living and the manner of his or her death determine
entry into the ranks of the ancestors. In the case of
the Akan, special ritual preparations are made by
the maternal lineage of the deceased to facilitate the
journey of the spiritual personality. First and fore-
most, however, to become an ancestor, one must
first have been an elder. Ancestors are, therefore,
separate and distinct from other spirits who are
endowed with immortality. Becoming an ancestor
requires that one live one’s life from the beginning
in anticipation of the end. Eternal existence
becomes possible after one has first achieved per-
fection as an elder. As ancestors, elders have
reached the highest state of existence. They exist
with God, but, unlike God, they cannot create or
alter the created order. Ancestors are dynamic.
They can reincarnate via their spirits to help people.
Rituals Associated With RoyaltySince antiquity, African kings and queens have
been closely associated with gods and regarded as
sacred. In fact, the concept of kingship is regarded
as a significant indicator of the cultural similarity
between ancient civilizations of Kemet (Egypt)
and Moroë and the rest of Africa.
The king was supposed to be the man with the
greatest life force or energy. When the level of the
king’s life force “fell below a certain minimum he
could only be a risk to his people if he continued to
rule.” Diop believed that “this vitalistic conception
is the foundation of all traditional African king-
doms,” with the exception of those that were
usurped. Thus, the ritual killing of the king in
ancient Kemet originated to preserve an image of
the king as a person to be revered. Originally, the
king was actually killed. Over time, royalty, to pre-
serve its prerogatives, transformed the fatal judg-
ment into a symbolic one, in which the king was
put to death ritualistically. This occurred during a
ritual called the Sed Festival, in which the king’s rit-
ualistic death and revivification supposedly rejuve-
nated him and he was again deemed fit to rule.
Diop’s original discussion of this practice was pub-
lished in 1955. At that time, he reported that the
ritualistic death of the king was in practice among
the Yoruba, Dagomba, Shamba, Igara, and
Songhay; the Hausa of Gobir, Katsena, and Daura;
and the Shilluk peoples.
Another important royal figure is the queen
mother or Əhemaa. This is particularly true
among the Akan, whose traditions require that the
queen mother be consulted before any man can be
elected to serve asƏhene (chief). TheƏhemaa is
usually theƏbaa-panin, female head of family, of
the lineage of the founder of community. She is
generally the Əhene’s mother, maternal aunt,
sister, or maternal cousin.
The ritual responsibilities of theƏhemaa include
serving as custodian of the blackened stools of her
female ancestors. The stool is a symbol of office,
authority, and leadership. When a stool holder dies,
a ceremony of blackening the stool takes place
during the final funeral celebrations. Blackening is
accomplished by smearing the stool with a mixture
of egg yolk and soot. Later it is smeared with
sheep’s blood. The Adae festival of the Akan is cen-
tered on the blackened stools, which are regarded
as shrines or abodes of the ancestors. Adae festivals
are held twice every 42 days. Within each 42-day
period, one Adae falls on a Sunday (Akwasidae)
and one falls on a Wednesday (Wukudae). On these
days, the queen mother pours libations and gives
offerings of food and drink for the ancestors whose
blackened stools are in her care.Mwalimu J. ShujaaSeealsoCeremoniesFurther Readings
Ani, M. (2004).Let the Circle Be Unbroken:The
Implications of African Spirituality in the Diaspora.
New York: Nkonimfo.
Beckwith, C., & Fisher, A. (1999).African Ceremonies
(Vols. 1 & 2). New York: Harry N. Abrams.
Danquah, J. B. (1968).The Akan Doctrine of God:A
Fragment of Gold Coast Ethics and Religion.
London: Frank Cass & Co.
Diop, C. A. (1974).The African Origin of Civilization:
Myth or Reality. Chicago: Lawrence Hill.
Ephirim-Donkor, A. (1997).African Spirituality:On
Becoming Ancestors. Trenton, NJ: African World Press.
Fu-Kiau, K. K. B., & Lukondo-Wamba, A. M. (1988).
Kindezi:The Kôngo Art of Babysitting.New York:
Vantage Press.
Karenga, M. (2006).Maat:The Moral Ideal in Ancient
Egypt. Los Angeles: University of Sankore Press.Rituals 579