Help and Support
Author:  Nicolai Nicolai
 
    How do people from Kalskag deal with death? When a person dies in the village, people usually go and show their respect towards the family members. Even if they had a bad thought or intention towards that family they would still go. People bring native foods to help feed those who go and show their respect. They also help out by doing the dishes and cleaning up.
    In this case, respect is when you go and show a person that you care about them. Like when someone dies you go and let them know that you care, and you don't want them to think anything bad of you. When you respect someone it's usually an elder or older person, therefore much wiser.
    Right when a person dies, a group of people get together and build a coffin. When the coffin is finished they present it to the family and put the person's body in the coffin. On the day that the burial will take place some young men will start to dig a six-foot deep hole. After the burial ceremony, the dead person's family put together a feast.
    In the Russian Orthodox religion the priest and church members ask for the person's body to receive forgiveness and to be accepted into the Kingdom of God. The people have church for three days until they finally put the body into the ground. After twenty days they have a feast because the person's soul just got finished going through the Kingdom of Heaven, and now is going to go through hell.  
    For forty days the person's soul will wait to receive judgment from God. In the Orthodox religion, when a person dies, their soul either goes into the Kingdom of Heaven or hell, before they receive judgment.  They go into heaven for twenty days and when twenty days comes they move into hell. When forty days comes up, they go before God and receive his judgment. Either to go into heaven or hell.