ABSTRACT

K’iche’ war-widows were generally prevented from burying their murdered and abducted relatives. Clandestine burials deprive them of the bodies of the dead; abductions deprive them of the certain knowledge that a relative has actually died. The relentless ideology of complementarity makes it difficult for the K’iche’ to think in terms of opposites. The good or bad fate of the deceased’s soul or spirit is determined by the collective obsequies performed by others after death rather then the deceased’s own actions in life. Families of the disappeared fear that rumours concerning the abduction of their relative(s) will mean their own death. The K’iche’ commemorate their dead at the beginning of the dry season with a first fruits festival, a festival which predates the ‘Christian’ festival of All Saints’ Day to which it is tied. The spirits of the dead can reciprocate human generosity, normally only after their descendants have made copious offerings.