Memorial Monument Analysis: Chinese Cemetery at Harling Point (Part 2)

(Part 1 of Memorial Monument Analysis: please see http://adriennemann.blogspot.com/)

Landscape and Features of the Chinese Cemetery.

The Chinese Cemetery is located at 2099 Penzance Road on Harling Point in Oak Bay, British Columbia. The cemetery occupies the south-western tip of the peninsula and faces the Juan de Fuca straight. The cemetery exhibits proper adherence to the practices of Feng Shui. It is flanked by the “Azure Dragon” (higher elevation) on the left and the “White Tiger” (lower ground) on the right.¹ Behind the cemetery lies the “Pillow Mountain” (Gonzales Hill) where the forces of Dragon and Tiger converge.² The cemetery is also embraced by the “Living Water” (Juan de Fuca Straight, McNeil Bay, and Gonzales Bay).³ Those buried here are thought to be placed in a “Grand Hall” (Juan de Fuca Straight) and are faced towards a distant “Worshipping Mountain Range” (The Olympic Mountains of Washington State).⁴ In accordance to Feng Shui the inscriptions on all of the grave stones face the mountains, this also includes the thirteen mass burials. Though their grave stones face upwards if they were to be lifted onto an edge the inscriptions would still face the mountains. From the graves one can view the Olympic Mountains, Juan de Fuca Straight, Clover Point, and Ross Bay. The six graves that this analysis focuses on are located in the south-western corner of the cemetery, in the lowest elevation of the “White Tiger”. The graves extend out in a line from the alter (located at the bottom center of the cemetery) through the low land and curve north up towards the main gate. This curved line also forms the boundary of the main walking path to the alter. This area of low elevation collects the water and so is quite wet and muddy. The edge of the Chinese Cemetery, just below the graves, has suffered from erosion and some single graves have been disturbed in the past due to this process of erosion. Therefore most graves located in the cemetery are placed on the higher ground north of the alter. The six mass graves that this analysis studies were placed in the cemetery much more recently and therefore were placed in the available space found in the low swampy areas of the cemetery.
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1Chinese Cemetery Beautification Committee - 2001

2Chinese Cemetery Beautification Committee - 2001

3Chinese Cemetery Beautification Committee - 2001

4Chinese Cemetery Beautification Committee - 2001

(Part 3 of Memorial Monument Analysis: please see http://gameover-alex.blogspot.com/)

THE MAP

View Chinese Cemetery on Harling Point in a larger map

Grave #3:

Grave number 3 is situated in the middle of our line of six graves. The grave stone is set into the grass and is not ringed by a concrete paving stone like graves 5 or 6. The grave stone is made out of a red polished granite and bares a relief inscription in Cantonese. We have been unable to decipher the Cantonese text inscribed on the grave stones, other then the burial date of 1961. The inscription and stone type are the same for grave 3 as they are for graves 1, 4, 5, and 6. However, the relief inscription is not highlighted with white paint for grave 3 as it is for graves 2 and 6. There is no lichen growing on grave 3 and other then a few water marks and some goose excrement the grave stone is unstained and lacks any sign of significant erosion. The grave stone measures 30 inches across by 24 inches and is 3 inches thick. The grave stone is of a flat stone, full exposed memorial class just like the other 5 graves we have looked at and contains only red granite with no other materials used in its construction.



And For An Added Bonus.....MAGGOTS!!!!!

Ever wonder what happens to your body if you don't die beside an ant hill, simple you become fly food.

Warning: those who are squimish look away!

Archaeology of the Middle Class

Impossible. This would be the word that springs to mind had someone just asked me if it were possible to tell if the social status of a deceaded individual was middle class, judging by their grave goods and grave location. Well at least impossible for a the archaeological record predating the industrial revolution. The term middle class did not exist before the industrial revolution. Instead you could be either a member of the ruling elite (king, duke, lord, bishop etc), a freeman labourer (tradesman, land owning farmer, paid labourer), a slave/serf (unpaid labourer or tradesman, owned by a lord), or a begger (those unable to work and with no one to take care of them).
However during the industrial revolution a new class of wealthy individuals independent of the church and without royal title arose. These individuals were and still are wealthy industrialists who, unlike the Rich, still had to work for there money, but unlike the poor, were able to afford lavish housing and factories etc.
The middle-class-men still exsit in society today and have largely replaced the Rich as the ruling elite. Because of this many of us mix up who is considered the true middle class in modern society.
For example in Canada, the middle class are made up of those who many Canadians would consider rich, such as the Westons (owners of superstore and other grocery chains) or Rogers (media empire). Included are also are top level politics such as the Prime Minister. Though wealthy these individuals are not in actual fact "rich" they are middle class for they do not own vast tracts of land or royal titles. The only truely rich memebers in Canada are visiting members of the British Royal Family.
The rest of us poor sods are mearly working class. Sure your dad might own a nice car and his own house but he isn't a wealthy industrialist, though he may work for one. Worst yet the majority of Canadians are classified as the working poor (mainly due to the ever dropping poverty lines which disallows them from being classified as poverty stricken and therefore saves the government from having to hand out large numbers of wellfare cheques).
If we continue to imporperly label members in our own society how can we possibly define the social status of those we just dug up from a society a thousand years older then our own. It would be like having future archaeologists dig up the grave of Pierre Trudeau and declare that he was a king, when actual fact he was a middle class elected official who stepped away from the socialist party and joined the liberal party in order to beat out the candidate of the reform party.

While searching for articles on cannibalism...

So my group project is focused on the practice of cannibalism and as I was searching for articles on the subject I came across this video. It is a sped up video of ants devouring a dead lizard, if ants make you squimish or if you love lizards you may not want to view this. It got me thinking of the various taphonomic processes that our bodies go through after death. Want to loose weight in just 24 hours? die beside an ant hill.