EXPLAINER: Understanding the culture of dropping soil into graves

Recently, a woman, allegedly the deceased’s wife, was molested during his burial in Nyamira County for reportedly refusing to return soil to the grave.

The incident, which is under investigation by security officers, has led to at least three people being taken into custody in connection with the assault of the woman.

This has sparked a furious debate about burial rites, questioning their relevance, societal impact, and whether they should be imposed on mourners.

A review of the literature shows that lowering some soil onto the casket of a loved one is a significant part of bringing closure and accepting the reality of death.

The echo of the earth falling on a wooden coffin is a haunting sound that symbolizes finality.

It demonstrates that the deceased has left nothing undone.

While the act is both symbolic and psychological, there is no doubt that when one has emptied a shovel onto a loved one’s casket, there is no denying death—making it possible for healing to begin.

In an ideal funeral, children, parents, siblings, and spouses take turns dropping freshly dug soil onto the coffin as an act of honour and respect for the departed soul.

Although the sound of soil falling onto the wooden coffin is striking and final, it is undeniably a powerful way to facilitate healing for loved ones.

Undeniably, the act of dropping soil onto graves during burial ceremonies carries profound symbolism across various cultures, notably in African traditional societies and Christian practices.

This ritual serves as a poignant gesture of farewell, reflecting beliefs about life, death, and the return to the earth.

African Traditional beliefs

In a paper written by Dr. Richard Ooko on the Church and African mortuary rites, religious beliefs and values shape cultural practices associated with life and death globally.

He argues that there is an existential conflict and inconsistencies between African religious beliefs and social and cultural norms associated with funeral and burial rites in comparison to Christianity.

Dr Ooko examined the emerging conflicts between the Agiriama community and Christians over traditional burial and funeral rites.

The Giriama community are Coastal Bantus, falling into the same ethnic group as the Abagusii Community. This means the Abagusii and Giriama communities perform nearly the same burial rites.

Regarding burial, Dr Ooko states that relatives throw a handful of soil into the grave as a way of casting away evil and misfortune, as well as to say, ‘I have buried you, goodbye.’

 He also notes that women do not take part in grave digging; instead, they are involved in ushering guests into the homestead.

In many African communities, the practice of throwing soil into the grave by hand is an integral part of burial rites.

This act is often preceded by prayers to ancestors, seeking their acceptance of the deceased into the ancestral realm.

The soil symbolizes a tangible connection between the living and the departed, reinforcing the cyclical nature of life and death.

It also represents the community's collective participation in the farewell process, ensuring that the deceased is honoured and properly integrated into the spiritual world.

Additionally, in certain African traditions, men traditionally dig the grave and cover it after the funeral using shovels, while women do not participate in these activities.

To allow women to partake in the burial process, they throw handfuls of soil into the grave, symbolizing their involvement and offering a personal farewell to the deceased.

Christian practices

Within Christian traditions, the act of casting soil onto a coffin carries deep symbolic meaning. It signifies the deceased's return to the earth, echoing the biblical sentiment that humans are formed from dust and to dust they shall return.

This gesture acknowledges the natural cycle of life and death, offering a moment of reflection and acceptance for mourners.

In Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic burial rituals, as the body is lowered into the grave, the priest takes a shovelful of dirt and makes the Sign of the Cross over the grave, proclaiming, "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof."

This act underscores the belief in God's sovereignty over life and death and the return of the body to the earth He created.

Similarly, Jewish funeral customs involve mourners shovelling dirt onto the coffin, which is considered the family's final act of honouring the deceased.

This practice emphasizes personal involvement in the burial process and serves as a means of expressing grief and offering a final farewell.

Across these cultural and religious contexts, the ritual of dropping soil onto graves serves as a profound expression of respect, acceptance, and connection to the natural cycle, providing solace and closure to those bidding farewell to their loved ones.

Abagusii community cultural context

In the Abagusii community, cultural norms have historically dictated specific roles for men and women during funeral and burial practices.

One such norm is the prohibition of women from participating in grave digging, rooted in deeply held beliefs and societal structures.

The exclusion of women from grave digging is linked to spiritual and moral considerations.

For instance, children, pregnant women, and individuals believed to practice witchcraft are traditionally not permitted near gravesites.

This restriction is intended to promote responsibility and protect vulnerable individuals from perceived spiritual harm associated with burial sites.

In the Abagusii community, societal roles are distinctly divided along gender lines.

Men are typically assigned tasks perceived as physically demanding or spiritually significant, such as grave digging.

This division reinforces traditional views of masculinity and femininity, where men are seen as protectors and women as nurturers.

Consequently, women's participation in activities like grave digging has been culturally discouraged to maintain these established roles.

Perceptions of life and death

In some African traditions, women are regarded as the bearers of life, a role symbolically at odds with the act of digging graves, which is associated with death.

This perspective contributes to the cultural belief that women should not be involved in grave digging, as it conflicts with their life-giving role within the community.

Yet the nature of death could determine the location of the grave site.

For instance; a witch, unmarried woman, a thief or one who committed suicide could be buried outside the homestead, according to Abagusii culture.

This was done in order to chase the evil spirit away from home and to protect the living from being harmed by such malicious spirits.

In most cases, the grave was covered before the burial, this was important because the relatives had to protect the grave from malicious people who may drop charms to continue harming the family or to cover up for their wickedness.