ABSTRACT
The following chapter, reprinted from Swallowed by a Snake: The Gift of the Masculine Side of Healing (Golden, 1996), looks at the wisdom and effectiveness of indigenous grief rituals while taking note of the gender differences found in these practices. One of the most consistent observations is the fact that men often are given active tasks following a death-build the coffin, dig the grave, direct the ritual, and so on-while women’s efforts focus more exclusively on open and even public emoting. It is rare to find a culture in which men are encouraged to publicly emote; in fact, in many instances there are prohibitions against this kind of grieving activity for males.
