Mortuary cave

A mortuary cave or a mortuary sinkhole, alternately burial cave, burial sinkhole, or crevice interment, is a naturally formed cavity in the earth that is intentionally used by humans as a cache for dead bodies. There are a number of known Paleoindian mortuary sinkholes in Texas,[1] including Bering Sinkhole,[2] a number of mortuary caves have been identified in Virginia,[3] and at least one burial sinkhole was used by Native Hawaiians at what is now Kalaeloa Heritage Park.[4] The bodies of 30 Union soldiers killed at the Battle of Wilson's Creek during the American Civil War were initially deposited in a natural sinkhole; the bodies were later excavated and relocated to Springfield National Cemetery.[5]

References
  1. Alvarez, Christine E. (May 2005). "Bioarchaeological Investigation of Human Skeletal Remains at the Stiver Ranch Burial Sinkhole (41KM140)". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. Bement, Leland C. (1994). Hunter-Gatherer Mortuary Practices during the Central Texas Archaic. University of Texas Press. doi:10.7560/708174. ISBN 978-0-292-70817-4.
  3. "Burial Caves in Virginia". www.virginiaplaces.org. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  4. "Kalaeloa Heritage Park ʻEwa, Oʻahu FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT" (PDF). hawaii.gov. September 2014.
  5. "Sinkhole on Bloody Hill (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
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