.jpg)
Funerals
From Culture to Culture: After researching the
Yoruba, Ga, LoDagaa and Ashanti, I have found that at the core, they all
have similar funeral traditions. African funerals are much different from
Western funerals. Instead of being quick, solemn procedures, they are
extensive community-wide celebrations, involving play, music and dance. This is not to
say that these cultures do not take their rituals seriously; the opposite in
fact is true. Providing a proper funeral for your loved ones is one of the
most important duties in life. If the ritual is performed improperly, undesirable consequences will fall on you. Improper burials will prevent the
deceased's spirit from achieving ancestor status. This will undoubtedly
anger the spirit, and it will plague you and your family. I have found that there are
different categories of funerals. The funeral one receives is dependent on social status, age, and also the manner in which
the person died. The most
honorable death is that due to old age. Deaths attributed to witchcraft, blasphemy or caused by
suicide, however, are considered evil deaths and are dealt with
quickly and with little ceremony.
Funeral Art: There are many kinds of traditional African funerary art, ranging from terracotta heads and vessels in Ashanti villages to elaborately carved coffins among the Ga. Common imagery relating to the afterlife include mudfish, trees, snakes, spirals, white chickens and Portuguese sailors- all in reference to their connections to the other world. As a result of the slave trade, traditions from Africa have drifted over to the Americas. For example, Kongo-inspired grave art can be found throughout the southern United States. This comes in the forms of bottle trees, spirit-catchers and elaborate yard displays, all warning angry spirits to stay away, or trapping the spirits if they dare to trespass.