Walking Each Other Home: Cultural Practices at End of Life

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Logan Boyd connects with his grandfather, Carlon

Logan Boyd connects with his grandfather, Carlon “Bud” Dreier, near the end of Bud’s life. Kathleen Dreier Photography 2021.

At once solo and communal, death, dying, mourning, and honoring are part of the circle of life. With what practices, traditions, adages, and rituals do we address end-of-life planning and preparation, loss, and grief? How do we talk about these moments and make space for the challenges they bring with practicality and compassion? 

Stories and traditions shared here were documented in Southern Arizona as part of the Southwest Folklife Alliance’s End of Life: Continuum project, supported by the Arizona End of Life Care Partnership with funds from the David and Lura Lovell Foundation. The material was presented in an exhibit of videos, images, stories, installations, and interactions at the Arizona State Museum in Tucson, September 2022-February 2023.

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WEOH logo panel