Chapter+16++Igbo+Funerals

•	The funeral ceremonies and burials of the Igbo people are extremely complex, the most elaborate of all being the funeral of a chief. •	There are several kinds of deaths that are considered shameful, and in these circumstances no burial is provided at all. Women who die in labor, children who die before they have no teeth, those who commit suicide and those who die in the sacred month – for these people their funeral ceremony consists of being thrown into a bush. Single births were regarded as typically human, multiple births as typical of the animal world. So twins were regarded as less than humans and put to death (as were animals produced at single births). Children who were born with teeth (or whose upper teeth came first), babies born feet first, boys with only one testicle, and lepers, were all killed and their bodies thrown away in secrecy
 * Chapter || Book Page numbers || Topic || Due Date Discussion || Facilitator ||
 * ||  ||   ||   ||   ||Igbo Funerals

•	For many, the chiefs' funeral ceremonies are very bloody. First of all, the chief’s family washes the body directly in the death chamber, not in a special wash room place the body on a high bush table ("ojo") and cover it with cloths, strings, manilla, and young palm leaves, symbolizing rebirth. •	The oldest daughter then leads a procession of family and friends around the compound, singing and dancing. Her husband, the chief’s son-in-law, then lays a feather of an eagle, slain by a blood relative of the chief, on top of the corpse, to be buried,Which must be killed by the chief’s children. First a dog is chosen because of its power of clairvoyance and ability to forsee danger and evil. A dog is beheaded and the children draw a circle around the corpse with the dripping blood. A cat is chosen because of its spectacular night vision in order to bring the chief good eyesight in the underworld. An eagle is chosen to bring the chief good eyesight in the light. a parrot is chosen because of its clear voice so that the chief will always be heard in his next life. •	The next sacrifices are slain by the relatives on the chief's mother's side of the family. A goat is selected because of its sturdy feet, to carry the chief wherever he would like to go. •	After the animals, the slave wives are sacrificed. First one special slave wife (the "Aho'm") is slain and thrown into the grave and the rest must have their arms and legs broken and are buried alive with the body. Only the bravest and strongest men are selected to perform the courageous task of breaking the bones. Depending on the chief, there may be more human sacrifices. Some families have bodies hanging from posts or trees around the burial square. •	If the chief is rich enough, several more slaves are slain at the place where the chief bathed, ate, slept, received guests, and as a gift to the trees. At the tree at which ale is worshipped ("ogrisi"), the slaves have their throats cut and the blood is poured at the roots of the tree, to fertilize it. •	the Ibo signal the ancestors of the arrival of the chief by playing drums and trumpets. They then close the grave, but leave a small space for the last sacrifice. The strong men capture a man from another tribe, behead him, and place his head in the small opening. •	The death chamber ("Obiri") is decorated with the skulls of the victims and the family has a great feast of the flesh of the animal and human sacrifices. •	For the next three months, the widows must sleep in the Obiri in order to guard the ojo. The widows must wear mourning clothes for a year. •	Funerals differ depending on the person and cause of death., •	An Ibo woman dies; she is buried at the home of the son. If she has no son, her body is thrown into a bush. •	Children were given a burial within their parents' houses. the Ibo also have "bad deaths" including those of women who die in confinement, children who die before they have teeth, suicides, and those who die in the sacred month •	. The Ibo also believe that certain people must be put to death lest they shame the entire group. These include twin mothers, twins, children whose upper teeth came in first, children who were born feet first, boys with only one testicle, men with elephantiasis of the scrotum, and lepers. •	These bodies are thrown away in secrecy.

http://www.usp.nus.edu.sg/post/nigeria/ibofuneral.html