Kelli Swazey: Life that doesn't end with death

譯者: Samson Zhong 審譯者: E Fan

I think it's safe to say

總有一次，人生要面對死亡交迫，

that all humans will be intimate with death

我覺得這樣說

at least once in their lives.

並不為過。

But what if that intimacy began

但若天命未到，

long before you faced your own transition

死亡威脅提前到來，

from life into death?

又會怎樣？

What would life be like

實際舆死亡相伴的生活

if the dead literally lived alongside you?

又是怎樣的？

In my husband's homeland

在印尼東部蘇拉威西(Sulawesi)島一帶的高地，

in the highlands of Sulawesi island

也就是外子的故鄉那兒，

in eastern Indonesia,

有一民族

there is a community of people that experience death

是在漸進的社會經驗中

not as a singular event

體驗死亡，

but as a gradual social process.

而非一生一次的大事。

In Tana Toraja,

在當地的塔納托拉雅（Tana Toraja），

the most important social moments in people's lives,

葬禮是生活中最重要的社交場合

the focal points of social and cultural interaction

和社會文化交流，

are not weddings or births or even family dinners,

更甚婚禮、新生兒誕生，

but funerals.

重要性甚至超越家庭晚餐。

So these funerals are characterized

繁複的儀式

by elaborate rituals

是這些葬禮的特徵，

that tie people in a system of reciprocal debt

這些儀式以禮尚往來的互惠系統

based on the amount of animals --

將人緊密融入，

pigs, chickens and, most importantly, water buffalo --

牲口數量就是這系統的基礎，

that are sacrificed and distributed

如豬 、雞 與最重要的水牛，

in the name of the deceased.

這些獻祭會以死者名義分給眾人。

So this cultural complex surrounding death,

因此這個瑩繞著死亡的文化情節，

the ritual enactment of the end of life,

以儀式演繹生命的終點，

has made death the most visible

並成為托拉雅當地

and remarkable aspect of Toraja's landscape.

最顯著特殊的在地景觀。

Lasting anywhere from a few days

為期數天

to a few weeks,

到數週不等的葬禮

funeral ceremonies are a raucous affair,

是一場喧鬧的盛事；

where commemorating someone who's died

在這場合中，紀念死者不僅是

is not so much a private sadness

個人哀傷的情緒，

but more of a publicly shared transition.

更是眾人共同的過渡時期。

And it's a transition that's just as much

這段時間

about the identity of the living

對生者的認同

as it is about remembrance of the dead.

和對死者的悼念是一樣的。

So every year, thousands of visitors

每年都有數以千計的訪客

come to Tana Toraja to see, as it were,

一如往昔地來到塔納托拉雅，

this culture of death,

見識死亡文化。

and for many people these grandiose ceremonies

對許多人而言，

and the length of the ceremonies

這些鋪張冗長的典禮

are somehow incommensurable

與西方對後事的態度

with the way that we face our own mortality in the West.

程度上似乎有點相近。

So even as we share death as a universal experience,

所以，死亡雖是我們共同的經驗，

it's not experienced the same way the world over.

但經歷因地而異。

And as an anthropologist,

我是人類學家，

I see these differences in experience

我認為文化和社會結構

being rooted in the cultural and social world

產生這些風俗差異，

through which we define the phenomena around us.

讓我們據以解釋週遭的環境。

So where we see an unquestionable reality,

在我們眼中毋庸置疑的事實，

death as an irrefutable biological condition,

也就是死亡為不可避免的生理狀態；

Torajans see the expired corporeal form

托拉雅人卻認為，

as part of a larger social genesis.

腐朽的身軀是以成員身分擴充社會規模。

So again, the physical cessation of life

這裡再次凸顯的是，生理上性命的終結

is not the same as death.

不等於死亡。

In fact, a member of society is only truly dead

事實上，社會成員「真正」死亡

when the extended family can agree upon

是在所屬的大家庭同意後，

and marshal the resources necessary

再張羅必需品

to hold a funeral ceremony

來舉辦葬禮，

that is considered appropriate in terms of resources

喪禮合宜與否，端看喪葬資源

for the status of the deceased.

是否與死者社會地位相符。

And this ceremony has to take place

而且，葬禮

in front of the eyes of the whole community

必須在所有成員的見證

with everyone's participation.

與參與下進行。

So after a person's physical death,

一個人的肉體死亡後，

their body is placed in a special room

另闢特殊房間停靈，

in the traditional residence, which is called the tongkonan.

而房間所在的傳統屋宇叫作 tongkonan。

And the tongkonan is symbolic

這種房屋，

not only of the family's identity

不論對家族識別或人的生死循環來說，

but also of the human life cycle from birth to death.

都具有象徵意義。

So essentially, the shape of the building

基本上，

that you're born into is the shape

你出生的住所，

of the structure which carries you

和帶你回到

to your ancestral resting place.

先靈安息處的房屋很像。

Until the funeral ceremony,

喪禮可能在肉體死亡後數年才舉行，

which can be held years after a person's physical death,

在此之前，往生者仍算是家族成員，

the deceased is referred to as "to makala," a sick person,

人們稱他們為 to makala，也就是「病人」的意思；

or "to mama," a person who is asleep,

或是 to mama，

and they continue to be a member of the household.

也就是 「沉睡者」。

They are symbolically fed and cared for,

這時屍體仍被象徵性地供養照顧，

and the family at this time

而家人將會著手一連串的敕令儀式，

will begin a number of ritual injunctions,

與周遭那個更大的「社群」溝通，

which communicates to the wider community around them

告訴他們

that one of their members is undergoing the transition

有一位家族成員，

from this life into the afterlife

正由今生邁向來世，

known as Puya.

這轉換期稱作 Puya。

So I know what some of you must be thinking right now.

我知道此刻你們一定在想：

Is she really saying that these people live

「難不成她說的是，

with the bodies of their dead relatives?

這些傢伙與親人的屍體同住？」

And that's exactly what I'm saying.

沒錯！我的意思就是這樣！

But instead of giving in to the sort of visceral reaction

對這與屍共處、

we have to this idea of proximity to bodies,

與死為鄰的想法，

proximity to death,

還有這與我們生物和醫學上

or how this notion just does not fit

所定義的死亡不符；

into our very biological or medical

與其強烈排斥，

sort of definition of death,

我反而認為，

I like to think about what the Torajan way

看待死亡的方式，

of viewing death encompasses of the human experience

托拉雅人

that the medical definition leaves out.

涵蓋了醫學定義

I think that Torajans socially recognize

所遺漏的人類經驗。

and culturally express

即使多數人接受生醫領域對死亡的定義

what many of us feel to be true

我認為

despite the widespread acceptance

托拉雅人的社會認知和文化再現，

of the biomedical definition of death,

是我們當中許多人也相信的。

and that is that our relationships with other humans,

那就是，

人類彼此的關係，

their impact on our social reality,

doesn't cease with the termination

及其對社會現實的影響，

of the physical processes of the body,

不會因生理機能終止，

that there's a period of transition

就嘎然中止；

as the relationship between the living and the dead

會有一段生死交替的轉換期，

is transformed but not ended.

但非就此結束。

So Torajans express this idea of this enduring relationship

對托拉雅人來說，

by lavishing love and attention

軀體是人際關係最明顯的象徵，

on the most visible symbol of that relationship,

他們以對遺體滿滿的關愛

the human body.

表達這種恆久關係的概念。

So my husband has fond memories

我先生就有 與自己的祖父遺體玩耍說話、

of talking to and playing with

朝夕相處的愉快回憶。

and generally being around his deceased grandfather,

and for him there is nothing unnatural about this.

對他來說，這沒什麼好奇怪的！

This is a natural part of the process

這是很自然的過程，

as the family comes to terms with the transition

與死者關係的轉變，

in their relationship to the deceased,

家人都能

and this is the transition from relating to the deceased

泰然處之。

as a person who's living

生前是

to relating to the deceased

家裡的其中一人；

as a person who's an ancestor.

死後就變成祖先。

And here you can see these wooden effigies

現在你們看到的是

of the ancestors,

他們祖先的木雕像，

so these are people who have already been buried,

這些人的葬禮已經辦過，

already had a funeral ceremony.

也已經下葬。

These are called tau tau.

這些木雕稱作 tau tau。

So the funeral ceremony itself

所以葬禮本身

embodies this relational perspective on death.

體現了這種 以關係為基礎的死亡觀。

It ritualizes the impact of death on families

死亡對家人和社群的影響，

and communities.

在葬禮中變成了儀式，

And it's also a moment of self-awareness.

葬禮也是自覺的時刻；

It's a moment when people think about who they are,

人們在這時思考自己究竟是誰？

their place in society,

在社會中的地位，

and their role in the life cycle

於托拉雅宇宙觀相應的生命循環中，

in accordance with Torajan cosmology.

自己又扮演何種角色？

There's a saying in Toraja

有一句托拉雅諺語說，

that all people will become grandparents,

所有人都會變成祖父母，

and what this means is that after death,

意思是去世後，

we all become part of the ancestral line

我們都會變成先祖。

that anchors us between the past and the present

正是這種世系 在過去與現在間支持我們，

and will define who our loved ones are into the future.

並決定我們所愛的人 未來會是怎樣的角色。

So essentially, we all become grandparents

所以，

to the generations of human children

就本質來說，

that come after us.

我們都會成為

And this metaphor of membership

人類未來世代的祖先。

in the greater human family

這種以加入人類社會成員比喻的方式，

is the way that children also describe

也是當地談論購買獻祭水牛時，

the money that they invest

兒女的講法；

in these sacrificial buffaloes

他們相信，

that are thought to carry people's soul

水牛能將人類的靈魂送往來世。

from here to the afterlife,

而且兒女會解釋，

and children will explain

他們花這筆錢

that they will invest the money in this

是為了報答父母這些年來，

because they want to repay their parents

為了照顧自己

the debt for all of the years their parents spent

還有在自己身上投資

investing and caring for them.

所花的費用。

But the sacrifice of buffalo

但水牛獻祭與儀式

and the ritual display of wealth

所展示的財富，

also exhibits the status of the deceased,

顯示了往生者的地位，

and, by extension, the deceased's family.

當然也應證了其家族的勢力。

So at funerals, relationships are reconfirmed

所以關係在葬禮中再次獲得確認，

but also transformed

但也在儀式演示中有所轉變，

in a ritual drama that highlights

這儀式所凸顯的是

the most salient feature about death in this place:

死亡在此地最重要的特徵：

its impact on life and the relationships of the living.

對生命及生者關係的影響。

So all of this focus on death

托拉雅人如此重視死亡，

doesn't mean that Torajans don't aspire

不表示他們未曾嚮往

to the ideal of a long life.

長壽的理想，

They engage in many practices

他們有許多

thought to confer good health

促進健康

and survival to an advanced age.

和延年益壽的作法；

But they don't put much stock

但面臨耗弱健康的疾病

in efforts to prolong life in the face of debilitating illness

及衰老時，他們不會費盡心思

or in old age.

延長壽命。

It's said in Toraja that everybody has

據傳在托拉雅，

sort of a predetermined amount of life.

每個人的壽命是註定的，

It's called the sunga'.

這種天命稱作 sunga。

And like a thread, it should be allowed to unspool

就像從捲軸拉出一條線，

to its natural end.

總會有盡頭。

So by having death as a part

當死亡融入生活中的

of the cultural and social fabric of life,

社會文化結構，

people's everyday decisions about their health

人們日常健康及養生的選擇

and healthcare are affected.

也跟著受影響。

The patriarch of my husband's maternal clan,

我先生母系一脈的族長

Nenet Katcha,

Nenet Katcha，

is now approaching the age of 100, as far as we can tell.

看得出來已經快100歲了，

And there are increasing signs

而且越來越明顯的是，

that he is about to depart on his own journey for Puya.

他即將踏上今生到來世的旅程 (Puya)。

And his death will be greatly mourned.

他去世時悼念儀式會很盛大，

But I know that my husband's family

但我知道，我丈夫一家

looks forward to the moment

所盼望的那個時刻，

when they can ritually display

是他不凡生平

what his remarkable presence has meant to their lives,

對一家人的影響，

when they can ritually recount

可讓他們表現在儀式中；

his life's narrative,

那時他們可照例 陳述他的生前事蹟，

weaving his story

將他的故事

into the history of their community.

編入族群的歷史中。

His story is their story.

他的故事就是族群的故事，

His funeral songs will sing them a song about themselves.

為他安排的送葬歌曲也將是關於眾人的。

And it's a story that has no discernible beginning,

歌曲的故事看不出從何開始，

no foreseeable end.

也不知何處結束，

It's a story that goes on

會是一個在他軀體消失後

long after his body no longer does.

不斷延續的故事。

People ask me if I'm frightened or repulsed

人們問我，是否害怕或厭惡

by participating in a culture

處於一個

where the physical manifestations of death

死亡意象

greet us at every turn.

隨處可見的文化中？

But I see something profoundly transformative

但以社會歷程，

in experiencing death as a social process

而非生理過程看待死亡，

and not just a biological one.

讓我看到一些深刻的轉變。

In reality, the relationship between the living and the dead

事實上，在美國的醫療體系下，

has its own drama in the U.S. healthcare system,

生者與死者間的關係也有特別之處，

where decisions about how long to stretch

對壽命的決定，

the thread of life are made based on our emotional

不只取決於醫療技術，

and social ties with the people around us,

還有我們跟週遭的人之間的

not just on medicine's ability to prolong life.

情感與社會關係。

We, like the Torajans,

我們和托拉雅人一樣，

base our decisions about life

以自身加諸於死亡的

on the meanings and the definitions

意義和定義，

that we ascribe to death.

為生命做決定。

So I'm not suggesting that anyone in this audience

我不是建議在座的各位，

should run out and adopt the traditions

立刻採納

of the Torajans.

托拉雅人的傳統。

It might be a little bit difficult

在美國

to put into play in the United States.

要做到這些有些困難，

But I want to ask what we can gain

但我想問的是，將生理上的死亡，

from seeing physical death not only as a biological process

看成更偉大的人類歷史，而不僅是一種生物性過程，

but as part of the greater human story.

我們將學到什麼呢？

What would it be like to look on

以愛看待遺體，

the expired human form with love

因為那幾乎就是我們群體的一部份，

because it's so intimately a part of who we all are?

若這樣看又會怎樣呢？

If we could expand our definition of death

若我們將生命

to encompass life,

包含於廣義的死亡定義，

we could experience death as part of life

就能把死亡經歷當作生命的一部份，

and perhaps face death

面對它時

with something other than fear.

就不會只有恐懼。

Perhaps one of the answers to the challenges

也許當前美國面臨的醫療體系挑戰，

that are facing the U.S. healthcare system,

尤其是臨終照護，

particularly in the end-of-life care,

解決方式之一

is as simple as a shift in perspective,

可能簡單到只要轉變看法；

and the shift in perspective in this case

以臨終照護來說，

would be to look at the social life of every death.

就是檢視死亡的社會性。

It might help us recognize that the way we limit

這樣做將讓我們發現，

our conversation about death

我們論及死亡時

to something that's medical or biological

侷限在生物醫療方面，

is reflective of a larger culture that we all share

反映出我們都有逃避死亡，

of avoiding death, being afraid of talking about it.

忌諱相關話題的文化傾向。

If we could entertain and value

如果我們願意重視

other kinds of knowledge about life,

並接納其他關於生命的見解，

including other definitions of death,

包括死亡的不同定義，

it has the potential to change the discussions

就可能改變

that we have about the end of life.

我們對死亡的相關論述。

It could change the way that we die,

這可能改變我們死亡的方式，

but more importantly,

但更重要的是，

it could transform the way that we live.

這能改變我們活下去的方式。

(Applause)

(印尼語)(掌聲)