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To the Grave and
Beyond: |
LoDagaa Continued
Mourning and the First Day
of the Funeral:
When the body is ready, gravediggers take the body out of the house through a secret exit, so
that the deceased’s ghost doesn’t return to the house
to haunt the surviving family. They lean the corpse against the outer wall of
the house in a cross-legged position. They place his hunting bow in his lap and
sling the quiver over his shoulder. Xylophones are brought from nearby
houses to start the celebration of the deceased’s accomplishments as a warrior
and farmer in the village. Women
relatives sit next to the body, while the senior mourner sits on
top of the roof, dropping corn and cowries around the body.
Meanwhile, the gravediggers are preparing the funeral stand, which the LoDagaa call a paala. The paala consists of four posts that are driven into the ground to form a 3ft. square. A platform is made in the center for the body. Corn stalks form a roof and foreign cloths hang down the sides to conceal the body. After the paala is built, the gravediggers move the body to the platform. The music of the xylophones fill the air as the villagers and family sing traditional funeral songs. The senior mourner takes food from the fields and throws it on top of the xylophones. Then he sacrifices a bird by beating it against the instrument.
During the mourning process, the close family walk and run around the compound venting their grief. They are physically restrained if they get too overcome and violent, by being bound at the wrists or ankle. Friends and community members cry and grieve as they visit the corpse, throwing cowries at the paala and xylophones. The musicians chant funeral songs while women dance.
The Second Day of the Funeral: On the following day the tone of the funeral changes noticeably from grief to acceptance of the death and a "return to normality" (Goody 122). One aspect of this is the increase in activities involving beer and food. The emphasis of the ritual shifts from restraining and comforting the grieving family to joking and laughter in rememberance of the deceased. Goody explains, “the joking is a form of controlled antagonism, an expression of both detachment and attachment. Joking partners hurl insults at one another. This is a method of catharsis and purification as well as an expression of the general change in mood" (127).
Burial: The actual burial takes place on the third day, opening with the funeral hunt. The hunt is performed by the surviving members of the deceased’s hunting group as a way of honoring their lost kinsman. Then gravediggers transport the corpse from the funeral stand, wrapping him in a mat, and then proceed to carry him to the grave. Next, the stand and offerings-anything associated with the deceased- are thrown into the stream, where they can’t harm anyone. Following the burial are three more days of ritual.