Albert Kuzor writes: Funeral rites among the Èʋetomeo (Central Volta)

Residents at a funeral ground at a community centre in Avatime 

Volta region is one of the sixteen administrative regions in Ghana, sharing it's boarders on the east to Eastern region, west to the republic of Togo, south to the gulf of Guinea and having Ho as it's regional capital.

The present Volta region has over three sub tribes some of which are the Anlos, Èʋetome, and the people of Tongu, among these people are diverse ways of foods, norms, beliefs, way of speaking and ways of life living. For instance, the Anlos speak Anlo Èʋe dialect which is far different from what the Tongus and Èʋetomeo speak.

These people within the region has diverse ways of performing funeral rites right from the day of death, during and after burial ceremony.

  Who are the Èʋetomeo, and how do they perform funerals?

Èʋetomeo are people who migrated from the once lived, King Akorkoli of Togo to the present place called Volta, Èʋetomeo are the people who dominated central parts of the region, areas such as Ho, Ho West, Afadzato, Dayi and Hohoe areas, however, these people have similar ways of life living and perform similar funeral activities.

Among the Èʋetomeo, whenever a person pass away, children of the late person meet to decide whether the body should be deposited at the morgue or organize a traditional burial, whatever comes from such meeting will be communicated to the external family.

Some sympathizers at a funeral ground at Avatime 

The external families together with children of the deceased will then have a bigger family meeting to decide on budget for the funeral and date for burial ceremony,

And before that, the body will be deposited at the mortuary, then elders from families will be assigned by family heads to deliver the death news to the traditional rulers of the community including other skateboarders within and outside the community when necessary.

Traditionally, family members are also task to inform the date of the funeral to residents house after house, a gongo bitter or the Chief of the community will speak of it to the entire community during a public gathering, but in recent times, most families uses the media, on announcement segments on radio and community information centres.

If the deceased is a notable person in the community, the norm is the Chief will decide any amount of money every clan will donate to support the funeral (it is commonly done for deceased from royal family), some cases residents who can afford food stuffs do donate instead of cash.

If the deceased is of youthful age, the entire community especially the youths on Thursday a day before collection of the body from morgue, organizes vigil.

At early dawn of that Thursday, there will be singing and mourning (use of jama song is common) throughout the streets of the community and finally end at the deceased's house.  The idea behind this activity is the death is painful and they wish in keeping a vigil  and mourning the death could come back to life, but if the deceased is of age, nothing of such will be done.

When the date of the funeral approaches, sympathizers, friends, family delegations visit the house of the deceased to pay condolences, during this days there will be variety of foods and drinks, such as palm wine to welcome visitors (this is mostly observed if the deceased is of age) .

              What happens on Fridays and Saturdays? 

Before Friday, all necessary arrangements will be conducted to pave way for collection of the body on Friday evening.

Chiefs and elders of the deceased family pours libation when the body arrive into the town on that Friday, after which other activities follows such as, singing of dirges and wake keeping, during this moment everyone is expected to be in black or red attires, especially if the deceased is not of age.

Elders praying to the gods during a funeral in Vane

On Saturday,, there will be a church Service from at least 8am to 10am and by 11 or 12pm, the body will be buried, this is quite different from what the Anlos do. Then after burial, family members from both sides gives account of the Friday  and Saturday to the chief of the community, after which other activities follows such as eating and drinking.

On Sunday, there will be a sermon in the memory of the late. Then seven days after burial,  there will a short ceremony in the house of the late person to finally mourn the late, and on this 7th day, family members go round the community to thank each household for their contributions during and after the burial.

After this, the deceased seemed to be forgotten until 12 months later when they will be another ceremony to remember the late person,  and some families choose to organize such memorials ceremony each year.


By: Albert Kuzor (DCS20720)