Death and Maier: meteors and mortuary rites in the eastern Torres Strait (Eud kerker: na korep maierira asmer opged Torres Straitge)

TL;DR

This paper explores how bright meteors are integrated into the death rituals and beliefs of the Meriam Mir people of Murray Island, highlighting their symbolic role in death and purification practices within Torres Strait traditions.

Contribution

It provides an ethno-historic and ethnographic analysis of meteors' symbolic significance in Meriam Mir death rites using a framework of symbolic anthropology.

Findings

Meteors symbolize death and purification in Meriam Mir rituals.

Physical properties of meteors are incorporated into spiritual beliefs.

Meteors serve as symbols connecting natural phenomena with death customs.

Abstract

English: To the Meriam Mir people of Mer (Murray Island) in the eastern Torres Strait, bright meteors are an important element of death customs and beliefs. We draw from a combination of ethno-historic studies and interviews with Meriam elders to understand the role of bright meteors (Maier) in Torres Strait traditions relating to spiritual elements of death rites using a framework of symbolic anthropology. We find that bright meteors serve as symbolic representations of death and mortuary purification practices and show how the physical properties of meteors are incorporated in ritual, belief, spirituality, and custom. Meriam Mir: Meriamgize maier oditautlare nade eud onagri a mokakalam eud kerker. Kemerkemer daratkapda kikem kerkerira pardar, dorge a oka nako Torres Straitge eud tonar bud ueplare. Debe bibi maieride onatager eud ia onagri a nalu tonar able maierira seri/kakaper a dum able tonar umerem a simir akedrem.