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Ben Borst
Dr. Jeff Dories
English 202: Blog #10
6 February 2016
Xhosa Cultural Burials
South Africa is scattered with a variety of different cultures and tribes of people. Each
tribe has its own set of beliefs concerning life on earth and the life that comes after death. Within
the Eastern Cape of South Africa lies a group of people called Xhosa. The Xhosa people have a
unique set of beliefs concerning death and life after death. When a member of the Xhosa dies, a
cultural tradition begins. The family of the deceased completes a series of procedures and rituals
to complete the passing of the deceased’s soul from this life onto the next.
One of the most known members of the Xhosa people was Nelson Mandela. Being such
an important chief member of the people, Mandela’s funeral had special arrangements and rituals
that a normal ceremony would not consist of (Githahu). Richard Goode writes in his article
Movement to the Ancestral World, “The Xhosa people believe that when a person
dies, Umkhaphorituals should be performed in order to facilitate the movement of the deceased
to the realm of the ancestors. Such a movement is considered necessary so that they can be free
to return and advise the living later” (Goode1). In order to complete an Umkhaphoritual, the
family members must first find an animal to be slaughtered and sacrificed. Oxen are chosen
when the person who died was of great importance, while goats are usually chosen when the
person was of unimportance or of middle class. Nelisa Ngqulana writes in her article, “It is
important that the deceased be buried at the place of his birth. They believe that the dead cannot
rest and will wander aimlessly for eternity if their body is not followed by its soul back to its
birthing place” (Ngqulana1). Before the ritual begins, the officiator, or lead member of family
clan, calls out to the ancestors of the clan. After the ancestors have been summoned, the throat of
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the animal sacrifice is slit and the blood collected in a dish. While a small strip of meat is cut
from the inside of the right foreleg and then roasted. It is very important that there is no salt
added to the meat. The family members then begin eating the meat. The eldest male member gets
first bite, and then the eldest female and so on back and forth down the line. A period of
mourning then lasts for about a year. It is now when the Umbuyiso ritual part of the mourning
and funeral precession begins. Umbuyiso literally means to bring the spirit of the ancestor back
home. Another animal is sacrificed and the meat of the right foreleg is again consumed by the
members of family. It is after this second feast that the soul completes its transition from this
world into the next. Now the soul has finally moved on and can rest peacefully as it watches over
and guides the rest of the family.
By seeing the vast cultural differences that exist between our culture and that of the
Xhosa people brings to light how different our beliefs can truly be. Imagine if our families
decided to practice this ritual for the death and mourning of a loved one, we wouldn’t feel the
importance of the ceremonies as the Xhosa do. Just as if a family of Xhosa decided to mourn the
death of a loved one by having a traditional Christian burial. They would feel as if they had not
truly honored the life and death of that individual. Each way is seen through the eyes of the
people as being the proper way to honor their family members. It is in the ways of our ancestors
and the way of our families throughout life that mold our thoughts and continue the ways of our
past. These are the differences that make our world such a unique and diverse place to call home.
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Work Cited
Goode, Richard. "Xhosa Umkhapho Ritual." Movement to the Ancestral World– South African
Tourism. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
Githahu, Mwangi. "Xhosa Funeral Rites: What The World Can Expect After Mandela's
Death." The Star. N.p., 7 Dec. 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
Ngqulana, Nelisa. "10 Facts about Xhosa Culture to Help You Understand Mandela's
Burial."Yahoo News South Africa. N.p., 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.