Post by Okwes on Sept 6, 2006 17:18:46 GMT -5
Business caters to Native sensibilities
Sam Lewin 8/29/2006
www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?actionfiltered=displayarticle&artic\
le_id=8126
<http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=8\
126>
In the time he has been overseeing operations at the Comanche Funeral
Home in Lawton, Meech Aitson has accommodated an array of Native
American-specific traditions.
There was the Pawnee family that wanted the body of a loved one to be
returned to the home for a brief period. Aitson�'s employees had to
break down the door so that the casket would fit. Then there is the
Comanche prohibition against placing any pictures in the casket.
The sage of the business began in 2002 when then-Comanche chairman
Johnny Wauqua mandated that the tribe build a funeral home. It was
something out of the ordinary, Aitson recalls.
�"Native American people don�'t like to talk about death,�"
he said. �"It was taboo and bad luck.�"
Aitson said the Comanches �"took the initiative�" because of
complaints from tribal members about the way they were being treated at
�"several of the funeral homes in the area.�" Aitson, a
45-year-old former educator at Riverside Indian School, endeavored to
make the operation completely sensitive to Indian sensibilities. One
complaint about non-Indian funeral homes was the time allotted for
family members and friends to reminisce near the casket. When that time
was up, staffers at the homes were apparently brusque in ushering
everyone out.
�"If someone wants to sit and remember with people out of state we
don�'t penalize them,�" Aitson tells the Native American Times.
Other tribes have noticed, increasing the funeral allotments they give
to their members. The Kiowas upped theirs by $1,000 to $3,000, the
Apaches by over $2,000 to $5,000 and the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of
Oklahoma by $2,500, also increasing to $5,000 the money given to a
family to pay for a funeral service.
�"That covers services, caskets, flowers and headstones,�"
Aitson said.
The funeral home is also an example of the positives that can come from
Indian Gaming. The Comanches run four casinos, grossing millions of
dollars and funding the funeral home.
�"We just want to be a community-based service,�" Aitson said.
Sam Lewin 8/29/2006
www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?actionfiltered=displayarticle&artic\
le_id=8126
<http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=8\
126>
In the time he has been overseeing operations at the Comanche Funeral
Home in Lawton, Meech Aitson has accommodated an array of Native
American-specific traditions.
There was the Pawnee family that wanted the body of a loved one to be
returned to the home for a brief period. Aitson�'s employees had to
break down the door so that the casket would fit. Then there is the
Comanche prohibition against placing any pictures in the casket.
The sage of the business began in 2002 when then-Comanche chairman
Johnny Wauqua mandated that the tribe build a funeral home. It was
something out of the ordinary, Aitson recalls.
�"Native American people don�'t like to talk about death,�"
he said. �"It was taboo and bad luck.�"
Aitson said the Comanches �"took the initiative�" because of
complaints from tribal members about the way they were being treated at
�"several of the funeral homes in the area.�" Aitson, a
45-year-old former educator at Riverside Indian School, endeavored to
make the operation completely sensitive to Indian sensibilities. One
complaint about non-Indian funeral homes was the time allotted for
family members and friends to reminisce near the casket. When that time
was up, staffers at the homes were apparently brusque in ushering
everyone out.
�"If someone wants to sit and remember with people out of state we
don�'t penalize them,�" Aitson tells the Native American Times.
Other tribes have noticed, increasing the funeral allotments they give
to their members. The Kiowas upped theirs by $1,000 to $3,000, the
Apaches by over $2,000 to $5,000 and the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of
Oklahoma by $2,500, also increasing to $5,000 the money given to a
family to pay for a funeral service.
�"That covers services, caskets, flowers and headstones,�"
Aitson said.
The funeral home is also an example of the positives that can come from
Indian Gaming. The Comanches run four casinos, grossing millions of
dollars and funding the funeral home.
�"We just want to be a community-based service,�" Aitson said.