THE FOUNDATION FOR MONTANA HISTORY PRESENTS:

Have you always wondered why some headstones in Montana cemeteries look like carved tree trunks? Have you ever strolled through your local cemetery and wondered what an “Oddfellow” was, or why there are strange altars and incense burners near graves that have Chinese or Japanese inscriptions?

Join us in Butte this spring to learn more about ethnic communities, fraternal organizations, and cemetery symbolism in Montana.

Butte Cemetery Symbolism Masterclass

Crystal Alegria, Executive Director of The Extreme History Project; Mark Johnson, author and historian of the Chinese experience in Montana; and Aubrey Jaap, Executive Director of the Butte-Silver Bow Archives team up to provide an informative and comprehensive look at symbols, meaning, and funerary practices in Montana.

Five Office of Public Instruction (OPI) credits are available. Simply ask for a form upon arrival to the masterclass.

After a morning in the classroom with our experts, we will provide you with lunch before moving on to Mount Moriah Cemetery. You will take part in the Mai Wah Museum’s annual tomb cleaning ceremony in the Chinese section, then spend time discovering the many common and unique symbols contained in this beautiful cemetery. Later, join us for snacks and beverages at the optional “Afterlife Celebration” to learn more about modern-day mortuary and funeral practices.

MASTERCLASS DETAILS

When: May 18, 2024 from 9:00am to 4:00pm

Where: Butte-Silver Bow Archives (17 W. Quartz Avenue, Butte MT 59701)

Price: $65: includes lunch and workshop materials, $10 for the Optional Afterlife Celebration with Axelson Funeral Services

Masterclass Goals:

Provide hands-on experience and resources to better understand historic cemeteries.
Provide high qualify information, delivered by experts, about how different cultures and organizations have used symbols in Montana cemeteries.
Make history relevant through personal discovery and hands-on learning.
Offer an opportunity to observe and participate in the Chinese practice of tomb cleaning.
Increase historical literacy, understanding, and appreciation of Montana’s diverse ethnic and fraternal communities.

Mt. Moriah Cemetery, Butte MT.

Agenda

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