Chloe Allen

1. Grandfather Bakhyes mortuary ritual falls under the category of

ideological rituals as a rite of passage. There are three stages of a rite
of passage: separation, transition and incorporation. The separation
stage is entered when Grandfather Bakhye initially gets sick and he
leaves the human world. The transition or liminal stage is entered
when when Somes father places the hyenas tail in Grandfathers
hand. Grandfather immediately opens his eyes when the hyena tail is
placed in his hand, signifying that his spirit is transitioning but he is
truly no longer fully in the human world. However, he has not yet
entered the spirit world either. This hyenas tail is a symbol that
represents the liminal stage. The tail is what initially brings on the
transition or liminal stage. Following Grandfather Bakhyes four-mile
journey back to the village, he lays down and the hyenas tail is taken
from his hand. Then, Somes father and a few other village-men take
Grandfathers clothing off and shave his head. This is a second symbol
of the liminal stage. The removing of clothes and shaving of the head
signify that a change is happening, and that Grandfather is
transitioning into another realm and becoming new in some sense.
Following these events, Somes father and the other village-men take
warm water, three different roots and two unknown liquids and cleanse
Grandfathers entire body. This can be viewed as a third symbol of the
liminal stage. They are cleansing Grandfather and essentially prepping
him for his entrance into the incorporation stage. During the liminal
stage, Grandfathers presence is more as a spirit than as a person. His
body may be physically there, but is considered dead, and although his
eyes are open during this stage, he is not alive; he is merely a spirit
waiting to move onto the spirit world. Some describes Dagara death
ritual as a very powerful experience. According to the book, following
the death of a villager; the village stops, peoples jobs are suspended
and all activities are halted. From that moment on, villagers are
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expected to enter a state of intense grief. In the Dagara culture, it is

believed that in order for the soul of the dead to reach the ancestors,
their soul must bathe in the tears of the people in the village.
Everybody is expected to contribute for the soul to swim to the
ancestors. This lasts three days and nights. When the body is buried
and the funeral takes place, Grandfather Bakhye has finally reached
the transition stage in the ritual. The funeral described in the text
differed greatly from the funerals I have experienced. Although
funerals in my experience have been emotional and sad, it is expected
that you keep your composure. You do not break down in front of
anybody, and although it may be normal to cry silent tears, it is
extremely abnormal to scream and make a scene. The funeral in the
book is described as a highly emotional experience. Some exclaimed
that his father was screaming Grandfathers name, and whaling,
refusing to suppress his grief. (pg. 57) Another difference I noticed is
the longevity of Dagara funerals. Some explains that the funeral lasts
on for three days and two nights, and there are different parts and
rituals for each day. In my experience, a funeral is one day. A day or
two before the initial funeral and burial, there is typically a receiving
of friends, where friends come and give their condolences to the
immediate family and view the body. In my culture, the receiving of
friends is usually the place and time where mingling and distraction
from the death, while not forgetting the reason were all gathered, are
key points.
2. The seminary education that Some received was very strict and
Christian faith-based. The first five years of Somes education was
spent at a missionary school. This was primarily based on using and
learning the French language. Some exclaims that the students were
whipped daily to assimilate grammatical rules, and that the instructors
stressed individualistic attitudes over the collectivist attitudes their
West African traditions had instilled in them. During seminary, the
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curriculum was also faith-based but Some also learned about

geography, mathematics, history of the white mans deeds. (pg.112)
In Somes culture, he learned about life rather than complex subjects.
He learned most of what he knew from his Grandfather, because as the
text explains, grandfather and grandson have a sort of brotherhood. I
interpret this brotherhood as a mentorship as well, and this is what he
learns in his culture. However, learning is learning nonetheless and
there are some similarities. There seems to be learned spiritual beliefs
in both Somes traditional education and seminary education. In
seminary, he learned to pray, confess his sins, and read the bible and
follow its practices. Through his culture, he learned about magic from
his grandfather, signs, spirits and grieving to help spirits cross into the
other world. Both curriculums are vastly different from my education.
For starters in my education, I didnt learn about Christianity. Much like
the seminary school, I learned about composition, geography and
mathematics. I also learned how to be disciplined, much like Some did
in the seminary school. Although I was never whipped in school, I was
punished for any outburst or disruption in the classroom. In the text,
Some explains how he and his classmates worked together to create
diversity in the sins they confessed. I often work with my classmates
on assignments and although we obviously dont blatantly plagiarize,
we share ideas to make each others work higher quality. In Somes
traditional, cultural education, he learned stories from his Grandfather.
I have many family stories that have been shared and passed down
that I have learned. Also, he learned rituals from his culture, which I
have as well such as how my family chooses to celebrate Christmas.
3. Some is forced to undergo initiation when he returns to his village
because the elders are worried about him. In a way, he no longer fits in
with his culture. Upon returning from seminary, he is no longer fluent in
his language. His father believes that if he is initiated, he will fall back
into the culture and be more knowledgeable about his ancestors and
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the way he life is seen in the village. The elders concern is that he may
not be capable of having a dual personality; that is of the white man:
and of his birth village. They do not want his new ways from seminary
to protrude from his soul and cause him to not be able to be a part of
the village. Their concerns seem valid, and they believe that initiation
can help him to let go of his new perspective. This initiation ritual can
be viewed as a revitalization ritual. The Types of Rituals document on
Canvas states that a revitalization ritual seeks to revitalize a culture
or religion seen as dying or in the process of being lost. Although the
culture in the whole community is not being lost, the culture in Some is
dying so the elders seek to revitalize him and save him. The first stage
of initiation ritual is a separation stage, much like the rite of passage.
Before Some leaves the village for the beginning of initiation, his
clothes is removed. He is separated from the villagers, and is brought
out of the village for a couple of weeks. The meaning behind this is for
Some to be capable of thinking and getting back in touch with his
culture and with his ancestors. The transition stage seemed much like
a mental test. The elders sought to test his mental capability of getting
in touch with their culture. They made him stare at a tree until he could
vision what was meant to be envisioned during this stage, which
happened to be a woman that came from the tree. This made me think
their culture was very related to nature in a way, and that getting in
touch with the earth was an important component of the initiation. This
also symbolizes the womb=tomb because a person came out of the
earth. Another transition component was the event with the
Kontambles. Earlier in the text, Some said he had seem Kontambles
before, which are leprechaun like creatures. This time, he was told to
enter a cave by one of the Kontambles which reentered him into
reality. The light hole incident also has symbolism of the liminal phase
and of womb=tomb. After jumping through the light hole, he felt he
had no physical body which is fulfills the meaning of liminal, that you
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are in between. The incorporation stage took place after Some was
cleaned up, and sent back to the village to be reincorporated into
village life.
4. It seems that Some has met his destiny in his culture. His name in
Dagara means to be friends with the enemy. Some, as explained in
the introduction of the text, has traveled and told stories about his
culture to educate others. The villagers and specifically the elders in
Dagara culture believe that the Western world is a dangerous, and
somewhat evil, place. They believe that the West is suffering in the
soul. (pg.1) Just as the meaning of his name, Some has attended
seminary, learned from and about the white man, and gained
knowledge others in his village did not have the opportunity to do. He
has in some way become friends with the enemy or stranger. He has
learned English, which he knew none of when he came to the United
States, and has managed to write a book describing his life
experiences, and in turn educating strangers as well as being their
friends. Some says that for some of [his] people, befriending the white
man was the best way they could find to fight back. (pg.3) Some has
undoubtedly does this, as his destiny implies. He also explains that
while in college, he gave correct answers to professors by reading their
aurora, yet another way to befriend a stranger by making himself
noticeable and valuable to others. (pg.4) As explained in the book,
destiny is essentially chosen by ancestors. Some is in some ways the
reincarnation of a past ancestor, and they help the person to fulfill their
destiny. Throughout the book, Some says he felt his grandfathers
presence, and I believe he is a huge part of his success. In chapter 2,
Some gives quotes from his grandfather in which he told him he would
go away from his family soon, and that hed only be partly a Dagara.
(pg.40) This was an important component of Some fulfilling his destiny,
and reiterates the huge role ancestors play in destiny.
Chloe Allen