sunsum is a functionary of the kra, in that when
Nyame gives us our kra at birth, it is the sunsum
that escorts the kra; upon owuo (physical death),
when the kra returns to Nyame, it is again escorted
by the sunsum. Therefore, the kra and the sunsum
are purposeful counterparts of one another.
The Akan believe that the Sunsum is capable of
leaving the body at night when we are sleeping and
returning before we awake. It is the sunsum that is
the “actor” in our dreams and often encounters and
communicates with other sunsum. For example,
many awake from sleep convinced that they “saw”
a deceased loved one in their dreams. The Akan
would argue that the sunsum of the “dreamer” and
the sunsum of the deceased loved one met and that
the “dream” was a reflection of that meeting.
Conversely, the departure of the kra from the
honam signifies owuo.
This conceptualization of the sunsum is para-
mount to an understanding of the Akan life cycle.
The Akan view life as a series of transitions from
one stage to another. The sunsum is of particular
significance to the stages of conception, birth, and
physical death. At conception, arguably the begin-
ning of the life cycle, it is believed that the sunsum
of the father mingles with the mogya of the mother.
Although this joining of spiritual and physical com-
ponents gives rise to the physical bond between
mother and child, providing the foundation for the
matrilineal system of descent characteristic of the
Akan, it also produces a unique spiritual relation-
ship between the child and his or her patrikin.
Although the child belongs physically to the abusua
(family) of its mother, she or he is connected spiritu-
ally to the abusua of his or her father. In fact, dur-
ing the outdooring, the customary naming ritual
associated with birth that involves introducing the
child to the world, it is members of the child’s patri-
line that officiate at the ceremony and give the child
his or her names. Furthermore, whereas the child’s
first name will be reflective of the day of the week
on which he or she was born, the day he or she
received his or her kra, the child’s second name,
referred to asagyadzen(father’s name), is given by
his or her father and oftentimes is reflective of the
family’s belief that the sunsum of a departed ances-
tor has reincarnated in the child.
Upon owuo, after escorting the kra back to its
divine source, the sunsum is transformed into
saman (the likeness or reflection of the personality of
the deceased, shadow), journeys to the Asamando
(ancestral world), and awaits nomination to the sta-
tus of Nsamanfo. Because the Akan calendar oper-
ates on a 40-/42-day cycle, we believe that it takes at
least one cycle before the sunsum finally departs
from the world of the living and transitions to the
Asamando. Ayie (Akan funeral rites) are taken quite
seriously because it becomes the responsibility of the
deceased’s family members to perform proper and
timely customary rites to ensure that the sunsum can
properly transition to the Asamando; otherwise, it
can transform into a sasa (an unsettled and malevo-
lent spirit) and may come back to harm the family.
Other circumstances under which the sunsum may
transform into sasa include unusual deaths, such as
suicides, homicides, or accidents. The ayie, tradition-
ally performed within the 40-/42-day time frame,
further include all of the ceremonial rites performed
for the entire year after physical death.
To assist the sunsum on its journey to the
Asamando, chief mourners or the closest living
family members place final gifts, including cloth, a
handkerchief, jewelry, perfume, money, and a cal-
abash, in the coffin, items all believed to be needed
by the sunsum on its journey and signifying the per-
son’s status in the Earthly realm. Taking place in
four stages, with the exception of the asie (burial),
the entire host of funerary rites is performed at or
near the family home, the place most familiar to the
sunsum. The Akan believe that once the sunsum
transitions to the Asamando, it comes back to
await rebirth in the area near the family home.
Once the sunsum, in the form of saman, arrives
at the Asamando, it is put “on trial” and, if
found worthy, admitted into the company of the
Nsamanfo. Some of the criteria for attaining ances-
terhood include, but are not limited to, having lived
to an old age, having been productive in the com-
munity, having achieved a certain level of wisdom
in one’s lifetime, and, often most important, having
birthed or brought up children. If these criteria are
not met, or if the saman is found to have led
an unethical life on Earth, then it is pronounced
“guilty” and excluded from ancestorhood. The
guilty saman will have to reincarnate to undo its
misdeeds, at which point it transforms back into
sunsum and is reborn into the same abusua.
Yaba Amgborale BlaySee alsoAkan; Asamando; Asase Yaa; Nyame; Soul638 Sunsum