Funerals

On Friday, I went to my first funeral of someone I knew. I had seen and talked with the old man at church services under the tree in the community several times. His name was John and he was always in good spirits and seemed healthy. So I was a bit of a surprise to hear that he had died.

This was not my first funeral. I attend on average between one and two funerals a week. I attended two on Friday as well as sat in the background for the first sitting (family meeting) to set the date and location of the funeral for a lady who had just died. So I thought I would take this week to write about funerals in the Upper West of Ghana.

Setting the date and preparations

Upon the death the family will get together to determine the date and location of funeral. Like most decisions made here the people get together to sit and talk things out to reach a consensus decision.

If the person was living far away or there are relatives that will need to travel then the date may be moved out a little bit, a couple of weeks maybe – more or less. Travel in Ghana can take some time. At one funeral I attended it was not possible to bring the body up to the Upper West, so the ceremony was adjusted accordingly – again by the decisions reached at the family sitting.

After the date is set the family has a second meeting (sitting) to arrange the funeral details. The focus of this is how to arrange the body. Other details such as the music, food, drink, chairs, and the other things that go into a large event must also be worked out.

Dress

Black is the common color for mourning, particularly for the elderly. If the deceased was a young person the color red may be more prominent in some communities. Men in the Upper West may wear the traditional smock and may wear a hat of some sort. Men also carry an animal skin bag to hold small coins and other money.

Men with animal skin bags

Note about infant mortality:

Infants are typically not given a name immediately after birth. There is an unfortunate possibility that the infant may not survive long. In the case of a infant death before naming the child is quickly buried in a private family ceremony.

First ceremony

On the first morning of the funeral the deceased will be seated in a chair that is set at ground level. Around the body are arranged signs of the wealth, position and career of the person. Family and friends are able to pay respects close to the body. Generally one approaches the body and stands to their right for a brief period, this is repeated to the left side and then the center. After a short pause in the center a small coin is generally tossed at the feet of body.

Xylophones with body in background.

The men will then move to an area arranged with two wooded xylophones and a gourd drum. The men will typically toss a small coin to the musicians. After some time the men may go someplace to sit.  After paying respects to the deceased the women go directly to a place to sit, rather than stand by the xylophones.

(I've only seen the arrangement of two xylophones and a gourd drum. At one funeral for an important person I noticed two additional xylophones set off to the side, but only saw the two played.  Different musicians may come to play during the ceremony or trade positions. However, the xylophones are only quite for a short period of time (at least when I've been around)).

There of course cries and expression of sorrow.

I tried to embed sound files in this entry but could not figure it out.  Please go to https://archive.org/details/GhanaUpperWestFuneral2 if you would like to hear a couple of the short sound files I recorded.

Men and women are seated on different sides. The amount of time spent at the funeral is a sign of respect for the deceased and their family. One of the reasons I go to so many funerals in the area is to show my respect for the community in their time of sorrow even if I did not have direct contact with the person.

Women seated in the first ceremony.  Lady leaning in slightly is tying another binding around the wrist of a lady

Looking around at those gathered one will notice the some people have plant fibers tied loosely around their left wrist. These are the family members. The fibers are from a local plant that is also used as a binding material. People go around with bundles of these fibers and add to the wrist of individuals. The person receiving the fibers generally look away with a mournful expression while it is wrapped and tied on. Family members may have many such fiber bracelets around their wrist. The head members of the deceased person's family will also generally have one or more cloths tied around the wrist.

Picture of ladies with bindings on their wrists

A warm beverage, such as a corn porridge drink, may be served.

Second ceremony

Body positioned on platform for the second ceremony 

At some point the body will be moved to a raised platform surrounded on three sides by cloth. The signs of power, position, career, and wealth are displayed appropriately on the platform and on the ground to the side. There tends to be more active grieving during this ceremony.  Sometimes I see a woman grieving heavily with a rope tied around her waist. She may get up from her seat to go mourn before the body with someone holding the rope will somewhat restrain her movements and return her to her seat.

People come and go throughout the ceremony. People who attended the first ceremony but left earlier may return. The respectful approach of the body remains the same. One approaches to the right hand side of the body and pauses in respect and then moves to the left side. One may repeat this a second time for a person of high importance. Then the body is approached at the center. After a short pause a small coin may be tossed to the body. There may also be a small table with a basket and a cross at the side for a contribution to the Church.

As in the first ceremony the men will then go over to the xylophones. The men will stand around out of respect for some time. Frequently, a man will sing out some remembrance of the person and the group will reply with a mournful chorus.  There appears occasionally to be a sort of competition between the men calling out the remembrances.  If I understood the language better perhaps I could understand the situation I witnessed.

Men standing around xylophones

The men will donate a small coin to the musicians. A family member may also hold out his or her hands to receive donations while the xylophones are playing. During this time some men may line dance towards the body and possibly continue around the platform before returning to the group. The old men who walk with canes make a point of holding their canes in the air while dancing.

After some time at the xylophones the men you will go over to a place to sit and talk and possibly drink water or pito. The women go directly to their area to sit (drinks also provided there). The women may also get up and dance towards the body and possibly continue around the platform.

One may also go over to a family member and greet the person directly, typically offering some small money.

A gun is occasionally fired during this ceremony. This phase of the funeral lasts throughout the day, into the night, and until the next morning. Gun fire continues in the night.

For a few funerals I have been invited back into the family compound to sit with the family in a more private setting.

Closing ceremony

On the next day at some point the body will be moved to a coffin and the xylophones are silenced. The family members come and the bindings are removed. This is the closing of this part of the ceremony and it is typically rather brief and generally solemn. The bindings will later be burned. It is a bad omen to just discard the binding.

Mass of Christian Burial

Most of the locals are Roman Catholic although there is also a significant Muslim population. Other Christians and traditional religions are also represented in the minority.

After the closing ceremony above Catholics move to the funeral grounds for the Mass of Christian Burial and the actual burial.  The grave may be in the family compound or some distance away.

Final blessing (body and coffin) at the Mass of Christian Burial,  The grave in the family compound is in the background

Final family sitting

The next day or so the family will come together to determine if there are bills left to be paid, money still owed the deceased, or money left over. The money collected during the funeral will be used to pay the expenses of the ceremony. The family will decide how to settle the accounts and what is to be done with any other assets.

Bicycle, small world, and my health

I mainly travel by bicycle. This mode is faster than walking although slower than motorcycle which I'm not allowed to use by order of the Peace Corps and my mother. The bicycle provides exercise and I frequently stop to greet someone or take a picture that I may use later. This week I met a chief (traveled to his house by bicycle) for an introduction meeting. We gave him some yams and he gave us a rooster. (We've not eaten the rooster yet.) His son wore a tee shirt from Lake of the Ozarks. The Lake of the Ozarks is close to where I lived with my family in the states. While traveling back we stopped to chat with a couple of men and one had on a Baltimore tee shirt. Theresa and I met and married and lived in Baltimore before moving to Missouri. Small world.

The chief's son with Lake of the Ozarks tee-shirt and me

Man with Baltimore tee shirt

Traveling on dirt roads by bicycle is hard on the tires. I've now replaced the front and back tires, replaced four tubes, and had several patches applied along the way. As we move into the hotter drier season the problem will only get worse. I'm thinking the I need to set up an account just for bicycle repairs. (Half joking, half serious)

The radio is running public service announcements about application of shea butter to the skin and nostrils to maintain good health.  Relative humidity during the day as fallen from about 60% to 30%.  I expect it will get lower as the area basically converts to a desert for six months.  I'm sure I'll have something to whine about during that time and will post accordingly.


I remain healthy and happy while still missing family and friends.

Love always,
John