Cemetery

A cemetery or graveyard is a place where the remains of deceased people are buried or otherwise interred. The word cemetery (from Greek κοιμητήριον, "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a burial ground. The older term graveyard is often used interchangeably with cemetery, but primarily referred to a burial ground within a churchyard.

The intact or cremated remains of people may be interred in a grave, commonly referred to as burial, or in a tomb, an "above-ground grave" (resembling a sarcophagus), a mausoleum, columbarium, niche, or other edifice. In Western cultures, funeral ceremonies are often observed in cemeteries. These ceremonies or rites of passage differ according to cultural practices and religious beliefs. Modern cemeteries often include crematoria, and some grounds previously used for both, continue as crematoria as a principal use long after the interment areas have been filled.

Definition

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a cemetery as a "burial-ground generally; now esp. a large public park or ground laid out expressly for the interment of the dead, and not being the ‘yard’ of any church. (Cemetery c)" and specifies that the term "...originally applied to the Roman underground cemeteries or catacombs " Cemeteries are normally distinct from churchyards, which are typically consecrated according to one denomination and are attached directly to a single place of worship.

Burial Ground

Burial Ground may refer to:

Stick Figure

Stick Figure is an American reggae and dub band based in Southern California. The group has released five full-length albums, all of which were written and produced by frontman Scott Woodruff, a singer-songwriter who until 2009 was based in Massachusetts.

In 2012 Woodruff released the fifth Stick Figure album, Burial Ground, to critical acclaim. The album reached no. 1 on the iTunes and Billboard Reggae charts. The band began touring with a new line up after the release of Burial Ground, and has since toured throughout the United States with reggae groups such as Rebelution, The Green, Passafire, Tribal Seeds and The Expendables.

History

Founding

The band Stick Figure was originally founded as a one-man band by multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Scott Woodruff. Woodruff, who hails from Duxbury, Massachusetts, had first started playing instruments in his youth. According to Woodruff, his early fixation was reggae, as well as producers such as Keller Williams. His interest in playing instruments eventually turned into writing, performing, and producing his own albums. Woodruff began blending upbeat roots reggae with the reggae subgenre of dub.

Indian Burial Ground

The Indian Burial Ground is a historic Native American cemetery on Narrow Lane in Charlestown, Rhode Island. Now part of a larger municipal park, the small (0.1-acre (0.040 ha)) cemetery is believed to have been the burying ground for leaders of the Narragansett and Niantic tribes. It is now fenced off by an iron post and rail fence, erected in the late 19th century.

The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

See also

References

Burial

Burial or interment is the ritual act of placing a dead person or animal, sometimes with objects, into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objects in it, and covering it over. Humans have been burying their dead for at least 100,000 years. Burial is often seen as indicating respect for the dead. It has been used to prevent the odor of decay, to give family members closure and prevent them from witnessing the decomposition of their loved ones, and in many cultures it has been seen as a necessary step for the deceased to enter the afterlife or to give back to the cycle of life.

Methods of burial may be heavily ritualized and can include natural burial (sometimes called "green burial");embalming or mummification; the use of containers for the dead such as a shrouds, caskets, grave liners, and burial vaults all of which can retard decomposition of the body. Sometimes objects or grave goods are buried with the body, which may be dressed in fancy or ceremonial garb. Depending on the culture, the way the body is positioned may have great significance.