Maya Angelou is one of the most celebrated poets and authors of our time. The question of whether she was buried or cremated has been asked by many, who have wondered about her final resting place. To answer the question: Maya Angelou was cremated, in accordance with her wishes.
Before her passing, Angelou’s wishes were very clear: she did not wish for a funeral service to be held in her honor. She hadn’t planned to be buried in a cemetery either, and requested that her body be cremated instead. Hence, her cremation was performed shortly after her death at the age of 86, on the 28th of May 2014.
The decision to cremate is highly personal, and was an affirmation of Angelou’s right to choose how she wanted her final journey to be. She had lived a life of promoting self-expression and autonomy, and this was her way of making sure her legacy was carried out in the manner she desired.
The advantages of cremation are widely known. It requires less resources and is more eco-friendly than a traditional burial. It was also more economical since there were no funeral services to be paid for. Furthermore, the remains are easier to transport, allowing for Angelou’s relatives to keep them in whatever manner they pleased.
The choice of cremation over burial was not a difficult one for Angelou’s family. They respected her wishes and her desire for an easier and less costly funeral option. They also considered the fact that through cremation, beneath a mountain of dust and ashes, Angelou would be symbolically still able to look up to the stars.
After Angelou’s ashes were collected and set aside for the family to keep, they were placed into a wishing jar and taken to a special place. This was a place to honor her place in history and her contribution to the black struggle.
In lieu of a cemetery burial, a grand memorial service was held on 29 July 2014 in North Carolina, during which her family, friends, and fans paid their final respects in a way that was fitting for a woman of her stature. Since then, her legacy continues to endure and her words remain alive in the hearts and minds of so many.
The Decision for Angelou’s Final Resting Place
At the time before her death, Maya Angelou was already well aware of her own mortality. Consequently, while living she made arrangements and decisions around her final resting place. Although she had previously made references to wanting to be buried in a cemetery after her passing, she opted to choose cremation instead. This final decision was not taken lightly, as cremation remains the most finality and irreversible of the two choices.
Whenever a loved one passes away it can be difficult to make decisions, especially with regards to how they should be laid to rest. There are a few main factors to consider. For Angelou, these included the cost of the funeral, the environment, and practical concerns for the immediate family. Also to be taken into account were her personal spiritual beliefs, as well as wider cultural factors that may have come into play.
On one hand, a traditional burial in a cemetery would have been suitable for Angelou’s loved ones, as it would have been in line with some of the spiritual beliefs and traditions she was familiar with. It would have allowed for those closest to her, such as her family and friends, the opportunity to mourn and say goodbye while in the presence of her body. However, the practical considerations of a burial made it more difficult- finically, logistically and psychologically.
The prospect of a burial, where the departed remains reside in a location away from the family, indefinitely takes away the opportunity for the bereaved to visit their loved one’s leafy, quiet resting place. From an environmental perspective, a burial takes up valuable space and, depending on the method of the burial, uses quite a lot of resources.
Nevertheless, due to the many advantages that cremation offers, Angelou’s family decided that this was the ideal route for her final resting place. Instead of being laid to rest in a cemetery, her memories, values and essence would be held close to her family and friends in a wish jar. Through this, Angelou’s wishes for her final journey were respected and fulfilled.
The Benefits of Angelou’s Choice for Cremation
As previously mentioned, the decision to cremate was an affirmation of Angelou’s autonomy and her wish to be in-charge of the end stages of her life. However, it was more than just a personal choice; it was also beneficial in several different ways. Many of these benefits appealed to both the immediate family and wider society.
At the very top of the list were the financial benefits associated with cremations. Without a funeral to be paid for, Maya Angelou’s family was spared a financial burden during a difficult and stressed period in their lives. This is a substantial benefit of cremation when compared to funerals and burials.
Cremations also carry the benefit of conserving the space that would’ve been taken up by a cemetery burial. This avoids overcrowding of cemeteries and is an important benefit from an environmental point of view, as burials are linked to taking up large amounts of land, reducing available open, green space for the public.
Thirdly, the process of preparing a cremation is much less laborious and demands considerably less resources than a traditional interment. This is because fewer material goods are required, so there’s a lot less waste afterwards. The disposal process for cremated remains is simpler too, as the ashes can be kept, scattered or buried in an urn garden.
It is also worth considering the personal sense of ownership that cremation adds. For Maya Angelou’s family, they could take comfort knowing that they remained in control after her passing. With cremation, the bereaved has more opportunities to plan memorials and remembrance services which they are involved in approving, planning and executing.
The use of cremations carries many advantages and this was certainly taken into consideration by Angelou’s family when they made their decision. Cremations are affordable, eco-friendly and simpler than traditional burials, so it is unsurprising that this was what Angelou chose for herself.
Cremation as a Ancestral Practice
In the African-American community, the role of death and mourning has been shaped by history, presence, and opinion. Cremation has roots in the ancestor traditions of the African-American community, where funerary customs passed down over generations were an important part of the grieving process.
This is where the wish jar, which Angelou’s family used to hold her ashes, has its origins. Historically, family and close friends would collect the ashes of the deceased in a pot or jar, wrapping it in cloth and carrying it through the streets, singing songs and honoring the dead. Such traditions exemplified the immense love and respect that the African-American people have for their ancestors.
Therefore, the importance of cremain was not lost on Angelou’s family, who sought to honor her legacy in this way. After her cremation, her ashes were kept in a jar, which was subsequently taken to a special place to honor her place in history and her contribution to the black struggle.
It is true that the traditional rites of mourning vary widely according to religion and culture. However, the choice of cremation suggests that Angelou wanted to pay homage to the ancestor traditions that she was so familiar with. Her funeral in 2014 had all the elements of a traditional African funeral, albeit with some modifications that were peculiarly Angelou’s own.
Through her influence, Angelou was able to bring together family, friends, and fans in a way that paid tribute to her, as well as the ancestral traditions that meant so much to her. By choosing cremation instead of a traditional burial, Angelou, in many ways, was connecting her heritage and culture, even in death.
The Emotional Impact of Angelou’s Choice
When facing the loss of a loved one, grief can be expressed and experienced in multiple ways. To honor the wishes of the deceased and finalize any affairs as needed, it is of great importance and comfort to the bereaved to be able to make the right decisions at a time of mourning.
At times, saying goodbye can be counter-intuitive, and the very idea of it can bring a wave of emotions in a short period of time. Despite this, those left behind need to make decisions that best bring closure and the greatest amount of peace. This was certainly the case for Angelou’s family.
For Angelou’s family, this meant finding solace in her dignified death. The thought of being able to transport her remains to a place that best honored her certainly had an incredibly impact on how they were able to commemorate her life in death. Gathering close around the wish jar, it felt as if a special part of her will forever remain with them.
Bearing in mind that Maya Angelou was a woman who was devoted to her beliefs, it was unsurprising that the kind of funeral she chose mirrored the way in which she had lived her life – autonomously and at her own will. Therefore, in lieu of a cemetery burial, Angelou’s family found peace in knowing that she was cremated and that her final voyage in death was reflective of who she was in life.
In terms of the actual funeral, Angelou’s family was able to honor her by creating a memorial that was filled with tributes, readings and eulogies, enabling them to bid a heartfelt farewell at their own pace. This was an integral step in giving their mourning a sense of completeness.
This gave them, and Angelou’s many admirers, the opportunity to pay final tribute and honor her in a way that was befitting of a woman of her stature.
