Ritual of Everlasting Life

"Excuse me. Are you Mike Arcgelen?"   Mike had watched the young Bane'ile woman approach the bar thinking that she looked familiar, but as soon as he heard the richness of her voice, he made the connection. "Are you kin to Umbajin?"   "His blood sister. Umtana."   "Wonderful to meet you, Umtana! Is Umbajin here, too?"   "No. My brother chose to stay behind to serve those of our tribe who would not leave."   Mike was taken aback by her answer. "I'm so very sorry. Your brother is an amazing man with a very big heart."   A sad smile crossed her face. "Yes. Sometimes a little too big."   Not knowing what else to say, Mike gestured to the bottles behind him and offered, "Can I get you anything?"   "No thank you. I'm just here on behalf of Umbajin to deliver a message and ask a favor."   "Anything I can do to help. Just name it."   "Among our people, there is the ritual of everlasting life. When someone crosses over to join the ancestors, their loved ones distribute small tokens from among their possessions, to act as a bridge between the dimensions. Things that carry their energy and have special meaning to them. In this way, they may live on in the hearts of all those that they are connected to. My brother wishes to ask if he may leave this here with you to give to Salelu if she should return one day."   Mike looked down at the exquisite orange pendant in the palm of her hand and hesitated. "Why would Umbajin want to leave something so precious here with me?"   "He reasons that, if Salelu is not already among the ancestors, she would seek refuge with you and your brothers here at the Crossroads should she return when our world is no more."   Mike accepted the pendant with reverence, admiring its delicate beauty. "A tulivo shell?"   "Yes. Salelu wears its twin. Two becoming one."   There was a lump in Mike's throat when he pledged, "It will be my honor to keep it safe for her." Then he took Umtana's hand in what he hoped would be a comforting gesture. "It's a terrible thing to lose your home and those you love. If there's ever anything else that my brothers and I can do for you, and your people, please let us know."   "We thank you."   "Bright blessings, sister Umtana."   "Bright blessings, brother Mike."   It warmed Umtana's heart to hear the familiar salutation of her home in this place that was so strange and far away. It made her feel like perhaps it might not be so lonely out there among the stars after all.   Mike couldn't help thinking of his brothers and that other world that they had once called home so very long ago as he watched Umbajin's sister quietly walk away.  

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Practice

  The ritual of everlasting life is commonly practiced among the Bane'ile people when someone dies. Small possessions that held special meaning for the deceased are distributed among those that they were connected to. The recipient would then carry the item on their person or place it on their ancestral altar.  

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Meaning

  The Bane'ile always had great reverence for their ancestors and they didn't really believe in the concept of death as most people understand it today. They believed that when the body died, the person would live on in another form, as an ancestor, in a different dimension. For this reason, it was common for the Bane'ile to continue to include their ancestors in daily life long after they left the physical plane.   They also believed that objects that are frequently handled and have special meaning can hold a bit of a person's energy. This is why a loved one's possession can act as a bridge between the dimensions, aiding in the flow of continued communication.   The ritual of everlasting life was originally meant to help those living in all of the dimensions to remain connected and communicating regardless of what form they might currently be in, but over time, it's meaning began to change. After the Bane'ile home world was destroyed when its binary stars collided and the people became scattered throughout Kantostara, each generation that followed became more and more assimilated into the culture of their new homes. Though the ritual is still commonly practiced among those with Bane'ile heritage, it is now mostly thought of as just a quaint custom of receiving a memento to remember a loved one by.