This chapter examines the role of mortuary practices in shaping social identity, resistance, and cultural preservation, with a focus on African American communities and their historical burial rituals. It reimagines the human body as a significant form of material culture, arguing that both the living body and the body after death serve as dynamic sites for cultural expression, social negotiation, and identity formation. The chapter draws on bioarchaeology, postcolonial theory, and social history to explore how the body’s manipulation through mortuary rituals reflects broader social structures, power dynamics, and cultural hybridity. Particular attention is given to the “third space” concept from postcolonial theory, which illustrates how marginalized groups, such as enslaved African Americans, developed new, hybrid cultural practices in response to forced migration and oppression. The chapter discusses how African American mortuary rituals, born out of a fusion of African traditions and new circumstances in the U.S., became acts of resistance and empowerment. Through the examination of burial grounds and funerals, the chapter argues that these spaces provided opportunities for these new communities to assert their identity and resist social marginalization, ultimately acting as culture keepers. The role of African American funeral directors is explored, from the Civil Rights Movement through the Black Lives Matter movement. Ultimately, the chapter underscores how mortuary practices are not only essential for cultural survival but also serve as powerful tools for social and political change.