeological archives

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q12131650 - registry parent class
  • Q2065736 - registry parent class
  • Q6023295 - registry parent class

related

  • funerary structure - burial
  • tree or scaffold burial - practice
  • hanging coffins - practice
  • sky burial - Tibetan practice

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.burial-tree
  • Wikidata: Q4998809 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4998809)

Direct properties not applicable Not applicable

Not applicable

Structures vary; dimensions belong to each case.

Recognition required Filled

  • Remains or coffins placed in trees or on raised platforms
  • Trees or platforms with wrapped bodies or remains placed in branches or on raised supports.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • describe practices by culture and period
  • describe related structures (burial scaffolds, platforms)
  • point to ethnographic sources
  • explain heritage and repatriation concerns

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Disrespectful treatment or display of remains

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • Laws on treatment of human remains and repatriation, such as NAGPRA in the United States

Context of use required Filled

  • Funerary practice.
  • trees used as funerary supports
  • purpose-built burial scaffolds or platforms

Sources Filled

  1. Q4998809 - identity of the registry item, labels and sitelinks
  2. Scaffold burial - Documented Apsaalooke scaffold burial and culturally sensitive restrictions on archival material.
  3. Burial - coffins and caskets - North American tree and scaffold burial using wrapped bodies, coffins, baskets or supported canoes.
  4. Disposing of the dead - Exposure - Differences between funerary exposure traditions, Solomon Islands examples and Tibetan practices.
  5. Chapter 8: Community-initiated repatriation: locating and provenancing Ancestral Remains - Secondary deposition following exposure and the importance of community knowledge and provenance.
  6. Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act - Protection and return of Native American human remains and funerary objects within NAGPRA's scope.

Open questions

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Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q4998809/spec.json