SE Asian Death Rituals Observed at California Mortuaries

November 3, 2002

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On November 3, 2002 The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "two decades ago, Southeast Asian refugees from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam began settling in Richmond, San Pablo and Oakland. Today, Mortuaries [in] Richmond [perform] 10 to 12 Southeast Asian burials each month, for religions ranging from Buddhist to animist, and ethnic groups from Mien to Hmong and more. Mortuary staffers have learned how to wrap cloth 20 to 30 feet long around the head of deceased male Mien, how to lay Hmong dead on a head pillow of rice and how to cover them with layers of colorful cloth. They have watched the shaman light incense and chant, leading the dead to the spirit world. The mortuary also keeps a grass mat, for families to kneel on in front of the casket, and a table to place offerings of fruit and rice."