Human / Elephant Graveyard
The concept of an Elephant’s Graveyard strikes a chord with many humans.
I would love to be able to emulate the ritual of elephants for my own death, but typically it won’t be possible.
To make it work you will need the following:
- All generations living in the same locality
- No bureaucratic interference
- Distance achievable by an elderly person
The final point is critical. Most animals seem to be highly functional right until death. Humans aren’t like that. We can’t hike 50 miles and then drop dead. 50 metres is more like it. So we need to place ourselves close to the graveyard when we feel our end is nigh.
I have long toyed with the idea of a natural post-death dispersal, the idea that I disappear into nature via a regular process:
- Taken by vultures or hyenas
- Rotted into soil
But that seems so random and impersonal. It would be substantially more special if I lay down amongst the bones of my ancestors. I wouldn’t even need to see bones, just trust that I was in the same place.
The only way it could work for me is to buy some land and be sure that it would stay with my family forever. And then (when my time has come) lay myself down amongst the bones of my future family. It might not become a thing, but it would feel nice trying such a thing as my final act.