Green and Natural Burial in First Nations Traditions

What the Western funeral industry markets as "green burial" — biodegradable materials and returning the body to the earth — aligns with natural burial practices followed by some First Nations families and communities for generations. The philosophical alignment is not a coincidence. Both approaches can share a conviction that the body belongs to the earth and that chemical preservation may interfere with a natural and sacred process.

Traditional First Nations Burial as Green Burial

In some Cree accounts, the deceased is washed by family members, dressed in traditional clothing or regalia (including hand-sewn moccasins for the spiritual journey), and wrapped in a marriage blanket before being placed in a simple wooden casket. Families may decline embalming or a concrete vault where provincial, cemetery, and transport rules permit. The body returns to the earth as the family and community arrange.

Mi'kmaq tradition in Atlantic Canada takes this even further. A master builder constructs a custom birchbark shroud sewn with spruce roots — entirely biodegradable, made from materials harvested from the land the community lives on. The deceased's hands and face are covered in red ochre, a sacred pigment signifying the dawn and the Eastern Door, before burial.

Dene communities historically practiced raised-platform burial (Et'sehch'i), where the body was placed on a wooden scaffold and returned to the environment through exposure. While modern practice has shifted to ground burial, the underlying principle — that the body belongs to the land — persists.

Why Embalming Is Refused

Embalming involves replacing the body's blood with preservative fluid. For many First Nations families, chemical preservation is incompatible with an understanding that the body should return to Mother Earth in its natural state. Families should discuss the available alternatives with the funeral home and the community's cultural authority.

Whether embalming is required depends on provincial body-handling rules, timing, transport method, and cemetery or facility requirements. Families who want a natural burial can ask about refrigeration or another permitted preservation method during the wake. If remains are being transported, the province or carrier may require embalming, refrigeration, or a rigid sealed container; confirm the approved method before making arrangements.

Reserve Cemeteries and Green Burial

Some reserve cemeteries may accommodate natural burial practices, but cemetery rules differ. Ask the Band or cemetery authority about grave preparation, liners, markers, body preparation, and who may perform each task. Where the community handles the process directly, the funeral home's role may be limited, but that arrangement must still comply with applicable rules.

This does not mean reserve cemeteries are unregulated. The Indian Act governs land use on reserve, and burial plots are allocated through the Band council or lands department. The Band's bylaws determine cemetery rules — some require grave liners for soil stability, others do not. Families should confirm the cemetery requirements with the Band office before the funeral.

For off-reserve burials, the family can seek out a dedicated green burial cemetery and confirm its requirements. Such cemeteries may prohibit embalming, require biodegradable caskets or shrouds, and use GPS coordinates or alternative markers instead of traditional headstones; rules vary by site.

The Casket Question

Commercial caskets — sealed metal, polished hardwood with satin lining — are a relatively recent Western import. A simple pine box, a woven willow casket, or a hand-built wooden casket may be acceptable where provincial, cemetery, and carrier rules permit.

Some First Nations families build the casket themselves as an act of love and ceremony. The building process becomes part of the funeral preparation, with family members and community helpers contributing. For families who want a commercially made option, biodegradable caskets (unfinished pine, bamboo, or willow) cost a fraction of standard funeral home offerings.

In regions where ISC funeral funding covers a "basic casket," a simple wooden casket may fall within eligible expense rules, subject to regional approval and the applicable cap.

Aligning the Traditions

If you are planning a First Nations funeral and want natural or green-burial options, ask the funeral home which preservation methods are permitted, request refrigeration if appropriate, confirm reserve-cemetery requirements, and choose a biodegradable casket or shroud if the cemetery and carrier allow it. Ask the community's Elder or Knowledge Keeper which traditional practices apply.

Our First Nations Canadian Funeral Guide covers body preparation and burial planning, including questions to ask funeral directors and how to confirm the legal and cemetery requirements for natural burial.