© 2018 Dr Margaret Sheppard
Traditionally a man would have been buried in the family's cattle kraal, women and older children were buried in the yard, and young children (i.e. those without teeth) were buried either under the cow-
The body was usually dressed in the favourite clothes of the deceased and then wrapped in the wet skin of a cow that had been specially slaughtered for that occasion. Men were always buried with their weapons and women with their hoe and a few seeds from each of the staple crops.
It was believed that after earthly death people joined the older ancestors in the spirit world, where they lived much in the way they had lived on earth -
The idea of burying men in the cattle kraal was so that they could continue to keep an eye on the family cattle after they had become Ancestors. Ancestors (Badimo) were and are believed to have great influence over the lives of their living descendants.
In 1938 Chief Bathoen 11 passed a new law that all the adult dead should be buried in graveyards. The Christians had been buried like this since about 1910. From the Tribal Records it is clear that Bathoen did not make this change without first obtaining the consent of the Bangwaketse in kgotla meetings. Schapera quotes from the tribal records, part of a kgotla meeting for 20th August 1938:-
“Chief: It is our custom and habit to bury in cattle kraals and backyards. I myself feel that nowadays such a mode of burial is not proper, and I say we should consider having sites for graves outside (i.e. the town).
Bangwaketse: We see no hindrance to burying adults outside, but we say that infants should be buried at home, because they are "blood" (lit. madi, i,e. ritually impure and so adversely affecting the rainfall if buried in open ground). The sites of our burial places are at Motshwedi and Okanakanku.
Chief: I hear and now this is the law: 'People must no longer be buried at home, but only at the places on which we have agreed'." (Quoted in Tribal Innovators p. 29, Schapera)
Although modern burials have undergone a certain amount of modification, still many of the traditional beliefs and practices surrounding death have survived. Anyone who is closely related to the deceased is still believed to be unclean -
Immediately a person has died, messengers are sent to inform all relatives and neighbours. A messenger is sent to announce the death to the local Headman and at the Chief's Kgotla. People immediately begin to collect at the home of the deceased, the men sit in the Kgotla on Kgotla chairs and women in the lolwapa. Older women comfort the female members of the family, and younger women undertake all the work.
The Malome (maternal Uncle) of the dead person is the one responsible for all the arrangements for the burial. Obviously in the case of an old person their mother's brothers are likely to be dead, but the son, grandson or even great grandson inherit the responsibility from their father. Therefore an old person’s funeral is probably organised by their mother's brother's grandson or great grandson.
In modern times the body is usually removed to a mortuary as it is usual for funerals to be held during the week-
Immediately her husband dies, a woman is kept outside her house in a special shelter formed out of a tarpaulin. ( A widow who lived in a modern, tin-
Older women sit with the widow continually. She spends much of the time lying down and is always covered with a blanket and wears her head scarf like a Motsetsi ( a woman in confinement). She does not enter her house again until after she has been purified after the burial, nor does she visit other homes. She is attended by old women as they "know death" and are therefore less likely to be contaminated.
I was unable to witness the confinement of a widower, but I was told that they are also confined outside their houses. A mother who has lost her child is confined inside the house. It should perhaps be noted that the person who is confined is the chief mourner for the dead person.
During the days leading up to the burial the bereaved are always in the company of comforters and neighbours. relatives and friends come to help with the household tasks. They sweep the lolwapa and the houses, fetch water, bring wood and cook food for the household and the close relatives who are expected to stay at the bereaved household.
It is customary for such a comforter not to greet people on arrival, just to enter and sit down quietly; similarly on departure a person does not say the customary "go siame" '(O.K.) they just leave silently. Everyone who comes to sympathise contributes what they can, either a gift of money, flour. oil, sugar,tea etc. for cooking. All such contributions are carefully recorded in a notebook kept by a trusted helper. This formal visiting and contributing following a death is called Matshediso (consolation to the bereaved). Zion Church members have a special Matshediso service which is outlined in the section on Zion Churches.
During the evenings there may be communal hymn singing to give comfort to the bereaved. All work in the nearby households (and even throughout the main kgotla area) is supposed to cease until after the burial, apart from necessary daily tasks such as fetching water. cooking and washing (i.e. such work as building, thatching and repairing fences is supposed to cease).
At sunset of the day before the burial, the body (in a coffin) is collected from the mortuary. Certain close relatives go in cars (lent freely by relatives or neighbours for the purpose) to collect the body. Or if the person has died away from home, for example in the mines, the body is brought in a specially hired vehicle by a Mines Burial Society (see below). As the vehicle carrying the body is driven into its Kgotla, the driver of the vehicle will blow the horn repeatedly in a slow way which always signifies death and the arrival of the body. Sometimes women holding lighted candles may form a "guard of honour" either side of the coffin as it is carried into the yard.
The relatives and neighbours then begin to collect in large numbers at the house of the deceased and the coffin is carried into one of the houses where it is laid on chairs. If it is the head of the household, his wife or child, it will be placed in the main house. If it is, for example, the wife's mother, it must be put in a house behind as not to do so is believed to bring harm to the head of the household.
Curtains (usually made from sheets) are suspended from the ceiling to hang around the coffin, and lighted candles are placed all round it. For this reason it is a taboo normally to use more than one candle to light a room at night, many candles are associated with death of which people do not wish to be reminded. (This is the case with many taboos -
The coffin may be left open so that those who wish may bid a last farewell to their relative or friend. Throughout the night people sing hymns and pray and even preach. This type of wake is common whether or not the deceased was a practising Christian in his life-
At sunrise the next morning, the singing stops and people prepare themselves for the burial ceremony. Nowadays it is becoming increasingly popular for women to wear black to funerals (black dresses or skirts and blouses). But even if they do not wear black, most women cover their hair with hats or head scarves and their shoulders with jerseys, jackets, blankets or shawls. Men wear either jackets or cardigans. Members of churches often wear their church uniforms. All these forms of "correct" dress are to show respect for the dead.
The actual burial service starts at the home of the deceased. The coffin of an adult is brought out into the Kgotla in front of the kraal and placed on chairs. The pall bearers will be relatives (male). Then a short service is held in the Kgotla. Men stand together in the Kgotla and the women stand together outside the meeting place. The Malome of the deceased is the organiser. In Kanye certain groups of ministers have been assigned to each group of dikgotla to pray at and lead funeral services, and they are always present. Usually there will be a few hymns and prayers. Certain people such as one of the deceased's comrades will speak about the deceased. The Malome will announce the circumstances and nature of the death. One or two groups such as religious groups or a Football Club that the deceased or the family was (are) a member of, may sing a hymn for the dead person. For this, the group will often be dressed in their uniform, if they wear a special uniform. For example, at one funeral the deceased had been a member of the local Football Club "Pirates", so his funeral, club members dressed in their club tee shirts and sang a hymn for him.
If the deceased was a church member their church membership certificate is placed in the coffin at this point. This is so that on the Day of Judgement God will see that the person was a registered Christian. At the funeral of a Traditional Doctor I attended, his bones were put inside his coffin. This would appear to be a modification of the traditional practice of burying a person with their weapons or seeds and hoe .
At this point the lid of the coffin is firmly screwed down, although at one funeral those who wished were given the opportunity to view the face of the deceased for the last time.
The Malome then announces the arrangements for the rest of the funeral and the order in which the cars will follow the procession carrying the mourners. He announces those cars that are reserved for the close relatives, who are usually assigned to the more comfortable vehicles. Those who are not closely related ride on the backs of lorries or tractors, If there are not enough vehicles they walk. It should again be emphasized that owners of vehicles are expected to lend them freely to help at death.
In the old days if there was death anywhere in the village any ox wagon owners who had their wagons and oxen in the village at the time, were expected to bring them to help, failure to do so could lead to the fine of an ox at the Chief's Kgotla.
The coffin is then loaded into one of the vehicles, a pick-
If the deceased was a church member the procession may drive direct to the church, where a church funeral service will be held. Mourners enter the church first and then the coffin is carried in surrounded by the Chief Mourner and other close relatives carrying lighted candles that have been left over from the wake. These people stand around the coffin throughout the service. Other close relatives sit at the front of the church. Then everyone goes to the graveyard in the same order of procession.
Graveyards are situated outside the village. The use of them is obviously a modern convention as is the use of coffins and burying people in a horizontal position, as traditionally people were buried in the lolwapa~ or cattle kraal in a sitting position (see above).
By sunset of the day before the burial, the Malome will have chosen the site for the grave which will then have been dug by volunteer grave diggers during the night. Before they started to dig, the Malome will have marked the grave with a cross. (I am not sure of the significance of this cross, whether or not it signifies a Christian cross. It should be noted that crosses are used in a number of traditional contexts, for example, the traditional doctor instructed the owner of the bewitched bull to make one -
The grave diggers may not leave the grave until after the burial is completed; they are sent refreshments from the home of the deceased and they only leave with the mourners at the completion of the burial.
When the procession with the body arrives at the graveyard the mourners group around the grave, with the close relatives at the front next to the grave. The other men stand together behind the grave and the women stand together in front of the grave. The hole is usually surrounded by artificial green grass provided by the mortuary, and placed by the mortuary attendants. The widow and close relatives then follow the coffin to the grave side.
There is then a further service of prayers and hymns, before the coffin is lowered into the grave (either with cattle skin thongs, or with equipment and straps provided from the mortuary). The chief mourner, followed by other close relatives, (and anyone else who wishes) then throw a handful or shovel full each of earth into the grave.
At this point, i.e. on seeing the coffin at the bottom of the grave, there is usually much hysterical weeping, some people even faint and have to be revived with water that is always brought to the graveyard for this purpose. Then to the accompaniment of further hymn singing the grave is filled in by men, taking turns, with all the earth that was dug out of it.
Young men will in the meantime, have fetched a load of stones on a tractor and trailer. They then hand these out in a human chain, to cover the mound of earth. The close relatives are then called forward to present their flowers. These are elaborate arrangements of plastic flowers bought through the mortuary. Each has an inscription, often very sad and including a Bible quotation or a psalm. The inscriptions are all read out by some man with a clear voice. After each is read out the relative holds it up and places it onto the grave. (Some churches, notably the Seventh Day Adventist Church and some Pentecostal Churches disapprove of, and ban, these wreathes.) The remains of the candles used at the wake are lighted and placed on the grave together with the paper which was wrapping them, which is also set alight.
After this "Our Father" and another closing prayer are usually said by the officiating minister, and then often a special closing hymn is sung. Each line of this hymn ends with "Robala Sentle" (Sleep Well) . (This is hymn number 444 in the L.M.S. hymn book. Hymns from all hymnals are used at all funerals.) During the last line of the last verse, everyone raises their hand and "waves" (a farewell to the deceased). This is perhaps a modification of a traditional practice described by Setiloane. He writes that in the past every member of the family would throw some chyme of the animal slaughtered for the funeral into the grave with the words "O re roballe" (May you sleep for pearce). Setiloane writes this was probably to make the deceased "Rest in Peace" and not become a ghost haunting the living.
Everyone must then return to the home of the deceased here the men gather in the Kgotla, either sitting on Kgotla chairs or squatting, and the women sit in the yard. Various men may get up and speak about the life of the deceased, or otherwise people speak quietly amongst themselves. If a beast has been slaughtered for the death, it is served with samp or porridge to those present.
Usually there is a big metal bath at the entrance to the yard where men will rinse off their hands in the water into which has been poured the special herbs for cleansing at death. When every man has had an opportunity to "wash off death", the water is thrown straight out. Normally it is a taboo to throw water straight out from the house as this is only done during death. (At a funeral I attended in the Bangwato area for a colleague killed in a road accident, everyone, not just the men, washed their hands in this bath on returning from the graveyard.) After sitting for some time either in the Kgotla (men) or in the lolwapa (women, it is announced that people are now free to leave for their homes, although those who have come a long way will probably be invited to partake of the refreshments.
When people go to the church and the graveyard in the procession, and return to the Kgotla from the graveyard, they are expected all (whether in a car or on foot) to follow the same route. None of the implements that were used to dig the grave must be brought inside the houses until after sunset.
If a person does not die at their own house, for example in the case of an old lady living with her married daughter dying at her daughter's married home, the body must, before being taken to the graveyard, be taken to the Kgotla where she was married. Here a further little service will be held in front of the kraal in that kgotla. It is formally announced to the people of her kgotla how she died and where. The people of this kgotla then join the funeral procession to the graveyard.
If a person dies away from home it is believed to be very important to bring the body back for burial at its home. For example if a person dies at the Lands or Cattle post, as soon as possible after the death they are brought back to their home in Kanye, and the funeral will centre around that home. Miners working in the South African mines are encouraged to join Burial Societies, for example there is a Bangwaketse Burial Society with branches in the various South African mines for the Bangwaketse working there, and also for the women who work in "kitchens" in South Africa. This Burial Society sees to the transport of, and correct arrangements for, the body to Botswana for burial. Typically a bus is hired and fellow miners/workers accompany the body and attend the service in Kanye.
Such a Burial Society also collects the personal effects of the deceased and arranges for the parents to receive them, together with any compensation due, through the local Mine Labour Organization. As many of the miners and their families are illiterate or have very little education, this very practical bureaucratic help is very useful, especially as many certificates are necessary for the release of a body from South Africa.
Those soldiers who die in service with the Botswana Defence Force are given a military funeral, similar to those in England. The body is brought by a B.D.F. guard to its home for the wake. Then during the burial service the coffin is draped with a Botswana flag. Fellow B.D.F in their dress uniforms carry it and a "last post" is sounded by buglers and rifles are fired over the grave in respect. In all other ways a BDF funeral is like any other type of funeral.
Funerals of children differ slightly from those described above. As has already been stated children "without teeth" are buried inside the house under the cattle dung floor or in the lolwapa of a house. Usually if these children die as very small infants (i.e. they still have the umbilical cord or are prematures) they are only buried in the presence of older women. All older married women and relatives and neighbours should be informed and then they witness the burial. This is important as such bodies are believed to be useful and potent ingredients of sorcery, so their proper burial should be witnessed.
The little body is wrapped in cloth and put in a box in a hole dug in the cattle dung floor of one of the houses of the yard. The hole is .then filled in and the floor (or stoep) is re-
Older children who die (i.e. those with teeth) are buried in the yard, usually in a shady area. Pauw explains this is because such bodies can be an abomination and are "hot" so could "spoil" the rain, therefore to "cool" them they are buried in the shade.
The burials of these older children also take place very soon after death but are witnessed by older men and women. There may be a wake and some hymns and prayers. An acquaintance of mine lost a premature baby -
The Royal Family have their own graveyard. During my fieldwork Chief Seepapitso's Rrangwane died (i.e. a younger brother of ex-
The funeral followed the same pattern as those described above except it was very much bigger. In the Royal Graveyard many of the graves have special monuments over them. This is obviously a departure from tradition. Traditionally the bodies of Chiefs were often hidden in an unmarked grave if the body was not buried in the kraal. This was because the bodies of Chiefs (or those of Royal birth) were believed to be an especially potent ingredient for making sorcery. However, the grave of Seepapitso's Rrangwane was "protected" from sorcerers with special medicines, to prevent exhumation. Then four sorcerers were caught about two months after the burial. They were found "stuck" to the grave in the morning. This led to a big witch hunt. (Described in more detail in the section on Sorcery.)