Representation by Honouring the Ancient Dead (Honouring the Ancient Dead)
- Date submitted
- 9 January 2019
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Honouring the Ancient Dead (HAD) is a British initiative that advocates respect for what are commonly called ‘human remains’ and their related funereal artefacts.
HAD’s particular focus is the physical evidence of ancestors who don’t fall into the protective cloak of the Church, these being for the most part those ancestors who lived and died before the seventh century when Christianity began to spread through Britain.
HAD aims to present a particular perspective with regard to the ancestors, one that perceives the ancestors as still being integral and influencing members of the community.
HAD was originally created in response to negotiations following the Public Enquiry into proposed road developments at Stonehenge, Wiltshire, in 2004. Head of The Druid Network, Emma Restall Orr, had made a presentation to the Public Enquiry raising the issue of the spiritual and religious sensitivities that such an intrusive project would have touched upon. She was asked to put together a group that represented the British Pagan voice in order to continue negotiations with the various companies and organisations involved.
In the event, the road development was once again postponed, but HAD had been formed. Instead of representing every Pagan group or individual, HAD’s aim was to represent the broad spectrum of theologies and philosophies within modern Paganism within which heritage and ancestors were considered sacred.
Fairly quickly, however, HAD’s core volunteers found a huge amount of support from people who were not Pagan, but whose attitude towards ancestors and their physical traces were profoundly important. Furthermore, HAD was also challenged by some Pagans who disagreed with its premise. As a result, in 2012, HAD officially altered its parameters to become an initiative representing a particular set of ideas, those stated in the simple triad: • As human beings we have a duty of care towards every other human person. • As integral and influencing members of the community, the ancestral dead retain their personhood. • Personhood entails the need for respectful interaction.
In seeking representation, we shall focus on and request consultation where there is evidence that the following principles may be compromised: • Avoid any damage to any known or possible sites where physical evidence of ancestors may be found • Avoid or minimise any damage to known or potential sites where evidence of ancestors is less likely • Avoid or minimise physical impact or visual intrusion on any known or potential alignments within the broader WHS landscape noting in particular the alignments from Stonehenge itself.