Weaving the roof of a grave house, Gia Lai Province, 1998. Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

The Giarai people of Vietnam’s central highlands send the soul of a deceased family member on a grave-leaving journey to the land of the ancestors. This ceremony may be held many years after death, when families can afford food and drink for a proper feast and when they feel emotionally ready to send the dead away. Until that time, as many as 50 people may be buried in the same tomb, where their spirits are fed and mourned.

Mortuary figure with rice mortar and pestle. Craig Chesek / AMNH

To insure a proper send-off, relatives build an ornate grave house over the tomb and erect wooden funeral statues. Delegations from several villages dance around the tomb, accompanied by ensembles of people playing gongs and drums. The mourning families sacrifice dozens of water buffaloes and cows for a feast, and hundreds of jars of wine are consumed, some from the families and some from guests. At the end of the ritual, the deceased has left the village and the mourning period ends.