SPIRIT MAIZE AND GRAVE MAIZE

Matters surrounding death tend to be treated with solemnity in most cultures. This is partly because death is viewed as a prerequisite for the journey to the world beyond, to the dwelling place of our ancestors or to the land of the spirits. So, how we bid farewell to the dead is conditioned by what we think happens to the person after death. The rituals performed and rites of transition also involve food and some food items are even indispensable. Boiled maize and beans/groundnuts is used in the North West region of Cameroon in the process of paying the last respect to the dead. Basically, the maize is prepared for the same reason, that is, to assist in the transcendence of the dead. However, it should be noted that there are some slight differences in its execution from ethnic group to ethnic group. The emphasis on each point of the execution depends on the ethnic group in question. There are rules that have to be respected if the aimed results have to be achieved, thus, the aimed results determine the process.

 Generally, beans and maize was used but over the years, perhaps due to modernity and/or the availability of groundnuts, groundnuts gradually replaced beans. The availability and the cost of groundnuts favour this evolution. The name in various languages suggests that emphasis is placed on the maize and that is why the change in the accompaniment has not posed a problem. In Oku, it is known as Esanghe keyuss (roughly translated as spirit maize) and in the Nso language, it is called ngwasang sai (roughly translated as grave maize). The beliefs and rites involved in this practice and their peculiarities can better be understood with a couple of examples.

With modernity, it is sometimes  served in plastic wrappings

THE OKU AND THE SPIRIT MAIZE

It is prepared as a way of showing the last respect to the deceased; it is a way of helping the spirit of the dead to rest in peace in the realms of their forefathers or in the spirit world. This probably explains why it is called "spirit maize".

The preparation of the maize is done exclusively by women. It is reserved for elderly women in the community who have either attained menopause, considered to have wisdom, or belong to secret societies like the Fembien.

It is customary for every woman, who hails from the community attending the burial, to bring along maize or beans/groundnuts for the meal, so much is not expected from each woman. What the women bring is put together and boiled in a big pot. The lid of the pot is not used. The pot is left open while it cooks because it is believed that the vapour pushes the spirit of the deceased thereby making it to transcend to the spirit world safely and hitch free.

When the maize is ready, it is put in trays or bowls and it is served to everyone in the vicinity by orphans. It is forbidden for anyone who still has a living parent to participate in the sharing process. All of the maize has to be eaten on the spot. It cannot or rather, should not be taken home. It is believed that if a person eats this maize and suffers from constipation or any food related problem, he/she either has an unclean or bad spirit or he/she is involved in some evil or negative activity in the community.

THE NSO LAND AND THE GRAVE MAIZE

During burials, because it is believed that the dead are not really dead, the family, friends and community of the deceased communion with him/her through song, dance and feasting. Since it is believed that the dead are simply resting under the earth, uncooked ngwasang (maize) is given to the dead. It is thrown on the grave and if it sprouts after sometime, it symbolises an abundant future harvest.

The living on the other hand eat ngwasang sai in communion. The maize and beans are provided by the children of the deceased and it is cooked in a mourning hall called Ngaiy Kpu by the wives in the (extended) family commonly referred to as the wives of the compound.

When the cooking process is over, it is served by the younger wives in the Ngaiy and by the children of the deceased to those in the immediate vicinity or compound. The children are sometimes assisted by powerful young men because the ngwasang sai is sometimes served from large cooking pots which are difficult to move about with.

Maize and beans/groundnuts can be prepared for personal consumption or for sale but without the transcendental properties, this does not make it “spirit maize” or “grave maize”. Its preparation at a burial is mandatory and a prerequisite for the deceased to rest in peace.