Nine Night Ritual Analysis

This rite of passage is performed so as to allow the duppy to join ancestral spirits. On the night immediately following a person’s death, a wake is held. It lasts several nights so as to allow funeral arrangements to be made. According to Nathaniel Samuel Murrell, “the body may be kept for a maximum of nine days, at the end of which (that is, on the night before burial) the ‘Nine-Night’ ritual is performed” (264). Jean Besson describes the duppy as a dual soul that is believed “to leave the body at death, after remaining for a few days at the place of death or burial to join the ancestors” (30). The duppy of the deceased can disturb the living. Accordingly, it is essential to treat a dead person’s soul with respect. Albert J. Raboteau describes this belief, which is deeply steeped in African heritage: African slaves in many areas of the New World were convinced that death would free them to return to Africa. This notion was based not simply on nostalgia for the homeland but upon a firm religious belief in reincarnation. To be properly understood, reincarnation should be placed in the

Sabine Sörgel argues “dance and spirit possession play an integral part of these ceremonies [Nine Night rituals]” (51). As indicated by Ian Thomson, Kumina is a crucial element in funeral practices “designed to keep the dead safely in their graves through a drum and dance rhythm” (146). Kumina is linked to mournful funerary ceremonies, but may also be performed at other joyful rites of passage such as childbirth. Two main variations of Kumina exist. “Bailo” is considered secular, while “country” is associated to African beliefs and may lead to spirit possession (Sörgel 126). Possessed dancers embody the spirits of their ancestors. Dance steps correspond to songs and rhythmic drumming. A brief description of Kumina dance is as