CONTINUITY AND CHANGEIN INDIGENOUS BURIAL RITES IN SELECTED ÈKÌTÌ COMMUNITIES, NIGERIA

Abstract

Indigenous burial rites in southwestern Nigeria are traditional rituals performed before and after burial to honour the dead and ensure the well-being of the living. Previous studies on burial rites among the Ekiti have concentrated on the art of burying, celebration of the dead, and their socio-economic implications, with little attention paid to their changing patterns as determined by foreign religions and modernity, especially from the 19th century to the present time. This study was, therefore, designed to examine the continuity and changein burial rites in selected Èkìtì communities, with a view to highlighting their socio-religious implications.

Talcott Parson’s Modernisation Theory, which is concerned with the progressive transformation of traditional practices of a society, was adopted as framework. The ethnographic design was used. Adó-Èkìtì, Ìkẹ́rẹ́-ÈkìtìandÌkọ̀lé-Èkìtì communities were purposively selected because they were the largest cities and constituted the hub of socio-economic, religious and cultural activities. In-depth interviews were conducted with 60 indigenes, comprising six traditional high chiefs, two members of the Aborigine Ògbóni Fraternity, four Ifá priests and eight adherents of indigenous religion who were inclined to indigenous burial rites. Five sessions of focus group discussions were held in each of the selected communities, with six participants each who were between age 60 and 100. The participants were one Aborigine Ògbónifraternity, two Ifá priests, two community heads and one indigene. Data were content-analysed.

Twelve resilient indigenous burial rites were identified in the three communities: Yíya-Èsìsílè, Òdìgbóró, Pakájà, Ewúré-Etígbè, Omi-Èrò, Ẹran-Bàwẹ̀, Òsorò, Gbàrà-mọgbọ́, Itìpá, Òkú-Sùn-yèwù, Upè and Òkè –Aède. The first five rites are performed for deceased Ifá priests to help separate the individual from other Ifá priests, while the second five elements are rites performed by traditional high chiefs to ensure that the ghost of the deceased does not haunt both the deceased family and the co-traditional chiefs. The last two rites are exclusive burial rites performed for departedỌba in Ìkẹ́rẹ́-Èkìtì. Ten identified rites;Ìfèyìngbè, Ekún-sísun, Òòṣà-Ìgbélé, Pípọn-omi-Òsun, Osé, Adìye-Ùrànà, Òsorò, Ugbó-Oriro, Abóbakú and Etígbè are no longer performed due to the influence of Christianity, Islam and modernity. In Adó-Èkìtì, Ìfèyìngbè and Ekún-Sísun were special rites for the extremely old people; in Ikéré-Èkìtì, Òòsà-Ìgbélé, Pípon-Omi-Òsun and Osè were the exclusive burial rites for a departed Oba; in Ìkòlé-Èkìtì, Òsorò rites is performed to bring out the Egígún (masquerade) of the deceased. The Ùgbo-Òrìro burial site for Eni-Òrìsà(companion of gods) is now called Ugbó-Ajé and is the present location of Ọlá-Olúwa Muslim Grammar School, Adó-Èkìtì; Ansar-Ud-deen High School,Ìkéré and Ansar-Ud-deen High School, Ìkòlé. It was believed that the influence of foreign religions led to the erosion of some indigenous burial rites.

Indigenous burial rites among theÈkìtìpeople have undergone considerable transformation, particularly with respect to Ìfèyìngbè, Òkú-sùnyèwù and Ugbó-Òrìro, while some practices like Upè, Òdìgboro, Pakájà and Gbàrà-mogbóremain resilient in the selected Ekiti communities.