married life. Young men and women are taught
about the responsibilities of married life and edu-
cated about sex and procreation. Many rites and
rituals are performed as part of the wedding cere-
mony. Of particular significance are rituals meant
to purify or bless the couple. Among the Yoruba
people, for instance, the oldest woman in atten-
dance will spray gin (which is closely associated
with the ancestors) on the couple and other rela-
tives to bless the new union. Among the Bemba
people of Central Africa, for example, a woman
about to get married is given a clay pot by her
father’s sister. Because the main purpose of mar-
riage is procreation, the clay pot stands for the
womb that is expected to be filled and blessed with
many pregnancies. A similar ritual can be observed
among the Shona people of Zimbabwe, when the
paternal aunt hands a clay pot full of water to the
bride to bless her with a fertile marriage. Water is
intimately associated with fertility in Africa. Among
the Hutu, on the day of her wedding, a woman’s
body is smeared with milk and herbs to cleanse her
from her previous life and make her pure. Among the
Ndembu, the bride walks backward into her hus-
band’s house. An old woman who is instructed in
matters related to sex and marriage accompanies her
and presents her with beads, which symbolize
children, to bless her with a fertile marriage.
DeathThe last critical moment in one’s life is death. Death,
as far as African religion is concerned, marks the
beginning of a new mode of existence characterized
by a higher level of spirituality. It is also the time of
the ultimate test: whether one will become an ances-
tor. This, of course, largely depends on how one
conducted oneself while alive, but it also depends on
the performance of the necessary funerary rituals. It
is usually the children’s responsibility to perform
such rituals, hence the imperative necessity to get
married and bear children.
Death is thought of as a journey to the ances-
tral world. Those undertaking that crucial journey
must be prepared for it. This explains why often-
times a dead person will be buried with different
objects to assist them, such as weapons, tools,
food, drink, and even money to be presented as a
gift to the ancestral spirits.
Before being buried, however, the corpse must
be prepared: It must be washed and entirely
shaved, and the fingernails must be cut. The body
may be dressed as well. In some communities, the
body is buried within the compound; in others, far
enough away. Although rules differ from commu-
nity to community, there are always strict
prescriptions on how a dead person should be
handled.
Failure to comply with those prescriptions and
perform the required funerary rituals will have
terrible consequences: The spirit of the deceased
will be condemned to spiritual vagrancy, unable to
access the ancestral realm. In return for being con-
demned to such a cruel and unenviable fate, the
wandering spirit will most likely create havoc for
its family and the community. It is therefore
imperative for the living, for their own sake, to
make sure that all eligible dead receive proper
treatment when they die.
However, those who lived undignified lives,
such as homosexuals or witches, or died in an
undignified manner (e.g., by killing themselves),
will have disqualified themselves for proper burial
rituals. This may extend as well, in some commu-
nities, to people who died childless. Those may be
taken into the forest for vultures and other beasts
to devour them.
Among the Mende people, upon dying, and to
access the ancestral world, a person must embark
on a most critical journey that involves the suc-
cessful crossing of a river. To assist the recently
deceased individual, the living must perform cer-
tain rituals, known astindyamei. Of particular
relevance here is the sacrificing and offering of a
chicken at the gravesite 4 days after burial for a
man, 3 days for a woman.
Among the Ewe people, funerals are also taken
most seriously. They are dramatic, socially bind-
ing, and extravagant affairs, spanning over 1
month. There are six phases to a Ewe funeral:- Amedigbe: the burial of the body (treated with herbs
for the sake of preservation) 2 or 3 days after dying. - Ndinamegbe: the main mourners are received
1 day after the burial has taken place. - Nudogbe: a wake-keeping day, usually 4 to 6
days after the burial.
Rites of Passage 573