Use/Abuse of Traditional Post-mortem in Ekpe Community of Akoko-Edo, Edo State, Nigeria (original) (raw)

ANTHROPOLOGICAL CRITIQUE OF SOME BURIAL CEREMONIES IN NIGERIAN CULTURES

Man is a symbol-making being. This sets him world apart from the rest of the members of the animal kingdom. Cultural symbols are didactic as they reveal a people’s fundamental beliefs and aspirations. These symbols are in every way replete in a people’s way of life not excluding the pattern and rites according to which a people inter their dead ones. Hence, much is to be known about man and his future possibilities in terms of survival and/or non-survival after the incidence of death through a critical construction of his life in the society precisely from the way they handle the remains of their dead. Nigeria is particularly a multi-cultural society, for its peoples are of different tribes and tongues with parallel religious beliefs and social behaviours. It is therefore not surprising to find among Nigerian cultures various attitudes and approaches to the human body in life or in death. Yet it is most instructive to find that albeit a plethora of cultural systems, there is found in Nigeria, a confluence of sacred implications for the human remains. Whether the Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Efik, etc, the irreducible minimum from the practices is a sense of sacred respect and expectancy of an eventual return to re-live the self same life. (Keywords: Culture, Burial and Ritual).

Final Burial Rites and Ceremonies in Benin Kingdom, Nigeria: Socio-Religious Issues and Implications

KIU Journal of Humanities, 2021

Kingdom is a monarchy with a king or queen as head of state. The title of this paper is "final burial rites and ceremonies in Benin Kingdom, Nigeria: Issues and implications". This paper examines burial as a crisis that requires urgent solution. It is aimed to educate the society of the need to follow the traditional way of burial rites ceremony. Traditionally, lay down principles from forefathers exist in relation to final burial in Benin Kingdom. This paper is to portray the extent to which traditional burial as of old can help ameliorate the issue of present problem. The way and manners the final burial rites and ceremonies in Benin kingdom is performed is becoming alarming due to high cost of burring the dead family members and the rituals of killing both animals and humans. Focus is made on a sketchy history of Benin kingdom, the royal burial rites and ceremony, other types of burial ceremonies in Benin kingdom, forbidden burial rites and ceremonies in Benin kingdom, funeral rites in Benin kingdom and the issues in Benin traditional burial rite and ceremony. Due to essential nature of this research work, this research made used of historical and analytical methods as well as personal communication (interview), books, journals and internet sources. The researchers recommend amongst others that a review of rituals or rites of the final burial be made and communicated to the ancestors as so many could no longer afford the cost of the items in our contemporary era.

BURIAL RITES IN AFRICAN SOCIETY: THE IBIBIO PERSPECTIVE

Sapientia Global Journal of Arts and Humanities and Development Studies Vol 5 No 1 , 2022

The Ibibio view death as a transition from the visible to the invisible world, no wonder they believe that death is an unavoidable phenomenon. From the spiritual, the dead are believed to influence the living in the physical realm. The spiritual world is believed to maintain transcendental powers over the cosmological and terrestrial elements of the universe. Despite these, man has the power to manipulate the spirits and all in the world for his own good through rituals or insure the wrath of such spirits through carelessness. These views gives motivation to the Ibibio person in all he does religiously and otherwise in life including death and burial rites. This paper arrived at examining Ibibio burial rites as a rite of passage. This paper adopts a comparative approach. We have discovered that the Ibibio's people in south-south Nigeria belief in the concept of life after death, that is why they indulged in elaborate burial rites as a result of the belief that Ekpo Akpa Enyin Ikpaha Utong meaning, someone is physically dead, but the ears are still opened for the dead to hear. It is this belief that pushes them to observe chronological burial rites in order to secure a place for the deceased in the abode of the ancestors. Since burial cannot be conducted without death occurring, as such, this work will show the various types of burial rites in Ibibio.

Traditional Methods of Preserving Dead Human Bodies in Southeastern Nigeria

Traditional methods of preserving dead human bodies have been of immense importance in many societies. This practice has been sustained for thousands of years for cultural, religious and socio-environmental reasons. Although there is dearth of literature on the preservation of dead bodies in Nigeria, ethnographic evidences revealed that the tradition is still practised in parts of Igboland. This paper examines the traditional methods employed by the people of Southeast Nigeria in preserving dead human bodies and argues that the tradition can be harnessed for cultural tourism, while promoting the culture of the people. Introduction In Southeastern Nigeria, death is not seen as the ultimate end of life; but the beginning of new life in the spiritual world – the land of the ancestors. Thus, death is a transition (Talbot 1932:25; Okpoko 1983; Okpoko 1993:105). Death is classified into two categories – bad death (ajo onwu) and good death (onwu chi). The former is believed to be caused by infectious diseases like leprosy, swollen stomachs, small pox etc. and therefore does not attract funeral rites of any kind, neither are the corpses preserved. Instead, they are usually rapped in cloths/mats and thrown into the bad bush (ajo ofia). The latter refers to death at old age; thus, the privileges of being re-incarnated are accorded to those who died a good death. Onwu chi attracts funeral rites and the corpses can also be preserved. Preservation of dead human body or embalmment is the act of treating the dead human body in order to reduce the presence and growth of microorganism , to retard decomposition and to restore an acceptable physical appearance (Frederick 1989). In pre-colonial Igbo societies, as in many parts of the world, corpses are preserved traditionally for some days before burial to enable family members and relations/friends plan a befitting burial for the deceased. The traditional mortuary rites are still being performed mainly by non-Christians in Southeastern Nigeria. In many instances, the modern methods are complemented by traditional ones and there is the fear that the latter may become extinct in our study areas, since the adherents to traditional religion are increasingly reducing. This explains why there is need to document this tradition.

Modernity and Burial Rituals in Igbo Land: A Paranormal Communication Approach

British Journal of Mass Communication and Media Research, 2021

The Igbo people believe that a well done burial ritual would determine the well-being of the deceased in the land of the “living-dead”. It is therefore expected that their loved ones perform proper burial rituals to ensure the peaceful rest of the deceased and to avert the wrath of the dead. This study examined modernity and burial rituals in Igbo land from a paranormal communication perspective. The Functionalism approach as propounded by Smith, Burner and White in 1956 was used as the theoretical underpinning for this study. This study adopted textual analysis of historical and oral literature. The findings of this study revealed that modernity has affected the Igbo culture, and also showed that there are socio-religious consequences of not meeting up with the burial ritual demands. As a result, the researchers recommend amongst others that stakeholders in the community and the society at large come together to revive the Igbo culture. They also recommend that families do the need...

DEATH AND BURIAL RITES OF IWHNURUOHNA(IKWERRE) PEOPLE OF THE NIGER DELTA

Death "disturbs the harmony, cohesion, and solidarity in family and community". For Okeja (2016) (in Mbiti,2016), death is 'inevitable and, in many societies, the most disruptive phenomenon. More disturbing is that death knows no boundaries as anyone, regardless of sex, wealth, status, or race, is not exempted. After death comes the burial of the deceased. Burial is the act or process of disposing of a corpse, which may vary from culture to culture and from one ideology to the other'. -Okeja, U. 2016. This paper explores the Iwhnuruohna (Ikwerre) people of the Niger Delta area of Nigeria view death and bury their dead with rituals and ceremonies. These rituals and ceremonies were a sign of respect and preparation for the transmigration of their spirits into the spirit world for those who deserve it, having lived a worthy life on earth. For the Iwhnuruohna (Ikwerre) people, death is a journey and continuation of life; thus, they believe in the afterlife.

CUSTOMARY RIGHT TO BEFITTING BURIAL: A JURISPRUDENTIAL APPRAISAL OF FOUR NIGERIAN CULTURES

It is in the manifold customs of a people, precisely as the mirror of accepted usages, that their beliefs and worldview are screwed. Abstracted in symbols, a people's culture is preserved as long as it continues to be of value and thereafter for historical purposes. Notwithstanding that customs are largely unwritten; the norms they prescribe are codified, as it were, in symbols as statute books. These symbols reveal unique rights for the people's entitlement. Among the rights to which an African is entitled is the right to befitting burial/funerals. This right comes with it, certain duties and/or obligations. The aim of this paper is to deconstruct the elements of applicable burial customs with a view to demonstrating their afterlife implications as well as their social relevance. This is done through a phenomenologico–hermeneutical study of the symbols of burial rites in all four selected jurisdictions. It is the finding of this paper that this right of a befitting burial is next to the right to life in the hierarchy of customary rights and that it has a unique way of building the community in return. The mainstay of this work's recommendations is this that; to the extent this burial 'right' pass the tests for applicability of customs, as provided by the law, it should be promoted in every way and by every good means.

The Dead in the Lives of the Living: A Socio-Cultural Survey of Burial Sites in the Niger Delta

Global Journal of Human Social Science Research, 2014

Burial sites come into existence only after death. Death is therefore a unique phenomenon which we either appreciate or denigrate. The death of an individual may bring sorrow to some, great relief and joy to others and often captured or marked by a burial site. It is the inevitability of death and the African understanding that the dead are not dead and gone, that informs this exercise. This paper attempts to examine the meaning of death, the beauty of death, types of burial sites and the place or importance of the dead in the life of the living. It then concludes with the view that History is incomplete without the history of the dead dotted round our society.