Before:
Dena’ina –
of the mountainous Alaskan interior –
wrapped their dead
in lamb’s wool blankets,
retaining the façade of warmth until lighting the pyre.
Then, flesh and bone became ash,
and spirits fled to High Country.
After:
Russian Orthodox imperialists
claimed the mountainous Alaskan interior, and
forced the tribe
to abandon tradition.
Shovels struggled against rock and glacier.
Then, native bodies resided in shallow holes,
and spirits wailed in despair.
So:
The great compromise between Alaskan indigent and white settler -
spirit houses.
No tombstones, no names.
Miniature homes decorated white with red roofs.
Enough space for two dolls or
one’s spirit.
Lamb’s wool blankets drape over to keep the façade of warmth.
Dena’ina –
usurped,
even in eternity.
