Turkana Death Rites

Among the Turkana, death rituals were reserved for few. Death was accompanied with the question: how important was this person in the community? Only three categories of people were viable for akinuuk (the death ritual): a woman who had raised many children, a man who had sired offspring, and an emuron (elder). If one of these people passed away, there was intense mourning by the community. Anyone else who died among the Turkana was neither mourned nor buried; their bodies were carried out to the bush and left to be devoured by scavengers.

During akinuuk, a grave was dug inside the hut of the deceased and the person was buried within. Before lowering their body inside, the eldest son put a piece of butter inside the deceased’s mouth and said a short prayer to wish his parent a restful sleep. If it was a man who had died, his widow stopped wearing colourful jewellery after his burial and only put on white-beaded necklaces and bracelets.

What are the traditional death rituals of your community? What are beliefs surrounding the afterlife?