Why people who drowned should be buried at river bank — Traditionalist
A traditionalist, Ifagbenusola Popoola speaks to TEMITOPE ADETUNJI on why people who drown should be buried at the riverbank
What’s the significance of the Yoruba culture of burying people who drowned at the river bank?
Firstly, in Yoruba cosmology, everything is believed to be alive.
There is nothing like nonliving things, rivers, trees, animals, air, and even houses are considered alive.
That’s why rivers have deities like Osun, Iyemoja, Oya, and Oba.
Every body of water has its spirit, so if someone dies in a river, it’s believed the river’s energy is disturbed and needs to be calmed to ensure peace in the community.
Yoruba tradition strongly believes in performing a ritual and burying the person by the river bank to prevent the spirit from affecting others in the community.
What happens if the rituals aren’t performed?
If rituals aren’t performed, the river’s spirit might follow the corpse into the community, causing trouble known as “Akufa.” This means the spirit could draw others to the river, risking their lives until the ritual is performed to stop it.
What are the specific rituals for burying the corpse of a drowned person in Yoruba land?
Yes, in Yoruba tradition, specific rituals and ceremonies are performed by the professionals, the priests or priestesses of that river. Each river has its priests and priestesses who understand the customs and perform the rituals.
However, some rivers in Yoruba land still hold their importance today. Specific rituals and ceremonies are performed by professionals, but we can’t openly disclose them.
Are there any traditional beliefs or taboos regarding the treatment of drowned victims in Yoruba land?
The greatest taboo is that the corpse should not be buried in the community.
Even after all the rituals had been done, if the person should die inside the river or the ocean, such a person should be buried very close to the river or the ocean.
It is taboo to bury such a person inside the community because it is going to invite bad omen or bad spirits into the community. More people may drown in the river.
What role do traditional leaders or elders play in overseeing the burial process of drowned individuals in Yoruba communities?
In the olden days, if a person drowned, nobody would touch the corpse. Not even the parents of the person; they have no right to the corpse.
It is the elders, the traditional rulers, the priest, or the priestess of that community or of that particular river that will oversee the whole process to make sure everything is done the right way. So, the role of the traditional leaders is to make sure the ceremony is rightly done and most importantly, the rituals are done properly to appease any form of unwanted spirit in the community.
How has the practice changed over time in Yoruba land?
In Yoruba society, many changes have occurred over time. If you look around today, you’ll notice that many things have gone wrong. We’re adopting Western ways, and the Western world is learning from us quietly. We’re learning from each other. This change has reduced the importance of some traditions.
For example, there have been cases of people jumping into the ocean from the Third Mainland Bridge to commit suicide. When their bodies are retrieved, they are taken back to the community. I remember an incident, maybe in 2020, where someone jumped into the ocean from the third mainland bridge and died. Soon after, more people did the same. Some were rescued, but others died. One man even drove his Benz and jumped. Another lady jumped due to financial problems. These incidents kept happening, and some call them coincidences.
Many of these tragedies could have been avoided if we followed our traditions. Even though some people don’t believe in these traditions, we’re seeing the consequences indirectly.
Are there variations in the burial practices of drowned individuals based on their age, gender, or social status?
Most of the time in Yoruba, the way we bury the elderly people is different from the way we bury the younger ones. At the end of the day, they are all going to the ground, and it is the process that is different.
The way we bury an initiate is not the same as the way we will bury a non-initiate, so it differs. Sometimes, some of the materials they will use for a male will be different from the ones they will use to bury a female. All these things also matter. So these are sacred processes that are not disclosed in the open, if you are there, of course, they will allow you to see it but it is something you don’t discuss in the open.
So some of the things that we do are done based on the gender of the person. For example, whenever anybody wants to get initiated into Ifa, a male will do the process, and they will see what we call Odu. However, when females do all the processes, they will not see Odu, simply because Odu is a woman and Odu made it known that a woman does not need to see her because of what they are coming to see her for, they have it in them already. So they are going to do the other process except for seeing Odu.
Also, when we give birth to a child in Yoruba land, if it is a male, the naming ceremony is done in what we call “Isan”, which is the nine days of birth, if it is a female child, the naming ceremony is done in Ije, which is the seventh day of birth. That is when the naming ceremony will be done. If it’s a twin or triplet or whatever it is called, they do it on the eight days “Ijo meejo”. This is the normal procedure and protocol in Yoruba land, just like during burial, etc.
If it is a male, the animals that will be used and all the rest will be male animals, while for females, it will be female animals. So all these things are based on gender. We also have a tradition in Yoruba land that If a man should die in his in-law’s house, maybe he went to visit and slept there and he died there, the corpse will be taken out through the window. They will not take it through the front door of the house.
What are the impacts of religion on the traditional Yoruba practice of burying drowned bodies near rivers?
The first thing we need to understand is that Yoruba people are one of the most tolerant people. Although, we now have some fanatics in other religions. But right from time, we used to be very tolerant. So some years back, a lady died in Osun State. I think it was a flood, she was swept away by a flood and her corpse was found inside a river. She was a Muslim, who even went to Mecca, and believe me, it was an Osun priestess and priest who did the ritual, and she was buried by the river bank.
Her family are Muslims, and they allow the people to do the right thing because they understand the significance and the repercussions if they don’t.
So before now, other religions do not influence or interfere with the traditional Yoruba practice of burying drowned bodies near the rivers.
We might have some who are revolting now, out of ignorance, it is what it is.
And I have also seen in some recent write-ups that, bodies buried by the river bank can cause harm, all these are just propaganda.
A lot of people, sailors, those American sailors, many of their crews, if they should die during the work, they push their corpse into the ocean, a lot of people had been dying without any trace inside the ocean, inside the river. This has been happening but whenever it comes to our tradition that is when we hear ‘Oh, it is harmful, it is not good, and it is barbaric’. This looks like an issue of inferiority complex, anything that comes from us is bad and anything that comes from the Western world is good, it is what it is.
So, I would like to say that irrespective of how you choose to be buried, water is still going to wash us all away.
Dig the ground, and bury your loved ones, during the rainy season, water will take some particles. Wherever the water goes, it is still going to go to the ocean, and the river, and everything is still mixed. So culture, tradition, values, and way of life are how we’ve been able to distinguish ourselves, especially the Yoruba people.
This is how we’ve been able to distinguish ourselves, to stand out in whatever we do, our mode of dressing, our language, our food, our songs, our tradition, our burial arrangement. Everything about us is always unique. And it is sad that all in the name of civilisation, people are now choosing to do away with a lot of things that have kept us alive, and kept us safe. They now see them as superstition and unnecessary. Go to China today, they still hold tight their values, and their traditional beliefs. Go to India, they still cremate their loved ones after they die, and they will put the ashes in their house for as long as they want, or they will take the ashes to the ocean and pour them there and nobody is saying, “Oh, this will contaminate the water or it will do something”. It shows how hypocritical we are. We are hypocrites. We are not ready. Whatever it is that comes from us, we are not ready to accept it and develop on it, and that is sad.
So I hope people can be open-minded and understand our way of doing things is what has kept us till now.
Be you a Christian, Muslim, etc, if a person should die in the river, in a Yoruba land, such person should be buried at the river bank.
