The Ashanti People in Central Ghana

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Different cultures, countries, religions, and community with various behaviors and rituals that guides their belief and action when a loved one pass away. Religious and spiritual belief, type of life after death, superstitious beliefs after death and beliefs towards the meaning of life are all based on tradition and death ritual. The Ashanti people live in central Ghana in western Africa approximately 300km. away from the coast. This is a major ethnic group of the Akans in Ghana, colonized by British until 1957. To this particular group, the family and the mother’s clan are most important. A child is said to inherit the father’s soul or spirit (ntoro) and from the mother a child receives flesh and blood (mogya). Instrument such as talking drums are used for learning the Ashanti language and spreading news and used in ceremonies. This instrument is very important to the Ashanti and there are very important rituals involved in them. Burial customs and death rituals among the Ashanti are very important to the community as a whole not only the individual involved or affected. “The ritual...

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