lecture 16: Body 5: In a Buddhist monastery: The creation and social power of iconic corpses

Justine Buck Quijada

• MA and PhD in anthropology

• Currently associate professor, Dept. of Religion, Wesleyan U.

• Interests include post-Soviet religious practice in Buryatia, indigenous urban shamanism, and New Age neo-shamanism

Buryatia and the Buryats

• Buryatia controlled by Russia/USSR since 18th c AD

  • By Mongolia before that

• Buryats speak a Mongolic language; many cultural similarities to other Mongolian groups

  • Traditional religious practice includes both Buddhism and shamanism

The corpse of Dashi-Dorzho Etigelov

• Born 1852, died (according to most opinions) 1927

• Buddhist religious leader

• Died in 1927 in lotus position

• Exhumed 1955, 1973 and 2002

• Corpse has been presented as a ‘scientific miracle’

• Soft tissues are not desiccated

• Preservation might be explained by soil/coffin of original burial and filling of coffin with salt after initial exhumations

• Motives for visiting Etigelov include faith, healing, curiosity

• Etigelov is also seen as ‘one of us’

• In contrast, some express distaste, discomfort or fear of his corpse

The corpse of Dashi-Dorzho Etigelov: Buddhist religious leader

• Joined monastery at age 15

• Became 12th Pandito Khambo Lama of Eastern Siberia in 1911

  • Identified as reincarnation of first lama of his line – but officially he was elected

  • Reputation as a virtuous leader – many good acts for WWI soldiers, others

The corpse of Dashi-Dorzho Etigelov: Died in 1927 in lotus position

• Or, some faithful argue, went into an extremely deep trance

• Buried seated, in pine box

The corpse of Dashi-Dorzho Etigelov: Exhumed 1955, 1973 and 2002

• Each time, body asserted to be miraculously preserved

• Not reburied after 2002 – kept for display and veneration

The corpse of Dashi-Dorzho Etigelov: Corpse has been presented as a ‘scientific miracle’

• From a standpoint of faith, it remains undecayed because of his extreme spiritual purity, or even because he’s not truly dead

• From a standpoint of science many claim preservation is ‘inexplicable’

• Thus bridges two ways of seeing the world in this society

The corpse of Dashi-Dorzho Etigelov: Soft tissues are not desiccated

Not natural mummification in the strict sense

The corpse of Dashi-Dorzho Etigelov: Preservation might be explained by soil/coffin of original burial and filling of coffin with salt after initial exhumations

Anaerobic conditions have created spectacular soft tissue preservation in some other well-known burials

The corpse of Dashi-Dorzho Etigelov: Motives for visiting Etigelov include faith, healing, curiosity

A way to heal complaints including ‘heaviness of the soul’ outside the state-approved medical system

The corpse of Dashi-Dorzho Etigelov: Etigelov is also seen as ‘one of us’

A zemliak (countryman) of modern Buryats, healing, comforting and protecting his people

The corpse of Dashi-Dorzho Etigelov: In contrast, some express distaste, discomfort or fear of his corpse

• Not clearly dead or alive – an unusual and troubling uncertainty

• Even if he’s accepted as dead, his body seems to be in a persistent liminal state

  • Unlike a ‘dry’ mummy or ashes, Etigelov’s remains seem to be stuck in the ‘wet’ initial stage without actually decaying. To some people this may feel uncanny or ‘wrong’.

The corpse of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

• Quijada contrasts Etigelov with Lenin, another iconic corpse on display in Russia

• People she interviewed tended to reject the comparison but the parallels are very interesting

• Lived 1870-1924, leader of Soviet Russia 1917-1924

• Body preserved after death in 1924 and placed in mausoleum beneath Kremlin walls in Red Square

  • Displayed/venerated since then (brief pause during WWII when corpse was moved for its safety)

The science of Lenin’s corpse: For the first few days after death the body was preserved by extremely cold weather and short-term embalming

• Removal of brain & viscera for autopsy

• Draining of blood (replaced with embalming fluid)

• Several large veins and arteries severed during this work, which was originally intended to be temporary

The science of Lenin’s corpse: Longer-term work has focused for decades on creating the appearance of a recently deceased corpse

• Maintaining color, flexibility, facial & body contours

• This has required extensive addition to and replacement of original tissues

• Has included injection of flexible materials to replace subcutaneous tissue, replacement of eyelashes, regular immersion in fixative fluids

Lenin as a scientific/secular saint

Quijada draws a comparison between bodies of Lenin and Etigelov

• Both are ‘miraculously’ preserved but for Lenin this was an intentional miracle of Soviet science

• Thus Lenin’s corpse was used to symbolize nation’s future and a new identity for Soviet humanity

Lenin as a symbol of the state/history

• After the collapse of USSR some argued Lenin should be buried

  • After much debate this was rejected

  • Lenin seen as a crucial part of history

• Thus the corpse has entered a new phase of postmortem life

  • Symbol of Russian history, greatness and pride, not ‘Soviet greatness’

The corpse of Abraham Lincoln

• Assassinated Washington DC April 1865, shortly after Civil War (1861-1865), by Confederate sympathizer

• Embalmed for state funeral followed by three week transportation to place of burial (Springfield IL) with frequent stops for public viewing, mourning and funeral orations

• Viewed by massive crowds

  • Early in this process, accounts stressed impression of corpse as peaceful, lifelike

Lincoln, nationhood and US deathways: Lincoln’s preserved corpse carried a number of messages

• Mass gatherings to view it can be seen as a way to assert fragile national unity

• Portrayal of Lincoln as ‘sleeping martyr’ and the willingness of so many people to wait to view his corpse both can be seen as underscoring the moral rightness of Union victory

Lincoln, nationhood and US deathways: Some argue this helped popularize embalming in the late 19th c USA

Yes, but important to recognize that embalming was popularized during Civil War

• Fairly effective methods developed in mid-19th c but many were reluctant to use them because of strictures against disturbing/defiling the ‘pure’ corpse

• Embalming used by upper class Union families as a way to return dead soldiers for family to say farewell to and (for some) for public mourn as martyrs

The corpse of Eva Perón

• Eva Duarte Perón became first lady of Argentina in 1946 when Juan Perón was elected president

• Her origins in poverty helped make her a public face of Peronism

• Died in 1952 of cervical cancer (age 33) Embalmed with intention of permanent display, state funeral held

• Stored pending completion of mausoleum

• Transported out of country in 1957, buried in Italy under assumed name

• Exhumed 1971, returned to Juan Perón

• Final internment in Duarte family tomb 1975

• The history of Perón’s corpse can be understood as a reflection of the messages it could carry

The corpse of Eva Perón: Her origins in poverty helped make her a public face of Peronism

• Movement relied heavily on the support of poor and working classes

• Eva Perón was popular with these groups – vocal supporter of the rights of the poor and of women

The corpse of Eva Perón: Embalmed with intention of permanent display, state funeral held

Massive attendance by public

The corpse of Eva Perón: Stored pending completion of mausoleum

The body ‘vanished’ from storage in 1955 after Juan Perón was ousted and exiled – possibly to protect it?

The corpse of Eva Perón: Exhumed 1971, returned to Juan Perón

• Perón regained power in 1973

• Eva’s corpse brought to Argentina, restored and displayed again

The corpse of Eva Perón: The history of Perón’s corpse can be understood as a reflection of the messages it could carry

• Initially embalmed & displayed as symbol of the Perón regime’s legitimacy

• Movements after 1955 reflect both use as a political symbol and a desire to protect/respect her body through burial

The power of iconic corpses

• These corpses function simultaneously as the remains of an individual and the embodiment of larger ideas

  • Conduits for messages about faith, self-sacrifice, national identity

• Public may experience grief, veneration, curiosity, anxiety

  • Power interests preserving, displaying or hiding the corpses have strategic agendas but may also experience these emotions

Iconic corpses and Verdery’s ideas: This is a great illustration of some of Verdery’s ideas on the political lives of dead bodies:

• They fascinate because of their humanity and because they remind us of our mortality (think of attraction to / fear of Etigelov)

• Part of their power as a medium for communication comes from their personal history (e.g. Lincoln as symbol of his united nation)

• They no longer speak, but convey the messages selected for them (e.g. Lenin’s modern role as a symbol of Russian greatness)

• They can carry multiple meanings (e.g. Eva Perón as symbol of her husband’s regime, but also as a woman deserving burial/rest)