Monday, April 30, 2012

Shell-lined Graves in Guadeloupe

Tombs decorated with Lambi shells, also known as conch shells(Strombus gigantis) in the cemeteries on the islands of Guadeloupe.

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Le cimetière marin de Port-Louis - LINK
Cimetière marin de Port-Louis - LINK
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Photography: Francesca Palli
Cemetery in Gwada - LINK
Photography: Francesca Palli
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Sainte-Rose Cemetery, Guadeloupe - LINK
Photography: Francesca Palli
Photography: Francesca Palli
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Cimetière en Guadeloupe- LINK

Cimetière Bananier Guadeloupe. By b.moutin on Flickr
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Sunday, April 29, 2012

Trunyan Cemetery

The mountain village of Trunyan is located between Lake Batur and the outer rim of Mount Batur, and is only accessible by boat. The Trunyanese are often referred to as Bali Aga(mountain Balinese), a classification which refers to a conservative, pre-Hindu way of life with ancient, neolithic customs and a conscious avoidance of outside influences.

Contrary to elsewhere in Hindu Bali the Trunyanese do not cremate their dead. Instead, after a ritual cleansing with rain water, the body of the deceased is placed in a bamboo cage under the taru menyan tree.  The forces of nature, in particular the wind, has dissolved the body tissues and only the skeleton remains. The skull is then placed on a stair-shaped stone altar which is located some 500m north, a special place which can only be reached by boat. Taru Menyan translates as 'nice smelling tree'. The typical scent this tree emanates, neutralizes the smell of the rotting bodies. It is also this tree from which the name Trunyan is derived. 

However, the 'kuburan' as tourists call it, is not the only village cemetery. There are three cemeteries for the Trunyan; Sema Bantas, the burial place of those who have committed suicide, died in an accident, or those who have died of horrible disfiguring diseases. Sema Nguda, the burial place of children and/or young unmarried people. Typically those who are unmarried are not left to decompose in kuburan. Lastly, the Sema Wayah also called 'kuburan' where the dead are left to decompose in cages constructed of bamboo.

 Women are not allowed to attend the Pengiriman ceremonies, the bringing of the body to the taru menyan tree or to the cemetery. The reason for this is the belief that otherwise the village will be struck by disaster, such as an earthquake, a volcanic eruption, or a land slide.

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Photo credit: Roland H. Huber

Schovanek Photography

Schovanek Photography

Schovanek Photography

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By dimsman on Flickr

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Schovanek Photography

Schovanek Photography

Schovanek Photography

Schovanek Photography

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Schovanek Photography

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Info from here and here

Friday, April 27, 2012

Red Tides and Algae Blooms

Danakil Depression, Ethiopia
Laguna Colorada(Red Lagoon), Bolivia - LINK
Red discolored water in-shore of Sanibel Island, Florida - LINK
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Laguna Colorado or Red Lagoon is a shallow salt lake in Bolivia - LINK
Blood red water on the Avacha Bay, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia
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Fibrocapsa japonica bloom discolored waters in the mangroves east of Tarpon Bay, Florida. - LINK
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Red colored water in the Black Sea near Sevastopol, Ukraine - LINK
Red Lake, Ruffner Mountain, Birmingham, Alabama - LINK
Lac du Salagou- LINK

Red lake in Port Elizabeth, South Africa
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Red Alage-colored rice terraces at the village of Longshuba, China - LINK
Red Tide, by Laura Urquhart on Flickr
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Red Lake Kristof, by hendersonc18 on Flickr

"Blood Lake" in Texas - LINK
A Texas resevoir has turned deep red under drought conditions - LINK
Lake Urmia in Iran’s West Azarbaijan province - LINK
The red polluted Jian River in China - LINK
Red Tide at Surfers Beach. Photo credit Keith Mangold - LINK
Red water in the Fisher Dam, Texas. Photo credit: Scott Olson / Getty Images
The Beirut River turns red - LINK
Lake Urmia in Iran - LINK
China's Yellow River turns red