Where is everyone from??

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Shelob

There are the mound-builders, they lived along the Mississippi River at around the time of the middle ages. The mound-builders didn't quite build barrows they built ceremonial mounds (hence their name), but it's probably the closest in that sense...
In South America the Incas mumified their dead and continued to 'worship' them (but that's not really the best word...it's more like they treated them much the same as if they were still alive...spoke with them, brought them food, and I think there were some celebrations when they brought all their old rulers out of their tombs for the day)...
This is all I know off that's similar, though I wouldn't be supprised at 'barrow-ish' ideas appearing elsewhere in the americas...

I would suppose then, that the 'Mexican Day of the Dead' celebrations come from the Inca civilisation? That's interesting, as it is said that the ancient european cultures used to revere their ancestors by leaving food outside barrows and other tombs, even going so far as to hold celebrations in their honour, believing them to be very much still 'alive'. And in the UK there is Silbury Hill, which is seemingly nothing more than a huge mound built to 'enhance' the landscape for some spiritual purpose. Ii fascinates me how common ideas are found to be shared between cultures thousands of miles and years apart.