CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 2
2.4 THE RITUAL CEREMONIES
2.4.1 RITES DE PASSAGE
2.4.1.6 Death and Burial
(a) Death
Death is the last thing to occur to any living human being, caused by many outside factors such as accidents, illnesses, evil spirits, suicide and death caused by old age (ukugoduka). This gives rise to conflicting emotions of the family and the societal members by threatening their cohesion and solidarity. The death causes demoralisation, which is counteracted by mourning ceremonies bringing the members of the family and society together. Because the body is dead, therefore, all the body systems can no longer function meaning a stop to a human being's life, and that the body has retired and begins to perish, the relatives of the dead are bound to him or her and become very weak bodily, physically and spiritually. Therefore, they need to be specially fortified with strengthening medicines (amakhubalo). The family is left mourning by not partaking in the normal life of the society till they have been purified after the mourning period. They have their hair shaved and leave off all ornaments and observe many taboos till finally a cleansing beast is slaughtered to take off the defilement of death and mourning. They are purified with medicines and once more resume their normal life.
The death of an adult has more effect in the minds of the living people depending on his or her contribution to the family and has a lesser effect since his or her support strength is lesser of course. Krige (1950: 160) states that when a child dies, the funeral ceremonies are simple and do not affect the larger circle than the immediate family; but the death of a family head is accompanied by much more rituals and much longer mourning period, for the higher the status of the deceased, the greater is the blow to family and society. The importance of death of the family head of an adult is marked by the fact that a widow before engaging in any love affair, whether following a custom of levirate union or not, she should first engage herself in sexual intercourse once with a mad man who she will never meet again. In this way, it is believed she has purified herself (ukususa umnyama). In this particular context of Africa, Wright (1979: 160) writes that the absence of ritualized grief when the death of a young child occurs, whereas with the death of an older person, the burial ceremony becomes more elaborate and the grief more ritualized, indicating difference in the conferral of ontological status.
(b) Burial or Interment
The second step after death is to get the corpse of the deceased properly buried and this should be done with great respect and dignity. This should not be the case of after death the first thought of those left behind is to get rid of the corpse which is a source of pollution contaminating the whole kraal as Krige (1950:160) puts it. In African culture, the death and burial of a human body is very much respected and is treated as such by those left behind, and these two ceremonies are held with great respect, and allegiance is paid to the deceased and the supernatural beings of the family. In our family, the wailing aloud is not condoned, but those who are wailing are consoled until they slow down the loudness. Krige (1950: 161) says that this is a most mournful and dispiriting sort of dirge.
In the old, days, and in many instances even today, the time of burial is at sunset if it is a male and before sunset if it is a female or a child. In most cases, bodies are
buried outside the home. Each homestead has its own cemetery if it is outside a Mission, Reserve or also not in the Proclaimed Urban area. We are in the rural area with our own burial ground known as "eMakhosini" as we belong to the Shangase Royal Family. Only the members of the Royal Family are buried at "eMakhosini."
When Krige (1950: 1 74) refers to Cetshwayo' s burial, he says that on his death a goat was killed and the gall-bladder was fastened on his forehead a little toward the right to make his journey pleasant. His body was taken to "eMakhosini" where most of the Zulu kings are buried. When burying an iNkosi, Princes, Princesses or commoners, whether male of female, in the grave a hollowed out comer (igumbi) is dug where the body is finally placed facing his or her home, and the hollowed out comer is closed with bamboo sticks and mat (ucansi) before the grave is closed with soil. The priest conducts the final burial sermon and the paterfamilias or any senior member of the family confers the deceased to the ancestors and wishes him or her a good journey to the world of the ancestors and a peaceful rest.
Relatives and neighbours dig the grave. The family head or first son of the family head turns the first sod. The father's brother can also do so if the son is still too young. The first son, in case of a father's death, stands at the head of the grave with the shield and an ancestral assegai. Usually, the grave is four to six feet deep and about five feet long. Today, everywhere, the body is no longer placed in ~ sitting posture. In case of traditional burials no sacramental rites are performed on the burial ground and the body is fortified by doctoring it. If the burial is Christian orientated, there shall be sacramental rites performed, and the body and grave are fortified by prayer and blessed water, which is sprinkled over the grave and made proof against the wizards and bad spirits.
The corpse is put on a mat, which is put on a reed-mat and carried out of the hut by the relatives. The funeral procession is led by a paterfamilias with an ancestral stick in his hand followed firstly by men and lastly by women. While proceeding to the cemetery, they sing a traditional or a Christian song depending on the type of interment. If the iNkosi is buried, the burial is usually traditional and the tribe and the
family are responsible for the burial. The tribe sings in protest and war-cries are shouted with vigour and inspiration. Anciently, in the iNkosi's grave first comes in the body-servant (insila), and two or more of his chosen wives to go with him. Some of his belongings are also added in the grave, and others remain. His body is wrapped in an ox-hide, thereafter, the body is placed in a hollowed out corner in the grave facing his homestead. The iNkosi's first son, the heir, stands on top of the grave with a shield and an ancestral assegai because he is the one to take over after his father. In certain areas, some of the above traditional burial practices are no longer in use, but others are still exercised. Some of the ancient amakhosi were buried in the cattle kraal, but this, in most cases, has been abandoned due to the fact that some are buried having been attacked by infections and dreadful diseases and they do not want to plant the same disease at home, rather they be buried outside the royal homestead, so that the remaining members of the family are not affected. This was practically applied to my own father iNkosi Simangenduku who was buried on the 26 January 1988 at "eMakhosini" where his father was buried. He also warned that his body should not be taken to the mortuary if he dies at home, because he did not want a post-mortem to be conducted on his body. He wanted to be buried as a complete human being.
It is the male members of the family who carry the corpse into the grave, which is placed slowly, and with dignity into the hollowed out corner (igumbi) facing the deceased home. The spirit of the deceased remains around and near the grave, so that when the spirit of the deceased is returned home after a year the funeral ceremony was held, the spirit of the deceased is incorporated into the world of ancestors. After the funeral, everybody is believed to be weak; hence strengthening medicine made of medicinal roots and barks (amakhubalo) is used.
The mourning period (ukuzila) starts from death, and it is the strongest until burial when nothing at all is done except preparations for the burial. After the burial, mourning relaxes a little bit until the purification ceremony (ihlambo). In one or two years they return the deceased home ceremony (ukubuyisa) is held. The widower
of a deceased, if it is a family head, shaves her hair and wears a grass made necklace until the day of return the deceased home ceremony is celebrated.