DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49270#0057
W orship of the Dead in Uganda 35
rites some hours because the relatives may live at a distance, and require time to hear of
the death, and arrive upon the scene. It is, moreover, considered necessary to summon as
many members of the clan as possible to pay honor to the ghost. When all have assembled
and ‘all is ready, a number of thin sponges made from the pith of the plantain stem and
beaten to the consistency of thick brown paper, together with a pot of butter, are laid on
the bed near the head of the body, the face of the dead man is uncovered, the relatives
file in, and each one looks upon the face for a few moments, rubs a little butter with the
tip of a finger upon the forehead of the dead, then wipes the hand on a sponge, and passes
on. In this manner all the relatives and friends take leave of the dead. After this the
widows gather on one side of the bed and the eldest son takes his stand on the other side;
one of the senior members of the clan uncovers the hands of the dead man, turns the palm
of the right hand upwards, and places in it a few pumpkin seeds which the son takes with
his lips from it, munches, and puffs over one of the widows. This woman ceases then to
be a widow; she leaves the number of her companions, and goes to the home of the son,
who becomes her husband. After this ceremony the body is covered and is ready for burial.
The Baganda are very particular concerning their places of burial, which are almost
entirely devoted to the male members of the clan. No person belonging to a clan with a
different totem may be buried in a family graveyard. The custom is to keep these grounds
to each family; they are guarded and cultivated by special members of the clan, and the
principal man of the family, known as the father, usually lives on the estate. These
burial grounds are the only freehold lands in the country, all other land belonging to the
king (who is, however, unable to sell or to give it away, so that it may revert intact to the
state at his death for the use of the succeeding king). In the case of burial grounds the
law of ownership is different, and it can only be accounted for by the belief in ghosts and
by the fear the king has of offending them, that the graveyards are acknowledged to
be the property of the clan. It is also a fact that the clan alone is held responsible for
the conduct of the dwellers on such estates, and pays the taxes to the state. The area of
an estate of this kind often assumes large proportions, sometimes being as much as eight
square miles.
These burial grounds are the homes of the ghosts, and are reserved for the male
members of the clan and for unmarried women. Married women, even the wives of the
king, are buried in any part of the country where the husband happens to reside. Their
companions prepare the body for the grave in a manner much simpler than that used in
the case of a man. The body is seldom washed, the leave-taking is much less formal, and
the mourners are fewer in number. The deceased woman’s brother, when possible her
uterine brother, takes charge of the ceremonies, and after the funeral he brings another
sister to be heir to the deceased woman and to become the wife in her stead. This
rites some hours because the relatives may live at a distance, and require time to hear of
the death, and arrive upon the scene. It is, moreover, considered necessary to summon as
many members of the clan as possible to pay honor to the ghost. When all have assembled
and ‘all is ready, a number of thin sponges made from the pith of the plantain stem and
beaten to the consistency of thick brown paper, together with a pot of butter, are laid on
the bed near the head of the body, the face of the dead man is uncovered, the relatives
file in, and each one looks upon the face for a few moments, rubs a little butter with the
tip of a finger upon the forehead of the dead, then wipes the hand on a sponge, and passes
on. In this manner all the relatives and friends take leave of the dead. After this the
widows gather on one side of the bed and the eldest son takes his stand on the other side;
one of the senior members of the clan uncovers the hands of the dead man, turns the palm
of the right hand upwards, and places in it a few pumpkin seeds which the son takes with
his lips from it, munches, and puffs over one of the widows. This woman ceases then to
be a widow; she leaves the number of her companions, and goes to the home of the son,
who becomes her husband. After this ceremony the body is covered and is ready for burial.
The Baganda are very particular concerning their places of burial, which are almost
entirely devoted to the male members of the clan. No person belonging to a clan with a
different totem may be buried in a family graveyard. The custom is to keep these grounds
to each family; they are guarded and cultivated by special members of the clan, and the
principal man of the family, known as the father, usually lives on the estate. These
burial grounds are the only freehold lands in the country, all other land belonging to the
king (who is, however, unable to sell or to give it away, so that it may revert intact to the
state at his death for the use of the succeeding king). In the case of burial grounds the
law of ownership is different, and it can only be accounted for by the belief in ghosts and
by the fear the king has of offending them, that the graveyards are acknowledged to
be the property of the clan. It is also a fact that the clan alone is held responsible for
the conduct of the dwellers on such estates, and pays the taxes to the state. The area of
an estate of this kind often assumes large proportions, sometimes being as much as eight
square miles.
These burial grounds are the homes of the ghosts, and are reserved for the male
members of the clan and for unmarried women. Married women, even the wives of the
king, are buried in any part of the country where the husband happens to reside. Their
companions prepare the body for the grave in a manner much simpler than that used in
the case of a man. The body is seldom washed, the leave-taking is much less formal, and
the mourners are fewer in number. The deceased woman’s brother, when possible her
uterine brother, takes charge of the ceremonies, and after the funeral he brings another
sister to be heir to the deceased woman and to become the wife in her stead. This