Lua-lia, the ‘fresh funeral’: founding a house for the deceased among the Kasena of north-east Ghana

Abstract

AbstractFor the Kasena, life finds in death both its measure and its renewal. Indeed, the dead survive through their descendants and in the world of ancestors. Funeral practices are very elaborate. They not only reflect the social, cultural, religious and psychological values and preoccupations shared by the group but are also a way of elaborating upon them. Social and cultural life is re-invigorated through a person's death and funerals, while the dead person is himself the foundation of his descendants' life.This article, drawing from fieldwork in the author's native area, focuses, in particular, on first funerals for adults. Detailed description is followed by the analysis of surprising similarities between birth and funeral rites. It then examines the ‘house’ or the ‘bedroom’ built in the ground – either in the maternal bedroom itself, or in a neighbouring field towards the east – in order to welcome death as an extension, as a founder in the depths of the survivors' dwelling.