Beating the dead: Experts say strange funeral rites help the living in Kenya

The authors argue that traditional Luhya mourning rituals offer an essential form of psychological support, particularly in Kenya where mental health resources are scarce.

Mourning rituals, which include throwing bodies of suicide victims into the grave at night, beating the corpse, and piercing the manhood or buttocks of childless men who die, are actually good for mental health, experts now suggest.

Researchers have found that these practices, deeply embedded in the traditions of some Luhya clans, help the bereaved process grief and maintain community stability.

Their study, newly published in Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, examines five strange mourning rituals and reveals their impact on mental health and emotional resilience.

The impact of some of these rituals appears greater than clinical therapy, said lead author Dr Stephen Asatsa, a counselling psychologist and lecturer at the Catholic university of Eastern Africa (CUEA).

Dr Asatsa is well-regarded for his studies in thanatology (the scientific study of death and the practices associated with it), and indigenous knowledge systems in psychology.

“Our findings show that Luhya traditional mourning rituals play an important role in community well-being,” he told The Star Health &Science. “Yet these rituals are being replaced by western biomedical approaches.”

Dr Satsa and his fellow researchers from CUEA, UK’s Durham University and Riara University collected data from 45 community elders, 30 bereaved adults, 30 bereaved adolescents, and eight religious leaders through focus group discussions and interviews.

They found that the bereaved who actively participated in traditional rituals reported a deeper sense of closure and emotional relief compared to those who did not.

Their findings are reported in a paper titled “Regulating community wellbeing through traditional mourning rituals: Insights from the Luhya People of Kenya”.

Dr Satsa explained that while Western biomedical approaches emphasise individual therapy and medication, communal mourning rituals provide a culturally significant alternative for mental healing.

 These findings align with a 2014 research by Harvard University researchers Michael Norton and Francesca Gino who found that rituals alleviate grief by offering structured emotional expression and fostering a sense of control in times of loss.

“Increased feelings of control after rituals mediated the link between use of rituals and reduced grief after losses, and the benefits of rituals accrued not only to individuals who professed a belief in rituals’ effectiveness but also to those who did not,” the Harvard study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, indicated.

Satsa’s team worked among the five most populous and traditional Luhya clans: Bashitsyula, Bukusu, Tiriki, Banyala, and Batsotso.

They looked at five key rituals: shaming the deceased, and beating the corpse for suicide deaths, retaliation rituals for murder cases, fertility rituals, and family preservation rituals.

They reported that even though beating corpses of suicide victims appeared scary, some participants reported to have felt better after participating in it. “This ritual creates room for catharsis, where the grieving members of the community vent out negative emotions.”

By externalising their anger and frustration, participants reported feeling a sense of relief, which contributed to their healing process.

 “Definitely, it brings healing and releases emotions because at that particular time, you have many questions about why this person had to kill himself,” one bereaved widow told the researchers.

However, religious leaders within the community strongly opposed this practice, describing it as “demonic” and “disrespectful to the deceased.”

Dr Stephen Asatsa is well-regarded for his studies in thanatology (the scientific study of death and the practices associated with it), and indigenous knowledge systems in psychology.

Researchers also looked retaliation rituals for homicide deaths.

When an individual is murdered and the murderer is known, the deceased’s clan organises a retaliatory raid (Okhusola), where the perpetrator’s home is destroyed, and they are expelled from the village. If the killer remains unknown, the victim is buried with a torch and a weapon, such as a knife, symbolising their journey to seek vengeance from the afterlife.

This practice, while seemingly rooted in vengeance, is psychologically significant, Dr Satsa’s team said. It allows the bereaved to believe that justice will be served, offering a sense of relief that prevents prolonged grief and psychological distress.

Childless individuals face unique treatment in death. Women without children are often buried outside the family compound, while childless men are subjected to an even more dramatic ritual—having a thorn pierced into their penis or buttocks before burial.

“This is done to ensure that the curse of childlessness does not pass to future generations,” explained an elder.

The ritual underscores the community’s emphasis on lineage and continuity. However, many women in the study expressed opposition to this practice, arguing that it unfairly stigmatises those who could not have children due to circumstances beyond their control.

The study found a growing divide between traditionalists and religious or Western-influenced community members. Christian and Muslim leaders reject many of these customs, arguing that they conflict with religious doctrines.

“Revenge belongs to the Lord. We cannot encourage our members to advance hatred to the deceased or perpetrators,” a pastor insisted.

Yet, despite religious opposition, many bereaved individuals said they found solace in both traditional and religious mourning practices.

The authors argue that traditional mourning rituals offer an essential form of psychological support particularly in Kenya, where mental health resources are scarce.

They called for a more integrative approach that acknowledges the therapeutic value of cultural mourning practices alongside modern mental health interventions.

“To address mental health issues fully, it is important to establish collaboration between Western models, religious approaches, and cultural approaches,” the researchers argued.

Dr Satsa explained: “I advocate for respect for culture. In case of mental illness can we have a psychologist, psychiatrist and then a cultural leader. For treatment we are not suggesting that you do away with the biomedical approach, but let the cultural do their thing also. It’s holistic.”