Museum Explorer
Death in Africa
A cloth for the dead
From: Madagascar
Date: 19th century AD
The Merina people of Madagascar wear a length of cloth like this as a cloak. Then when someone dies they wrap their body in the same kind of cloak and bury it.
Later, after the body has rotted away, the bones are dug up, washed, wrapped again in a cloak like this one, and finally placed in the family tomb where they can rest forever.
