such as “Now we must stop thinking...about
you, we bury you”...and “Oh! Father leave us,
here is your stool” demonstrate this. However, the
prayers continue, “We must stop thinking about
you, give us everything that is good,” indicating
that the living also need the protection and guid-
ance from the newly departed.
Among the Yoruba, the part of the funeral
called “Entering into a covenant with the
deceased” includes a symbolic “slaying of the
victim,” in which split kola nuts, provisions, and
condiments are placed with the body. This is the
time to say farewell and stress to the deceased that
he or she is no longer an Earthly being and now
must care for the family as a spirit. The deceased
is not to harass anyone or engage in malicious or
evil activities. Establishing that the death was
indeed natural is an important rite in some funeral
rituals. Among the Ndebele, the day after a person
is buried, the son returns to make sure the grave is
undisturbed. If it has not been disturbed, the usual
funeral rituals continue. If it has, however, a
diviner is consulted to determine the next steps.
Funeral PracticesRituals for sending away the deceased address the
handling of the body. In some cultures, the body is
shaven, washed, and wrapped in clothing. In the
past, the body could be wrapped in animal skins
or even covered with bird feathers. The Ancient
Egyptians are noted for their elaborate preparation
of the body of the deceased. However, the Swazi
are known to squeeze the fluids out of the body to
slow decay. Among certain groups of Yoruba,
clothing is put on the deceased backward so its
soul can find its way back to the Earth to be
reborn.
Among the Ndebele, if the head of the home-
stead dies, his body is passed through a hole in the
wall, but not the door. This shows he is still part of
the community. The body can be buried within the
family compound, behind it, or where the person
was born. Common taboos associated with burials
are that it is best to avoid a funeral processional
and that the body cannot be buried in cultivated
land. The Dogon observe this taboo by burying
their dead in caves high in the surrounding cliffs.
They say that if a body is buried in the fields, the
crops will not grow.
Burial Rites
The deceased are sent away with provisions to
both sustain them on their journey to the world of
ancestors and spirits and while in it. It is common
for an animal to be sacrificed at the death of a per-
son. Referred to as “the beast to accompany the
deceased” among the Ndebele or “the fare fowl”
among the Yoruba, this sacrifice provides food
and abundance to the deceased while making the
road to the afterlife easy. For Ndebele men, it is an
ox, for women, a goat. This meat is ritually
prepared without salt and consumed by the
family. Medicine to protect and sustain the family
is prepared from the bones. Personal goods are
also included with the body to assist the soul on
its journey. Among the Yoruba, these are the
clothes, fowls, and animals presented by members
of the family according to status.
The rituals designed to send away the spirit of
the deceased also address the needs of the living.
Funerals are a time of intense public grieving.
In many cultures, it is the only time when it is
socially permissible for men to cry or to openly
express sadness and frustration. Public grieving is
expressed not only by crying, but through music,
songs, and dance. There are musicians who play
specific rhythms and melodies that facilitate the
release of pent-up emotions and mourners enact
articulate dance step to express grief. In some
communities, a group of women are charged with
the responsibility of weeping and wailing for the
deceased because the dead have a right to their
share of tears.A New Relationship
Another rudiment of the African funeral is the
establishment of a new relationship with the
deceased. The rituals that mark the beginning
of this relationship can occur 3 days, 40 days,
3 months, or 1 year after the burial and main
funeral activities. The Yoruba ritual, called “bring-
ing the spirit of the deceased into the house,” is
performed several days after the person dies. It is
held at night with no lights. A shrine is constructed
in a corner of the dwelling that will serve as a place
of communion between the descendents and the
departed. Here descendents can speak with the
departed; make offerings, covenants, and agree-
ments; and conduct family business.Funeral 277