(NAME-MCE) Death can be a 'teachable moment

[Bill Howe]

Article published - Oct 30, 2008
Guest Commentary
article from www.arguscourier.com <http://www.arguscourier.com/> 

Death can be a 'teachable moment'
By Helen Pitt


As part of this year's El Dia de los Muertos celebrations at Petaluma's new
arts center, my 6-year-old son and I made an altar in memory of my husband,
who died in 2005. Using marbles that were his father's, Liam made a big
heart and placed a rock in the center inscribed with the word "hope."
"You've got to always have hope in your heart," my son says.
As we laid out some of his father's most treasured possessions in what has
become a family ritual for us both, I thought a lot about what I hoped would
come from this year's Day of the Dead celebrations. My main hope is that in
expressing our love for someone we have lost, people may to come to glimpse
into the soul of a man who was an artist and a gifted teacher, who loved
using art to teach. 


The most important lesson he would have liked others to learn is that the
Day of the Dead, one of his favorite festivities, is a cultural tradition -
not a religious one. In Latin America, El Dia de los Muertos is the ritual
time to honor loved ones who have died and to acknowledge death as a part of
life. There has been much misunderstanding of this mainly Mexican tradition,
which dates back to the Aztecs, prior to Spanish colonization. So much so
that this year, one of the artists who created an altar for pets at the
Petaluma Animal Shelter has been asked to take it down because of a
perceived conflict between state and religion. This is not the first time
such a misunderstanding has occurred in this city. In 2002 a parent at a
Petaluma elementary school filed a legal suit to stop classroom activities
about the Day of the dead. The suit claimed that El Dia de los Muertos
activities were promoting religion. 

But El Dia de los Muertos is an indigenous tradition - not a Catholic or
Christian one. The confusion generally arises because the word altar,
"ofrenda" in Spanish (a table in memory of the dead), has religious
connotations. Also like Halloween, this tradition is celebrated around the
Christian holiday of All Saints Day. But no one claims Halloween is a
religious tradition, although its name is All Hallow's Eve, and is
celebrated on the evening before All Saints Day. 

This year I hope to see more reflection rather than reaction to the Day of
the Dead in Petaluma. Like the lovely experience last year at my son's
eastside school, Miwok Valley elementary. A group of Latino parents gathered
to teach about the special breads, the arch of marigolds and other symbols
associated with the tradition in their native countries. There was a memory
table and children got to talk about people they had lost, write stories
about them or draw pictures in class. I personally learned a huge amount
about death from a child's perspective. Given the controversy, it's no
exaggeration to say that this was a bold move, on behalf of Kim Harper,
Miwok Valley principal, and Diane Zimmerman, superintendent of the Old Adobe
Union School District. But the school went to great pains to explain to
parents, staff and children that this was an example of multicultural
education.
I hope education for young Californians can be less focused on test scores,
and more about teaching children the cultures, languages and traditions of
other countries. The Petaluma Arts Council's El Dia de los Muertos
celebrations offer many opportunities for such cross-cultural learning.

Over the past eight years, it has been heartening to watch this city embrace
this Latino ritual, from Mayor Pamela Torliatt to store owners and schools
such as my son's.
My hope is that Petalumans start to see the Day of the Dead provides an
opportunity to learn that everything - even death - can be turned into a
"teachable moment." My husband would have liked that.


(Australian journalist Helen Pitt lives in Petaluma with her son, Liam
Oliver.)
Last changed: Oct 29, 2008 C Argus Courier 2007
 
 
Bill Howe
http://www.necme.org <http://www.necme.org/>