Browsing by Author "Kessy, Marcel G."

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    Death Rituals among the Chagga Of Tanzania: A Pastoral Challenge
    (Tangaza University College., 2002-02) Kessy, Marcel G.
    This thesis is a study of Chagga death rituals, their pastoral challenge to the mission and their significance for Christian inculturation. In this chapter we are going to focus mainly on; the background of the study, statement of the problem, objectives of the study, significance of the study, the research hypotheses, scope and organization of the study, methodology and finally limitations of the study. My choice of this topic has been prompted by many questions raised by the Catholic church in Moshi diocese - Kilimanjaro Tanzania about the Chagga funeral rites, and other commemorative rituals connected with the dead. In most of African cultures, people value their traditional practices very much. Some of these practices are categorized according to their values in the society. Among these practices are the rituals performed for the dead, the spirits and for appeasing the ancestors. In some other places, some rituals are performed for the living. One finds these rituals and sacrifices having cosmological and vertical dimensions. But after Christianity had been introduced to the African people, these cultural and traditional practices have been deteriorating. In most of East Africa, especially among the Chagga, in Central Africa, where I did my pastoral work, and the several places I visited in 1998, these traditional practices have been considered as a kind of double standard by the missionaries. You find that on the one hand keep the traditional practices are very strong and most valued. Some of these practices are being performed in hidden places while others are done openly. On the other hand, Christianity is very strong and explicitly practiced. This does not only apply to funeral rituals but also in every kind of traditional beliefs and practices. The teachings which African people received from the early Missionaries were very negative to their cultural and traditional practices. They were told that their traditional practices were pagan and devilish. People grew up in this mentality and this led many to perform these traditional practices secretly out of fear. According to Mzee Bernard Kiwory, "the people fear that spirits of the clan will turn against them, harm them and even cause death in the family". During funeral rites among the Chagga, you find that traditional rituals are performed first and then Christian ones follow later. The traditional rituals are done secretly and hurriedly before the arrival of the priest who comes to conduct the Christian funeral service. I have seen these in many places where I have attended funerals or burials. In these practices, I discovered that most of what is practiced traditionally is related to what is done by Christians. This has prompted me to deepen my understanding through this study in order to discover more about our culture. The aim is to find out the good elements which can be incorporated in Christian funeral rites as one way of bringing the Gospel message closer to the Chagga People. It is obvious that, not every thing which is practiced traditionally is positive and can be incorporated in Christianity. Some traditional practices have very good elements which can be useful for inculturation while some are against Christian values.