This chapter introduces the application of Whitehead’s Poetics model to bioarchaeology and mortuary archaeology, emphasizing its potential for understanding cultural practices and the formation of group identity. The model can be summed up as performance + ritual = identity, positing that cultural actions, when performed in front of an audience generate collective meaning and reinforce group identity. The chapter outlines how this framework can be used to interpret violent acts and mortuary rituals as social performances that simultaneously destroy and regenerate cultural and social order. Whitehead’s Poetics of Violence model argues that violent performance, rather than a universal or physical phenomenon, should be understood as a contingent, culturally specific process, deeply embedded in and contributing to social meaning. This chapter extends the Poetics framework to mortuary practices, demonstrating how rituals surrounding death, such as the manipulation of human remains, grave goods, and tombs, play a crucial role in the creation and maintenance of collective identities. By applying Poetics to mortuary archaeology, this model contributes to a broader understanding of how identity is formed through the reciprocal interaction between individuals, communities, and the material world. Ultimately, this approach underscores the regenerative nature of social practices and provides a nuanced lens for interpreting the material records of past societies, as explored through case studies from diverse global contexts.