By ‘Adiye irana ki s’oun ajegbe’. This Yoruba saying loosely translates to ‘one must repay eating the sacrificial funeral fowl’. The saying illustrates two core Yoruba beliefs: the sacrifices involved in funerals, and the fact that every soul must taste death.
The Traditional Death Rites of the Yoruba
Undertaker in Igarra, Nigeria. Image via Wikimedia Commons
The Yoruba are a tribe predominantly found in Southwest Nigeria who believe death is a transitional process from existence in the human world to that of the spirit world. In view of this, elaborate funeral rituals are done to ensure the spiritual world accepts the soul of the dead. This acceptance bestows upon the dead the power of revisiting his or her earthly home, confer
A 20th century Yoruba mask representing the spirit of an ancestor. Worn during during ceremonies honoring the memory of the deceased. Image via Museum of Confluences, Lyon.
with the spirits on behalf of his or her descendants and also aid his or her reincarnation, if the dead so wishes.
Funeral rites vary based on the deceased’s status, age, and the circumstances surrounding their death. The funeral process is referred to as Isinku, which translates to burial. Isinku is the honoured way to transition the dead into the spiritual realm. On the other hand, cremation is reserved for criminals, the ‘possessed’, and sometimes victims of war.
Broadly, there are two types of Isinku: Isinku àgbà or Ayeye (Non-sorrowful burial). Ayeye is done when the deceased is an aged person who died of natural causes. It is a non-sorrowful death that is celebrated because the dead person has fulfilled their destiny on earth and is going home to meet their ancestors.
Purification Rites
The first step after death is to turn the corpse face downwards and cover it up, and this is followed by the Itufo (public announcement). In some cases, the announcement is made by shouts and lamentations, and oftentimes by walking the streets while crying and wailing. While this is happening, the purification rites begin. The corpse is washed thoroughly as admission into the spirit world may be denied if they are unclean. Any dirt that remains on the body will reappear as unclean birthmarks when the deceased reincarnates.
Like many religions and cultures, Yoruba purification rites are gendered. Women wash female corpses and braid their hair and men wash male corpses. After the washing is complete, the body is smeared with white camwood, which later turns red. The lower jaw is tied to the head with a bandage, the hands are clasped and the toes are tied together. At this point, the corpse is clothed in a fine white dress and laid on a clean mat ahead of the assembly of mourners in the compound.
Adiye Irana: The Sacrificial Funeral Fowl
A funeral party wearing matching attire, or aso ebi. Image via: Wikimedia Commons
After the purification of the corpse is complete, it is carried around the village, while those carrying the corpse sing a funeral dirge. Mourners give messages to the deceased, which will be delivered to the ancestors. Ahead of the body, the black feathers of the sacrificial fowl – Adiye irana – are pulled out by a mourner and thrown along the road. The fowl is slaughtered at the graveside after the body has been buried and the blood poured into the grave. Those who carried the corpse would then eat the fowl by the graveside.
What is the significance of the sacrificial fowl? The sacrificial fowl wards off evil spirits that could hinder the herculean transition to the spirit world and symbolizes the inevitability of death, reflected in the Yoruba saying, ‘one must repay the taste of the sacrificial funeral fowl.’ A smooth journey lets the deceased know that the sacrifice was made in their honor, and this allows them to maintain communication with their descendants, or to reincarnate within the family. A child born after an elder’s death is seen as their reincarnation—boys as Babatunde (‘father has returned’) and girls as Iyabo or Yetunde (‘mother has returned’).
Traditionally, the dead are buried in the home, usually in the room previously occupied by the deceased. In burying the dead, adequate provisions must be included to sustain them on the journey to the other realm. Clothes, footwear, beads, snuffbox, lanterns, food, and drinks are put in the grave for use by the deceased. In the past, when kings and high chiefs died, slaves were often slain or buried alive with them. There were individuals known as the Abobaku –loosely translated as “the one who dies with the king”; who lived their lives for this purpose.
The Funeral Feast
Nigeria’s famous dancing pallbearers. Not a ritual that is done for Òkú Ọfò. Image via Wikimedia Commons
Lavish ceremonial feasting follows the burial typically scheduled for the day after the funeral, or later. If the deceased was a king or a wealthy person, the ceremonial feasting can sometimes last for days and can include many different performances. Many animals are killed for the purpose of feasting – ram, goats and fowls – and everybody in attendance wears colourful outfits and the atmosphere is celebratory.
Òkú Ọfò: A Sorrowful Death
Òkú Ọfò (sorrowful death) is a form of isinku that is held when a young person dies. Such deaths are considered untimely as the individual is said to have not fulfilled his or her destiny before dying. Unfulfilled destiny can lead to a wandering spirit that is unable to reach the spirit world and rest.
In such deaths, the first rite performed before the announcement of death is Iwadi fini fini. This is a form of spiritual autopsy where priests and diviners determine the cause of death. The corpse is taken into a secret enchanted room and its spirit invoked, which is then told to narrate the cause of death. If the death was their fault or accidental, sacrifices are made to ensure the dead can transition to the spirit world peacefully. In cases of murder or foul play, further rites must be undertaken. For example, the first rite is the fortification of the corpse – riro oku, which is a highly secretive rite, which is only known by the local priests. Riro oku allows the spirit of the dead to exist in the earthly realm for about seven days during which it haunts and kills everyone involved in their death.
In such deaths, there are no ceremonial activities and the whole village is thrown into mourning. Such burials are brief without the traditional wailing and music. After sacrifices are made to ease the dead’s path, he/she is buried away from the house. It is considered taboo for the parents to partake in the burial of the deceased.
Conclusion
The use of many of these rites have declined since the introduction of Christianity and Islam, as well as the effects of living in a globalized world. But many Yoruba families still include some of these rites as part of the death and bereavement practices. These beliefs are abiding and are critical to the Yoruba identity and worldview and as such are deeply ingrained.
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