Inside an Indigeous funeral: How a First Nation sends a member to the spirit world – CBC

Mar 09, 2023

St. Mary’s First Nation celebrates the life of Stanley Paul

The grandkids used to fight over Stanley Paul’s chair.

It was his smell, said Ann Paul, Stanley’s daughter. They wanted to fall asleep in it.

Nobody fought over Stanley’s empty chair at a recent drum circle. It was meant for him, and the people surrounding it were celebrating his life.

Stanley Paul was born on Nov. 25, 1956. In February, he passed over to the spirit world after a battle with COPD, a lung disease that causes airflow and breathing-related problems. His loved ones sang him a travelling song as he left this earth.

“It was absolutely beautiful,” Ann Paul said.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/stanley-paul-death-st-marys-first-nation-1.6773083