The Traditional Understanding of Grief Among Ameru in Kenya: A Diakonia Perspective (original) (raw)
Related papers
2010
The central premise of this dissertation is that a pastorally sympathetic assessment of cultural bereavement healing approaches in the light of a biblically informed understanding of death, bereavement and afterlife provide a basis for the bereaved to cope with the angst associated with bereavement through death and engenders pastoral care among the Abaluyia. It is noted that although many Abaluyia Christians consciously or otherwise lurch back to cultural approaches for consolation and healing during bereavement, there is a lack of meaningful engagement between the Abaluyia culture and the gospel. The result of this lack of engagement has not been syncretism as commonly assumed but rather parallelism whereby, on the one hand, the gospel is held as though it were alien and whimsical in contrast with traditional beliefs and practices which are perceived as practical and consequential. On the other hand, cultural approaches are dismissed as being part of ancestor worship or superstition and thus contrary to the gospel. In view of these extreme perceptions, Abaluyia Christians often feel guilty for either engaging in or shunning cultural approaches thus raising a pastoral concern in relation to caring for the bereaved. In response to the aforementioned pastoral concern, this dissertation firstly examines the role of cultural beliefs and practices in mediating healing for the bereaved among the Abaluyia. It is suggested that the persistence of cultural models is informed largely by their therapeutic value. Consequently, attention is put on the efficacious beliefs and practices employed by the Abaluyia which include community based approach to bereavement, rituals, systems of inheritance and care, conduct of the bereaved, procedures for forgiveness and reconciliation, hospitality, acts of benevolence and performances. Secondly, the identified cultural approaches are reflected upon in the light of the normative biblical teachings. The reflection is done in order to expose and isolate cultural beliefs and practices that are at odds with biblical teachings. The reflection follows a systematic analysis undertaken to establish the biblical understanding of death and the afterlife as well as a biblical hermeneutical analysis of pertinent biblical passages in order to draw paradigmatic biblical practices in bereavement. It is argued that the biblical ministry of healing in bereavement is rooted in the hope of resurrection and the conception of God as compassionate in his character. Lastly, an integrated pastoral care model, namely, Circle for Pastoral Concern, is proposed as a tool for bereavement healing among the Abaluyia. The proposed integrated model is cognisant of local cultural milieu in engaging in pastoral care for the bereaved. According to the Circle for Pastoral Concern model, the community of believers in their local setting, under the Triune God, form the context for healing. I sincerely thank my parents, Naphtali Keya and Sela Wele, for teaching me by their example how to care for others. I wish to dedicate this dissertation to the memory of my late father.
Widowhood Rituals among the Luo of Alego- Usonga, Kenya: Implications for Grief Management
IJASS JOURNAL, 2024
Death in the African context does not dissolve marriages instead the widow continues to be wed to the family. Losing a spouse is a dreadful experience that is followed by unpleasant feelings and necessitates effective coping mechanisms to prevent adverse psychological reactions. This study examined the widowhood rituals practiced by widows in Alego-Usonga Sub county, their benefits and coping strategies and implications for grief management. The study utilized a sequential mixed methods approach in which qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted for exploratory purposes followed by quantitative interviews. A total of 7 custodians of indigenous knowledge and 28 widows participated in the study. Twelve rituals were identified tohave been observed prior to, during and after burial. Coping strategies identified included grieving in stages and maintaining bonds after death. African psychotherapists can leverage on the strengths of rituals that promote healing in bereavement.
In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi, 2013
This article formulates a new integrated pastoral care approach to bereavement healing ministry in Africa, termed a circle for pastoral concern. In pursuit of this, the article highlights the pastoral challenge brought about by the occurrence of death and bereavement within the cultural and Christian intermix. Using the example of the Abaluyia of western Kenya, traditional cultural bereavement healing approaches are assessed against the backdrop of Christian influence on the understanding and response to death and bereavement healing and the resultant tension. The article juxtaposes the Abaluyia cultural concept of okhukura [to encircle with loving care] with the biblical koinōnia [fellowship, communion] as springboard for building culturally sensitive and biblically sound Christian caring communities. It is hoped that the juxtaposition helps to establish and promote meaningful engagement between therapeutic traditional beliefs and practices, and the gospel. The gospel-culture engagement within a local church setting provides the context in which bereavement healing and individual growth after the death of a significant other takes place. The juxtaposition is necessitated by the rampant practice in African pluralistic societies where Christians consciously, or otherwise, lurch back to cultural approaches in their effort to provide or find healing when faced with death and bereavement. The 'circle for pastoral concern' model encourages inclusiveness by enlisting the means and talents of the community of believers, both ordained and lay. The principle of inclusion ensures that the load of pastoral care is shared and assumes a deeper response due to diversity of gifts and talents within the caring community.
This article formulates a new integrated pastoral care approach to bereavement healing ministry in Africa, termed a circle for pastoral concern. In pursuit of this, the article highlights the pastoral challenge brought about by the occurrence of death and bereavement within the cultural and Christian intermix. Using the example of the Abaluyia of western Kenya, traditional cultural bereavement healing approaches are assessed against the backdrop of Christian influence on the understanding and response to death and bereavement healing and the resultant tension. The article juxtaposes the Abaluyia cultural concept of okhukura [to encircle with loving care] with the biblical koinōnia [fellowship, communion] as springboard for building culturally sensitive and biblically sound Christian caring communities. It is hoped that the juxtaposition helps to establish and promote meaningful engagement between therapeutic traditional beliefs and practices, and the gospel. The gospel-culture engagement within a local church setting provides the context in which bereavement healing and individual growth after the death of a significant other takes place. The juxtaposition is necessitated by the rampant practice in African pluralistic societies where Christians consciously, or otherwise, lurch back to cultural approaches in their effort to provide or find healing when faced with death and bereavement. The ‘circle for pastoral concern’ model encourages inclusiveness by enlisting the means and talents of the community of believers, both ordained and lay. The principle of inclusion ensures that the load of pastoral care is shared and assumes a deeper response due to diversity of gifts and talents within the caring community.
2007
This thesis is dedicated to my late father Atate Simeon Kumbuyo whose value for education is remembered by sacrificing the best beasts among his herd of cattle and through his words to his sons and daughters; get educated when I am still alive if you do not do it you will be jealous of the educated. ABABA I wish you were still here. Amai Jessie ma Sibanda My mother, (Jessie) who brought me to this world and whose love can not be defined in words. She taught me from the time I was born to respect people and encourage unity among us children. I am proud of you for teaching me to pray; wokondendwa AMAMA, maSibanda Rumbidzayi Without whom my thesis was not going to be of this quality. Encouraged and supported me to do my best, and get there to fulfill my aspirations and carried an added responsibility of looking after the children when I was in South Africa. Thank you maMoyo for being such a loving wife. Yamikani, Daliso Simbarashe, Kondwerani and Taonga My lovely children who always wanted me to complete my studies and be with them. Thank you for being friends. I am and will always be proud of you my blessings. To males of Murewa Circuit Men who have taught me through sharing their painful experiences of their losses the importance of grieving. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Suppression of the grief process impacts each of us and our families, and when grief is not processed, it continues to affect us invariably. The stories about grief in this thesis emanated from the spirit of Ubuntu that made me to feel, think as part of the community and depend upon the community for its out come. I am clearly indebted to the males that bravely shared with me their painful experiences, thereby helping me to understand how the hurts brought by a loss of a loved one would be worked through and healed. Their experience brought life to this thesis. I would like to thank my supervisor Professor Maake J. Masango for his constant guidance and incisive encouragement during my research journey. I also cherish his scholarly advice and sensitive therapeutic approach to me who is among the grieved population that suppresses the process of grief. Special thanks go to John Wesley College Director Professor Nivell Richardson and the Dean of students Rev Dr Dion Forster for offering me accommodation in the John Wesley College (family) and paying for me to attend the Methodist church of Southern Africa Synod. I also thank the students, and workers of John Wesley College for their fellowship. I thank Sydney Nemutanzhela for helping me to acquire a computer, men of Murewa circuit for giving me deeper appreciation on how mourning rituals in working through the hurts have led to healing. My thanks also go to the World church for awarding me a scholarship to study at the University of Pretoria in South Africa and the Methodist church in Zimbabwe who granted me permission to study and for supporting my family during the period I was away, Rev. Dr C mugaviri for encouraging me to carry out a research on bereavement. I would like to thank Rev Angus Kelly, Morrison Chiwundura, Anele Bonoyi and Christian Mokone Mr. Simon Manyere and their spouses for being there for me and my family whenever we needed transport during the time of my study in South Africa. I would also like to thank Rev. Motsi (Baptist) and Ntlebi (MCSA) for editing this thesis. Finally I thank my Mother in law Mrs Jesca Nhariswa for being with my family in Zimbabwe. I finally thank Rumbidzayi for being a supportive and caring wife, mother and prayer partner during the time of my study. In all the struggles and successes I thank my God who accompanied me through the Grace of Christ Jesus in this academic and Spiritual Journey. iv DECLARATION I declare that a thesis on A PASTORAL APPROACH ON SUPPRESSION OF THE GRIEF PROCESS AMONG MALES LEADING TO DEATH: A REFLECTION ON AN AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE IN ZIMBABWE Is my own work and that all sources I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledge by means of complete references.
Verbum et Ecclesia, 2011
This article investigates and attempts to provide answers from pastoral perspectives regarding the perception the Basotho have on the issue of traditional purification. The aim of this article is to find out why the bereaved, that have not yet been purified traditionally, are not allowed to be part of certain activities, like going to the church and also performing certain community activities.The investigation was conducted by way of qualitative research. Three different Sotho Reformed congregations were selected, namely one from the Northern-Sotho speaking congregations, one from the Setswana speaking congregations and one from the Southern-Sesotho speaking congregations. Respondents included one minister, one older man, one older woman, and two young members including a man and a woman from each congregation in order to get a broader perspective. For the sake of confidentiality the names of the congregations and participants remained anonymous.The results of the article indicate ...
Rarieda is situated next to the shore of Lake Victoria in Siaya County, Kenya. The practice of death and ritual rites among the Luo Community has raised a lot of concern to the society and the church today. Some people have condemned some of these rituals as evil while others have practiced them without critically analyzing them. This research secured detailed information on the traditional death and burial rites among the Luo Community in Rarieda while providing a Christian response. In exploring this study, ethnographic methodology was used. Data was collected through well structured interviews among fifteen Luo residents of Rarieda. One participant observation of a funeral ceremony was also used. The data was then recorded, transcribed, translated and analyzed using a soft ware known as Weft QDA. The findings reveal that whenever death occurs in a community people respond by asking the cause of the death. Using the five steps of Hiebert, Shaw and Tienou, the findings reveal that whenever death occurs, people label it as a misfortune. Then they look for an explanation system to explain the cause of death. The common cause of death as revealed by people was caused by someone in relation to the deceased. The third step is to diagnose a cause, then look for the treatment and finally evaluate the outcome of treatment. This study revealed that a constructive theology of death should be developed by the church to give its right meaning to the people. The researcher found out that any form should be given the right meaning to a given society. This study also used Hiebert four steps of critical contextualization. This approach revealed one should do a critical study of a ritual by listening to the people‘s ways of life, judging the rituals through the scripture then doing a critical evaluation from the scripture and the practice. In so doing, the church will come up with a trans formative ministry to help the affected individuals. This study came up with three ministries which includes; coping with bereavement, dealing with witchcraft and caring for widows and orphans.
AN INVESTIGATION OF THE BATSOTSO MOURNING RITUALS IN KAKAMEGA COUNTY,KENYA
Abstract: Every community in the world responds to death and loss in unique ways. Funeral customs and ceremonies vary across different cultures worldwide. The study focused on establishing and understanding the effects of the Batsotso mourning rituals and ascertaining their applicability in grief and bereavement counselin g. The research narrowed down to the different rituals performed during the mourning period among the Batsotso people with the aim of generalizing the results to other Kenyan communities. Batsotso is one of the Luhya dialects, a tribe that inhabits Kakamega County in Kenya. The study used descriptive research design. The data was collected by the use of questionnaires, interview and observation. The target population for this study was 400 families from Butsotso who had experienced death in the last three years. The sample size of 80 participants was selected through simple random sampling. The questionnaires were given to adults and children while the interview guide was administered on adults who had attained at least fifty years of age. Results from the study were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative techniques and interpretation presented inform of charts and tables. The research was guided by three theories. The theories include Bowlbys theory of attachment, Kubler Ross grief theory and Rondos’ theory on grief process.The study concluded that there is relationship between the Batsotso mourning ritual s and the psychological well being of the mourners. The study recommends that Batsotso people should practice mourning rituals which have therapeutic and psychological purpose as they help them to cope with death.
International journal of academic research in business & social sciences, 2020
Religion, life and death are entwined and the knowledge of one requires the knowledge of the other. Religions have addressed the question of how one should live with awareness of inevitability of death. Consequently, societies have developed systems of belief and practice to help their people cope with the prospect of death and the attendant sorrow and grief. Drawing interest from the complex intertwine surrounding death and religion, the main problem addressed by the study was to examine the extent to which the Interplay between the Ababukusu traditional, and Friends Church cultures with regard to widowhood rituals had subjugated the widows. The study was guided by structural functionalism by Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) and Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) and how it functioned abnormally from a gender perspective. Structural functionalism theory informed the study that the rites and rituals performed after death of husband enhanced solidarity and stability of the society, yet this was at the expense of the female gender. This study found out that the Ababukusu widowhood rites and rituals repositioned widows in society in ways that were generally depriving as the Friends Church watched and even supported tacitly. The study advises in this regard that the widowhood rites and rituals should not be abandoned completely, but instead be infused deliberately with humane values as befits ubuntu and biblical teaching of love and care with regard to widowhood.