Igbo Funeral Rites In Nigeria
Igbo Funeral Rites
Kaila Jacobson
Among the people of the Igbo tribe in southeastern
Nigeria, death is usually a highly ritualized event filled with deep mourning. There are usually two funerals, whose intention is to safely escort the deceased from the realm of the living to the spirit world. Only after a successful second funeral can the deceased pass the line of “ita okazi”, a period of torment, into a state of peace.
Immediate Preparations
When an elderly man or woman dies, they are immediately sponged with camwood dye to mark them as sacred. Shortly after, they are then laid down in their living room with their feet facing the entryway. If it is a woman, though, they are usually seated upright. Women are also always carried to their
Kaila Jacobson
Among the people of the Igbo tribe in southeastern
Nigeria, death is usually a highly ritualized event filled with deep mourning. There are usually two funerals, whose intention is to safely escort the deceased from the realm of the living to the spirit world. Only after a successful second funeral can the deceased pass the line of “ita okazi”, a period of torment, into a state of peace.
Immediate Preparations
When an elderly man or woman dies, they are immediately sponged with camwood dye to mark them as sacred. Shortly after, they are then laid down in their living room with their feet facing the entryway. If it is a woman, though, they are usually seated upright. Women are also always carried to their