Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC)

Ancestor Tree

Our ancient people began putting away their departed loved ones in Ancestor Trees several hundred years ago, after they stopped building Ancestor mounds. We wrapped our ancestors’ bones in a blanket and placed them in a cedar box. We preferred to set the box in a large maple tree in a branch that touched the ground. Both the box and ancestor eventually decayed and returned to the earth. We stopped using Ancestor Trees after the Churches arrived.