A ship burial or boat grave is a burial in which a ship or boat is used either as the tomb for the dead and the grave goods , or as a part of the grave goods itself. If the ship is very small, it is called a boat grave. This style of burial was practiced by various seafaring cultures in Asia and Europe . Notable ship burial practices include those by the Germanic peoples , particularly by Viking Age Norsemen , as well as the pre-colonial ship burials described in the Boxer Codex (c. 15th century) in the Philippines .
54-453: Dead Man is a 1995 American acid Western film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch . It stars Johnny Depp , Gary Farmer , Billy Bob Thornton , Iggy Pop , Crispin Glover , John Hurt , Michael Wincott , Lance Henriksen , Gabriel Byrne , Mili Avital , and Robert Mitchum in his final film performance. The movie, set in the late 19th century, follows William Blake, a meek accountant on
108-528: A 10th-century ship burial among the Volga Vikings is given by Arab traveller Ibn Fadlan . The largest Viking ship grave, 65 feet (20 m) long, was discovered in Norway by archeologists in 2018, and it is estimated to have been covered over 1000 years ago to be used as a boat grave for an eminent Viking king or queen. The Gokstad Ship burial– from Kongshaugen , Vestfold , Norway, discovered in 1880,
162-414: A teddy bear . Also, when asked his name, Xebeche answers, "My name is Nobody." My Name Is Nobody was an Italian Western film from 1973 starring Henry Fonda and Terence Hill , and the clever answer of Ulysses to Polyphemus when asked the same question . According to film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum , Dead Man is generally regarded as well-researched in regard to Native American culture. The film
216-491: A 70% approval rating on website Rotten Tomatoes based on 53 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The site's consensus reads: "While decidedly not for all tastes, Dead Man marks an alluring change of pace for writer-director Jim Jarmusch that demonstrates an assured command of challenging material". Metacritic reports a score of 62 out of 100 from 20 critics, indicating "Generally favorable reviews". In July 2010, The New York Times chief film critic A. O. Scott capped
270-497: A child, English soldiers abducted and brought him to Europe as a model savage. He was briefly educated before returning home, where his stories of the white man and his culture were laughed off by fellow Native Americans. They thus dub him Xebeche: "He who talks loud, saying nothing". Nobody resolves to escort Blake to the Pacific Ocean to return him to his proper place in the spirit world. Blake and Nobody travel west, leaving
324-536: A costly fashion, and practiced for both men and women of the time. A traditional Viking ship prepared for burial contained the body of whomever owned the ship, which would then be set on fire and laid in the water, eventually taken by the winds and tides on a journey to a new life. In Norse mythology, boats were a symbol of safe passage to the afterlife, similar to the role they played in the Vikings' lives. The Gokstad ship, found in 1880 A unique eyewitness account of
378-411: A half stars out of four, praising the cinematography and Farmer's performance, but otherwise stating the film was "strange, slow [and] unrewarding", and adding: "Jim Jarmusch is trying to get at something here, and I don't have a clue what it is". Desson Howe and Rita Kempley, both writing for The Washington Post , offered largely negative reviews. Greil Marcus , however, mounted a spirited defense of
432-415: A laudatory "Critics' Picks" video review of the film by calling it "One of the very best movies of the 1990s." The Criterion Collection added the film to their collection, due to its "profound and unique revision of the western genre". Neil Young recorded the soundtrack by improvising (mostly on his electric guitar, with some acoustic guitar, piano and organ) as he watched the newly edited film alone in
486-445: A premier postmodern Western. It has been compared to Cormac McCarthy 's novel Blood Meridian . William Blake, an accountant from Cleveland , Ohio, rides by train to the frontier company town of Machine to take up a promised accounting job in the town's metal works. During the trip, the train fireman warns Blake against the enterprise. Arriving in town, Blake notes the hostility of the townsfolk towards him. He then discovers that
540-476: A recording studio. Jarmusch encouraged Young's improvisational music, as it would add to the film's spontaneous narrative. The soundtrack album consists of seven instrumental tracks by Young, with dialog excerpts from the film and Johnny Depp reading the poetry of William Blake interspersed between the music. Gary Farmer makes a cameo appearance as Nobody in Jarmusch's subsequent film Ghost Dog: The Way of
594-463: A subsequent interview with Jarmusch for Cineaste , and later in the book Dead Man, from BFI Modern Classics. In the book, Rosenbaum illuminates several aspects of this re-revisionist Western: from Neil Young 's haunting score, to the role of tobacco, to Johnny Depp 's performance, to the film's place in the acid Western genre. In the chapter "On the Acid Western", Rosenbaum addresses not only
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#1732772036054648-432: A trail of dead and encountering wanted posters announcing growing bounties for Blake's death or capture. Nobody leaves Blake alone in the wild when he decides Blake must undergo a vision quest . On his quest, Blake kills two U.S. Marshals , experiences visions of nature spirits, and grieves over the remains of a dead fawn his pursuers accidentally kill. He paints his face with the fawn's blood and rejoins Nobody. Meanwhile,
702-495: A virtually invented language of "trapper talk" was devised. The film was aborted one day before production. Wurlitzer's unproduced 1970s screenplay Zebulon inspired Jarmusch's Dead Man . Wurlitzer later transformed his script into the novel The Drop Edge of Yonder . Rosenbaum calls Dead Man a "much-delayed fulfillment" of the acid Western, "formulating a chilling, savage frontier poetry to justify its hallucinated agenda." More recently, Jan Kounen 's Blueberry from 2004
756-514: A walking dead man. When he learns Blake's full name, Nobody decides Blake is a reincarnation of William Blake, a poet whom he idolizes but of whom Blake is ignorant. He decides to care for Blake and to use Native methods to help ease him into death. Blake learns of Nobody's past, marked by prejudice from Euro-Americans who objected to his Indigenous ancestry, and equally from Native Americans who objected that his mother and father were from two opposing tribes, Piikáni and Apsáalooke , respectively. As
810-589: Is a reference to rock producer Jim Dickinson . The marshals chasing Blake are named Lee Hazlewood and Marvin Throne-berry, after Lee Hazlewood and Marv Throneberry , and also an allusion to the American actor Lee Marvin . Nobody's name ("He Who Talks Loud, Saying Nothing") is a reference to the James Brown song " Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing ". Michael Wincott's character is shown in possession of
864-527: Is a subgenre of the Western film that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s that combines the metaphorical ambitions of critically acclaimed Westerns, such as Shane and The Searchers , with the excesses of the Spaghetti Westerns and the outlook of the counterculture of the 1960s , as well as the increase in illicit drug taking of, for example, cannabis and LSD . Acid Westerns subvert many of
918-406: Is also described as one of few about Native Americans to be directed by a non-native that offers a nuanced understanding of the individual differences between Native American tribes with considerable detail given that is relatively free of common stereotypes . Regarding the character Nobody, Jarmusch stated: "I wanted to make an Indian character who wasn’t either a) the savage that must be eliminated,
972-454: Is the largest preserved Viking ships in Norway. The ship was found by archeologist Nicolay Nicolaysen , who had discovered an unsanctioned archeological dig endeavor on Gokstad farm, which the two sons of the owner of the farm's owner were responsible for. When Nicolaysen's team arrived at the site, they soon began a state-sponsored excavation. It only took two days for part of the boat's wooden structure to surface, revealing what would be one of
1026-445: Is the reverse, a journey towards death. Rosenbaum used the term "acid Western" to describe a "cherished counterculture dream" from the 1960s and 1970s "associated with people like Monte Hellman , Dennis Hopper , Jim McBride , and Rudy Wurlitzer , as well as movies like Greaser's Palace . Alex Cox tapped into something similar in the 1980s with Walker ." Monte Hellman's cult film The Shooting (1966) could be considered
1080-599: The Kofun period , and these coffins were seen in paintings along with the representation of the sun, moon, and the stars. This suggests the ritual symbols associated with boats even in Japan. There are numerous burial sites in the Philippines that include boat burials and boat-shaped burials. In fact, present-day coffins in the Philippines still resemble canoes made from hollowed out logs. There are two famous sites of burials,
1134-667: The Proverb of Hell (from the aforementioned Marriage ), "Expect poison from standing water". Thel's name is also a reference to Blake's The Book of Thel . The scenes with Thel culminating in the bedroom murder scene visually enact Blake's poem, " The Sick Rose ": "O rose, thou art sick. / The invisible worm, / That flies in the night / In the howling storm: / Has found out thy bed / Of crimson joy: / And his dark secret love / Does thy life destroy." The film's soundtrack album and promotional music video also features Depp reciting passages from Blake's poetry to music Neil Young composed for
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#17327720360541188-605: The Catanauan markers contained multiple burials. The alignment of both of these burial sites served as evidence that people from both sites believed in the idea of the afterlife . Also, the boats were thought as a vessel for "sailing" to the heavens and the stars. This belief is a widespread idea all around the world, as we know from different burial sites all throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia. Another burial site in Bohol
1242-528: The Samurai , in which he repeats one of his signature lines of dialogue, "Stupid fucking white man!" Johnny Depp makes a brief cameo as William Blake in Mika Kaurismäki 's film L.A. Without a Map . Rudy Wurlitzer 's unproduced screenplay Zebulon inspired Jarmusch's film. Wurlitzer later rewrote the screenplay as the novel The Drop Edge of Yonder (2008). Acid Western Acid Western
1296-518: The Tuhian beach in Catanauan, Quezon lies another boat-shaped burial site. The boats in Catanauan are also oriented in a Northwest-Southeast direction, with the bow pointing towards the sea. The only difference is that the markers in Batanes were made from andesite and limestone , while those present in Catanauan were made from coral slabs. Also, while the markers in Batanes contained a single burial,
1350-523: The afterlife. Additionally, the archeologists discovered the remains of different animals buried within, such as horses, dogs, peacocks, and goshawks. Dendrochronology suggests that the wood used for the ship was cut down in around 890. The ship is spacious, with a full deck across its interior, and is large enough for a crew of thirty to forty men. Another well preserved viking ship, The Oseberg Ship– from Oseberg farm near Tønsberg in Vestfold , Norway,
1404-486: The boat was not recovered. Both figures appear to be wearing bands tied over the crowns of their heads and under their jaws; a pattern still found in burial practices among the indigenous peoples in the Southern Philippines. The manner in which the hands of the front figure are folded across the chest is also a widespread practice in the islands when arranging the corpse. The carved prow and the eye motif of
1458-480: The bow of the markers pointed towards the sea. But apparently, when the storms cease to pound on the islands of Batanes, the bow of the boats align with the appearance of the band of the Milky Way Galaxy. This further increases the possibility that the burials were made to align with the cosmos in the belief that the boats would carry the dead to the heavens and the stars. Some 1500 kilometers from Batanes,
1512-622: The coffin along with the corpse of the dead. Also, the coffins were found strategically close to water, either rivers or small streams of sea. Ship burials were a traditional practice in Europe. Specifically, in Northern Europe, Viking ship burials are impressive finds, as they are a significant source of information about the Viking Age and the historical character of those who lived during that time. Viking ship graves were laid out in
1566-511: The conventions of earlier Westerns to "conjure up a crazed version of autodestructive white America at its most solipsistic , hankering after its own lost origins". Film critic Pauline Kael coined the term "acid Western" in a review of Alejandro Jodorowsky 's film El Topo , published in the November 1971 issue of The New Yorker . Jonathan Rosenbaum expanded upon the idea in his June 1996 review of Jim Jarmusch 's film Dead Man ,
1620-474: The early Middle Ages , robbers broke into the mound and reached the burial chamber, leaving the grave disturbed by the time archeologists discovered it in 1904. However, most of the rich equipment was preserved and found in the forefront of the ship, including: three beds, two tents, a richly decorated cart, three sleighs and a work sled, and elegantly carved sleigh shafts. Additionally, the skeletons of atleast 10 horses and an ox were found. The Oseberg Ship burial
1674-585: The earth." Perhaps the most famous boat-shaped burial found in the Philippines is the Manunggul Jar . The jars were excavated from a Neolithic burial site in Manunggul cave of Tabon Caves at Lipuun Point at Palawan . The jars were found to be from 890–710 BC. The main feature of the Manunggul jar is the two human figures seated on a boat at the top handle of its cover. The figures represent
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1728-499: The film, titling his review "Dead Again: Here are 10 reasons why 'Dead Man' is the best movie of the end of the 20th century." Film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum dubbed the film an acid western , calling it "as exciting and as important as any new American movie I've seen in the 90s" and went on to write a book on the film, Dead Man ( ISBN 0-85170-806-4 ) published by the British Film Institute . The film has
1782-482: The film. Although the film is set in the 19th century, Jarmusch included a number of references to 20th century American culture . Benmont Tench, the man at the campsite played by Jared Harris , is named after Benmont Tench , keyboardist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers . Billy Bob Thornton's character, Big George Drakoulias, is named for record producer George Drakoulias . The name of Mitchum's character
1836-624: The first acid Western. The film stars Will Hutchins , Warren Oates , and Jack Nicholson and was anonymously financed by Roger Corman . The Shooting subverts the usual priorities of the Western to capture a sense of dread and uncertainty that characterized the counterculture of the late 1960s. Hellman followed up with Ride in the Whirlwind (1966). Screenwriter Rudolph Wurlitzer is considered "the individual most responsible for exploring this genre, having practically invented it himself in
1890-479: The force of nature that’s blocking the way for industrial progress, or b) the noble innocent that knows all and is another cliché. I wanted him to be a complicated human being." The film intentionally leaves conversations in the Cree and Blackfoot languages untranslated and without subtitles, for the exclusive understanding of members of those nations, including several in-jokes aimed at Native American viewers. Nobody
1944-413: The hallucinogenic quality of the film's pace and its representation of reality, but also argues that the film inherits an artistic and political sensibility derived from the 1960s counterculture which has sought to critique and replace capitalism with alternative models of exchange. In the traditional Western , the journey west is seen as a road to liberation and improvement, but in the acid Western, it
1998-609: The jar burials in Batanes and in Catanauan . The burial markers in Batanes are shaped like a boat, with the bow and stern appearing prominently. The markers were made from stone, and were made to appear like the outline of the traditional boat tataya . Inspection of the Chuhangin and Nakamaya sites in Batanes reveals that the markers were oriented in a Northwest-Southeast direction. Principal site investigators also discovered that
2052-485: The journey of the soul to the afterlife, with another figure serving as his oarsman. The burial jar with a cover featuring a ship-of-the-dead […] is perhaps unrivaled in Southeast Asia; the work of an artist and master potter. This vessel provides a clear example of a cultural link between the archaeological past and the ethnographic present. The boatman […] is steering rather than paddling the "ship". The mast of
2106-472: The late '60s and then helped to nurture it in the scripts of others", such as McBride's Glen and Randa , Hellman's Two-Lane Blacktop , Cox's Walker , and Sam Peckinpah 's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid . Wurlitzer worked on the script of Gone Beaver, which Rosenbaum describes as "a visionary script" for Jim McBride. It was an ambitious big-budget Western about early American trappers and Indians, for which
2160-693: The more common burial on the ground, the coffins of the Bo people were found hanging on cliffs. These coffins were also boat-shaped. Grave goods found in the coffins included blue and white porcelain bowls dating back to the Ming dynasty , an iron knife, another smaller knife and two iron spear points . The Bo people were massacred by the Imperial Army in the later years of the Ming dynasty, and those who survived changed their names in order to escape oppression. Scenes of
2214-411: The most ferocious member of the bounty hunter posse, Cole Wilson, has killed his comrades (eating one of them) and continued his hunt alone. At a trading post, a bigoted missionary identifies Blake and attempts to kill him but instead dies at Blake's hands. Shortly after, Blake is shot again, and his condition rapidly deteriorates. Nobody hurries to take him by the river to a Makah village and persuades
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2268-438: The most remarkable Viking archeological discoveries ever made. The ship measures an astonishing 76 by 17.5 feet, with a mast, fittings for one large sail, and it's outside embellished by altering black and yellow shields. Inside, a chieftain was found in a burial chamber within the ships mast, surrounded by a variety of spectacular group of objects placed with the intention of providing relaxation and enjoyment in his journey to
2322-515: The position has already been filled, and John Dickinson, the ferocious owner of the company, drives Blake from the workplace at gunpoint. Jobless and without money or prospects, Blake meets Thel Russell, a former prostitute who sells paper flowers. He lets her take him home. Thel's ex-boyfriend Charlie surprises them in bed, shoots at Blake, and accidentally kills Thel when she shields Blake with her body. The bullet passes through Thel and wounds Blake, who kills Charlie with Thel's gun before climbing out
2376-430: The run after killing a man. He has a chance encounter with enigmatic Native American spirit-guide "Nobody", who believes Blake is the reincarnation of the visionary English poet William Blake . Described by Jarmusch as a "Psychedelic Western", the film is shot entirely in monochrome . Neil Young composed the guitar-dominated soundtrack with portions he improvised while watching the movie footage. Many have considered it
2430-765: The spirit boat is still found on the traditional watercraft of the Sulu Archipelago, Borneo, and Malaysia. Similarities in the execution of the ears, eyes, nose, and mouth of the figures may be seen today in the wood carving of Taiwan, the Philippines, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. The Dong Son culture in Vietnam is known by archaeologists due to a great concentration of boat-shaped coffins. 171 boat-shaped coffins were recovered from 44 sites in Vietnam, and most of these were found from Dong Son sites. Some of these burials included carefully arranged grave goods inside
2484-406: The tribe to give him a canoe for Blake's ship burial . Delirious, Blake trudges through the village, where the people pity him, before he collapses from his injuries. He awakens in a canoe on a beach wearing a Native American funeral dress. Nobody bids Blake farewell and then pushes the canoe out to sea. As he floats away, Blake sees Cole approaching Nobody. Too weak to cry out, he can only watch as
2538-441: The two shoot and kill each other. Looking up at the sky one last time, Blake dies as his canoe drifts out to sea. The film contains many references to William Blake 's poetry. Xebeche, aka Nobody, recites from several Blake poems, including Auguries of Innocence , The Marriage of Heaven and Hell , and The Everlasting Gospel . When bounty hunter Cole warns his companions against drinking from standing water, it references
2592-592: The typical daily life of the Bo people can also be seen through the cliff and wall paintings they have left behind. In the area of Sichuan several boat-shaped coffins have been found and dated to the Eastern Zhou Period (770–255 BC). The tombs also contain a large amount of ritual objects. A boat-shaped coffin was found in Japan during the construction of the Kita Ward in Nagoya . This coffin
2646-442: The window and fleeing the town on Charlie's horse. Company owner Dickinson is Charlie's father and hires three killers — Cole Wilson, Conway Twill, and Johnny "The Kid" Pickett — to bring Blake back "dead or alive". Blake awakens to find a large Native American man trying to dislodge the bullet from his chest. The man, calling himself Nobody, reveals that the bullet is too close to Blake's heart to remove, rendering Blake effectively
2700-402: Was also played by a First Nations actor, Gary Farmer, who is Cayuga . The film was entered into the 1995 Cannes Film Festival . In its theatrical release, Dead Man earned $ 1,037,847 on a budget of $ 9 million. Then, it was the most expensive of Jarmusch's films, due in part to the costs of ensuring accurate period detail. Critical responses were mixed. Roger Ebert gave the film one and
2754-594: Was cited as an example of the genre. Ship burial The extinct Bo people of China's Sichuan and Yunnan provinces are known for their hanging coffins . The ancestors of the Bo people were instrumental in helping the Western Zhou overthrow the ruling Yin at the end of the Shang dynasty . Apart from this, the Bo people differed from other ethnic minorities in China through their burial traditions. Instead of
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#17327720360542808-400: Was found in 1904 by Gabriel Gustafson . The burial was covered with a 40 meter wide and more than 6 meter high mound of stone, clay and turf, and consisted of a 21.5 meter long ship with a tent-shaped, timber-built and 5.6 meter long burial chamber erected immediately aft of amidships. The ship and grave goods are unusually well preserved because of the blue clay in which it was buried. In
2862-601: Was found to be older than any other previously found in Japan. Another boat-shaped coffin was found in the tomb of the Ohoburo Minami Kofun-gun in Northern Kyoto , dated to the latter half of the Yayoi Period (4 BC–4 AD). The tomb contained grave goods including a cobalt blue glass bangle, an iron bangle, and several iron swords. Boat-shaped coffins called haniwa were more common during
2916-456: Was observed by the Spanish during the 16th century. One account of the burial states: "In some places, they kill slaves and bury them with their masters in order to serve them in the afterlife, this practice is carried out to the extent that many load a ship with more than sixty slaves, fill it up with food and drink, place the dead on board, and the entire vessel including live slaves buried in
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