CCC XIII The Hanging Coffins of the Bo

[Toltomeja]

This is my first (and not the last of course!) entry to the CCC. It shows the fascinating burial traditions of Bo people, a real-life community living in Sichuan Province, China.

For hundreds of years, the Bo buried their families in wooden coffins, attached to nearby cliffs many meters above the ground. Some are also present in caves. Less than 300 of them have survived until now, dating some 400 years ago. Similar traditions can be also observed in Philippines.

It's still not clear how such a small community managed to lift the coffins so high. The most probable hypothesis is that they descended them from the top of the rocks. They believed it brings fortune to the souls of the dead. The higher, the better.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/Bq18wt][img]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5671/23244108 ... a50c_n.jpg[/img][/url]

I took the liberty of not following the real-life clothings very strictly, but this might be nice idea for custom figures some time.

Full gallery: [url=http://www.flickr.com/gp/toltomeja/21zmq3]http://www.flickr.co...oltomeja/21zmq3[/url]

More about the history of this burial custom:: [url=http://www.china.org.cn/english/culture/55407.htm]http://www.china.org...lture/55407.htm[/url]

[Maedhros]

That's a brilliant take on this category - and thanks for this most interesting lesson in history!

[Athos]

I really like the color scheme with the olive green leaves. Its a neat idea for a subject too.

Steve

[Dubbadgrim]

This is the perfect way to have a history lesson

[durazno33]

I'd hate to live at the base of those cliffs.

"And today in our weather report, more skeletons raining from the sky!"

I wonder how many people died hanging up the coffins... Go get the body of the person who just fell to their death... who's going to hang that coffin? We just lost our last mortician.