Funeral Rites Reformation for Any African Ethnic Community Based on the Proposed New Funeral Practices for the Agikuyu

Johnson Nganga Mbugua

• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN:
  9781498290906
  9781498290920
• eBook ISBN:
  9781498290913
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Church

This book has been written on the premise that the mode of coping with death of virtually all African ethnic communities has taken proportions and turns that are neither cultural, scriptural, nor necessary. Current rites are complicated, time-consuming, expensive, and are leaving most families and their neighbors impoverished. They have been extremely commercialized and a large number of Africans do not have resources to bury their dead the "modern" way. Were the Agikuyu (read: Africans) to curb numerous funeral demands which they deem necessary and "customary," when in actual fact they are not, funerals for them would become cheaper, faster, and simpler; would be decent enough for the dead; would take care of those left behind; and would be environmentally friendly. How Africans in the Diaspora, away from their ancestral homeland, should cope with death is also addressed. Also addressed is the issue of cremation. It is shown that at the resurrection, God will accord us new spiritual bodies which will have no bearing with the material substance of our earthly (mortal) bodies.

chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Burial and Accompanying Funeral Rites

Burial is the interment of a corpse including the accompanying ceremonies (Tenney 1973:77-78). Tenney observes that burial of the dead has been practised for longer than history has been recorded. He advises that the oldest memorials of human culture, some dating back to prehistory are graves. With few exceptions, he notes, evidence points to a degree of ceremony attending burial.

White (1990:161) expresses similar views and advises that from prehistoric times, burial and the disposal of the dead was a matter of duty, reflecting religious worldviews and ideas about life, purity and social obligation. Louis-Vincent Thomas (1989:31) indicates that death is not only a biological occurrence leaving the corpse as a residue that must be dealt with; it is also, and more importantly, a socio-cultural fundamental, because of the beliefs and representation it gives rise to and the attitudes and rituals it brings about.

Numerous scholars have attempted, over the ages, to write on the known history of interment of human remains. A good example is Long (2009:3) who advises that “in the 1960s, an anthropologist exploring a cave in northern Iraq came across the graves of several Neanderthal men, tombs believed to be nearly 50,000 years old and among the oldest human burial sites ever found”. Long further advises that “Thousands of miles away, at Sungir near Moscow, was found a cluster of Cro-Magnon graves, thirty millennia old, in which lie the remains of what appears to be a family”. Long observes and gives evidence of ceremonies accompanying these ancient burials. He is of the view that the flowers, the beads, the rings and the other artefacts near to and surrounding those human remains bear witness that from the earliest times, human beings have cared tenderly for their dead.

Disposal of the dead has not always been done the same way. Reforming the rites of burial has occurred periodically in almost all countries, religions and cultures. Various religions the world over and numerous Christian denominations, amongst them the Roman Catholic Church, have addressed the issue of reforming funeral rites. For example, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of Vatican Council II (Rennings 1968:1-4) demanded a reform of the present burial rite. Another religious denomination that addresses similar issues is the Church of England (the Anglican Church), which has an association for addressing reformation of matters affecting the lives of its followers. This contention is supported by Wakeford (1890:4) where he indicates that when writing his book he was “mainly indebted to the publications of the Church of England, Burial, Funeral and Mourning Reform Association and of the Cremation Society of England”.

The Agikuyu Christians have not escaped the periodic reformation of coping with death. The Agikuyu have over the last 100 years adopted new methods of conducting funerals. This has, as discussed in Chapter 3 of this study, been necessitated by demands and influences of other religions and cultures, which have interacted with the Agikuyu during that period.

To the Agikuyu in modern times, as well as to almost all races, tribes and religions worldwide, burial is an important event and taken very seriously. For the Agikuyu, this statement is supported and exemplified by an article in the Kenya’s Saturday Daily Nation (October 10, 2009 page 9). Citing “Villagers Force Family to Bury Man in Coffin”, the article narrates the ordeal of a family in Nyeri County of Kenya, whose bid to bury an octogenarian in a low-cost ceremony was thwarted, after villagers demanded that the deceased must be accorded a proper burial (see Appendix 1).

When one analyzes this incident; one is bound to ask numerous questions, most of which demand answers. A few of the questions one may ask include: what is the cultural manner of burying dead people, and in this case, an elderly Agikuyu man? Why would the sons of that man not bury their father privately? Why should they be forced by the villagers to bury him in a coffin and not in a sack? Why should the family be compelled to hire a vehicle and transport the body to the mortuary; be forced to hold a public burial and be forced to invite people? These are just a few of the questions that come to mind. These, and numerous issues touching on the Agikuyu Christians’ mode of coping with death is the essence of this study.

The study additionally attempted to establish what is expected of an Agikuyu Christian in burying the dead. Should this be according to traditional cultural Agikuyu doctrine (procedure), which very few Agikuyu living today know about, let alone follow? Or should it follow the funeral practice of the contempary Agikuyu Christians, which they refer to as “Christian funerals” or “Christian burial”? It is worthy of note that contemporary Agikuyu Christians’ funeral practice should not be construed, as most of the Agikuyu Christians do, to mean that such practice emanated from scripture or was ordered by the early Christian fathers. This is so, as neither the Bible nor the early Christian fathers mandated or directed a specific or normative manner of how Christians ought to cope with death. This contention is supported by Decker (2007:9) in regard to the biblical aspect, who asserts that “there are biblical absolutes in terms of what we believe about life and death, but how we handle the death of a loved one is not specified.” The funeral practice that is observed by the contemporary Agikuyu Christians, as shown in this study, is one that has evolved over the last one hundred years or so. It is an adaptation of funeral rites and practices from various religions, cultures and races.

Regarding usage of the term “Christian Funeral” a good number of theologians feel, as I do, that there is no definite funeral practice that can correctly be referred to or defined as the pure form of Christian funeral. What is generally referred to as a Christian funeral is, as shown in this study, a funeral that is guided by Christian principles and teachings, but often incorporates acceptable cultural practices that do not contravene Christian teachings and practices. This contention is supported by Long (2009:15), who is of the view which is similar to mine, that “the variety of Christian funeral practice stems partly from historical, ethnic, cultural and denominational differences, but there is also no one pure form of Christian funeral because there is no one pure form of Christian.” Long goes on to advise “Christians do not live or die in abstract. They are real people who live real lives and they die real and very different deaths.”

As shown in this study, the Agikuyu Christians use the term “Christian funeral” to refer to their kind of funeral and also to differentiate their funerals from the funerals of atheists, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Humanists, traditionalists and others who might not be practising Christians. The Agikuyu Christians, it should be noted, use the term “Christian funeral” in that context, and this does not in any way imply that their funeral practice is the pure form of Christian funeral: neither that their practice was mandated by early Christian fathers, nor is it a biblically normative funeral practice.

Long (2009:8) feels that there is a need to define what can be referred to as Christian funerals. In this regard Long asserts:

“. . .in sum I believe amid the swirling changes and uncertainties of American death pattern, it not only makes sense but is in fact an urgent task to describe, nurture and practise what can be called ‘the Christian funeral”

Long further advises that what gives unity to the individual bits and particularities of a Christian funeral is the fact that,

“In a Christian funeral, the community of faith is invited once more, and in dramatic fashion to recognise that Christian life is shaped in the pattern of Christ’s own life and death. We have been, as Paul says in Romans, baptized into Jesus’ death and baptized into Jesus’ life: do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by glory of the father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in death, like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his (Rom 6:3-5).”

The issue of the reformation of funeral practices has been addressed by a number of scholars and theologians. They include among them proponents of the discipline of Practical Theology such as me. The input of Practical Theologians is relevant on this issue, as their key task is to assist and where necessary and possible to carry out research and give guidance based on scriptural teachings and principles to their fellow Christians on how best they can solve problems that affect their lives and faith. This, of course, includes how they should be coping with death. A question also tackled by Practical Theologians is how various populations and religions cope with death, leading to an analysis of the reforms that have been proposed and instituted.

Reformation of funeral practices as indicated earlier has taken place over the ages, and has involved numerous populations as well as religions. A number of scholars and theologians have researched and written on the reformation of funeral rites. Those who have done so, include the ones who have addressed the reformation of funeral practices of the British and the American populations respectively. For example, Wakeford (1890) called for reformation of the British ways of coping with death. He dwelt on numerous aspects that he felt required reforming, especially the need for the “simplification” of how the British bury their dead. The Americans on the other hand have produced a number of theologians and other academics including Long (2009) whose thoughts have already been mentioned earlier. Another American theologian is Decker (2007:17) who advises:

“. . . I am proposing that Christians ought to re-think some of the traditional trappings of American funerals and make choices that better reflect a Christian view of the person and of the death . . .”

Still another American author is Mitford (1963:20-23) who called on Americans to reform their funeral practices. Her book produced a tremendous response and might have contributed immensely to the way Americans cope with death. It is worthy of note that Mitford’s boo...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• FOREWORD BY MARY N. GETUI
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• ABBREVIATIONS
• Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
• Chapter 2: TRADITIONAL FUNERAL PRACTICES OF THE AGIKUYU INCLUDING A FEW OTHER AFRICAN TRIBES AND SOME RELIGIOUS FAITH
• Chapter 3: PRESENT-DAY BURIAL RITES OF THE AGIKUYU CHRISTIANS
• Chapter 4: BURIAL IN THE BIBLICAL PERIOD
• Chapter 5: BURIAL RITES FOR THE EARLY CHRISTIANS FROM 33 AD TO 600 AD, AND ALSO DURING THE MIDDLE AGES
• Chapter 6: THE ISSUES OF THE RESURRECTION AND OF THE RESURRECTED BODY
• Chapter 7: CRITICAL CORRELATION OF THE STUDY
• Chapter 8: RECOMMENDATIONS, CONCLUSION, AREAS OF FURTHER RESEARCH AND CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIELD OF PRACTICAL THEOLOGY
• Appendix I: Saturday Nation—National News: October 10, 2009, Page 9
• Appendix II: Respondents Interviewed Regarding the Kikuyu Culture, Tradition, Religion and Traditional Funeral Rites
• WORKS CITED