The Role of Death and Burial Rituals in Inculcating Moral and Cultural Values in Abagusii Community of Western Kenya

The study sought to investigate the role of death and burial rituals in inculcating moral and cultural values in abagusii community of western Kenya. Members of the Abagusii community are careful to follow all the funeral rites to promote obedience. Members of the deceased mourn and have to come to grips with their grief, promoting perseverance. By following all the wishes of the death person, death encourages respect. The death body is carefully disposed of to avoid any haunting and the grave is protected which promotes respect. When the society takes care of the widows and orphans, they show love. Children, pregnant women and witches are not allowed near the grave and this promotes responsibility. Death creates co-operation since the whole family is involved. All mourners are given food supplied by the family of the deceased or outsiders. This encourages hospitality and sharing. Rituals such as handling of the corpse, selection of the burial sites, preparation of the grave, mourning rites, cleansing ceremonies, among others, are carefully conducted. The importance of death and burial rituals relates to the fact that besides the role played by the ancestors on behalf of the living, there is enrichment of moral and cultural values, knowledge, and a positive regard of death not just as a community occurrence, but a long process which requires prior preparations. Apart from undertaking a forensic review of related literature to the subject under discussion, the study used story-telling as the method of inquiry into rituals accompanying death and burial among the Abagusii community. Snow-balling and purposive sampling was used to identify the informants. The outcome of the study indicated that when a person dies among Abagusii, the community is notified through the wailing of women in a stylized singsong. Death creates a sense of mutual obligation, reciprocity, co-operation, and communal living since the whole family is involved. All mourners are given food supplied by the family of the deceased or outsiders. This encourages hospitality and sharing. Life is meaningless if it’s full of suffering. However, Abagusii community believes that life is sacred and that no one is allowed to take it.