Yoruba Funeral

*The primary reference for information on this page is Margaret Thompson Drewel's Yoruba Ritual: Performers, Play, Agency. Drewel did field work in Nigeria during the 1980s, where she studied Yoruba traditions.



There are many different funerals in Yoruba society, but Isinku is the funeral everyone hopes to have; it is the funeral given to one who has died of old age. This funeral involves seven days of rituals (etutu) to successfully send the deceased's spirit to its the ancestral realm. It is made clear in Yoruba funerals that the spirit does not fade away in death. There is an expectation that the spirit will eventually return and express itself in a newborn child. So in a way, a funeral marks the ending and a beginning of life. Since the Isinku is a very sacred ritual and such a great expense, the family sets a date far in advance so that they have enough time to prepare. Therefore the funeral may occur anywhere from a month to up to a year after the initial burial. Yoruba funerals are week-long processes. Ojo Isinku is the first and most important day of funerary ritual. The third day, Itaoku, is reserved for feasting and celebration. The fourth day, Irenoku, is the day of play and the seventh day, Ijeku, marks the end of the ritual celebration. The week of ritual is seen as part of a sacrifice to the deceased.

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