FUNERAL
HERITAGE
REPORT
2020
Funeral Heritage Report 2020
Santigao Guatemala kites
On cover Funeral Museum (Bestattungsmuseum), Vienna, Austria
Table of contents
FIAT-IFTA
Introduction
FIAT-IFTA & IAFM
History and timeline
IAFM
International Association of Funeral Museums and Directory
Madagascar
Famadihan-Drazana, the ‘turning of the bones’ celebration
Australia
The land were time began
United States of America
The role of music in the tradition of African American funerals
Japan
Outline of mortuary rites
Japan
Traditional funeral hearses
P.R. of China
Sacrificial ceremonies at the mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor
P.R. of China
Funeral customs in Northern Shaanxi province
P.R. of China
Funeral customs of Sani minority
Indonesia
The Toraja people, the most complex funeral rituals in the world
Mali
Dogon, the society of the masks
Ethiopia
Traditional Oromo burial practices
Hungary
Carved grave markers in Hungary
The Netherlands
The grave drum, a drum shaped memorial ornament
Mexico
Masks made of jade and modern masks
Guatemala
Flights of fancy, the giant Mayan kites of Guatemala
Unesco
Operational Directives
13
17
23
27
29
41
49
59
63
67
71
75
77
81
85
Table of contents
Funeral Heritage Report 2020
“
“
Our full attention will be focused on the
safeguarding of world funeral heritage
in the framework of UNESCO and on the
representation of FIAT-IFTA in the different
bodies of the UNESCO organization.
Chen Yuanyuan
Dear reader,
In this introduction to the 5th edition of the
FIAT-IFTA Funeral Heritage Report, it is my
great honor to pay respect to late Mr. Henry
Keizer who was the first Chair of the Funeral
Heritage Steering Committee from 2008
to 2019. From the beginning Mr. Keizer has
initiated all initiatives of this Committee, he
has been a driving force to the accreditation
of FIAT-IFTA as NGO of UNESCO Intangible
Heritage Convention and he founded with
Honorary member Mr. Dirk van Vuure Sr.
the International Association of Funeral
Museums. It is my privilege to succeed him
in the position of Chair of Funeral Heritage
Steering Committee and I am convinced
that together with the Board of FIAT-IFTA
and the members of this Committee, we will
aim to continue his work.
The
accreditation
of
FIAT-IFTA
as
“International NGO with Consultative Status
UNESCO
Intangible
Cultural
Heritage”
gives us many opportunities and many
tasks that still lay ahead of us. Due to this
accreditation the international membership
of FIAT-IFTA has, through our Committee,
the possibility to draw the attention of
the national UNESCO Committees and the
national Ministries of Culture to their local
specific cultural heritage.
The FIAT IFTA Heritage Committee is proud
to present its 5th biennial report to you.
It comprises a great variety of information
on global funeral heritage. Our Committee
draws attention to the many impressive
traditions, historical buildings and artifacts
that still exist today in relation to death,
funerals
and
bereavement.
They
are
worth preserving. We are grateful to all
contributors and we are impressed by the
support of the FIAT-IFTA members.
By decision of the FIAT-IFTA membership
the name of this Committee has changed.
It is now: FIAT-IFTA Funeral Heritage Board.
The activities of this Board are more
elaborate and our focus has broadened:
After this edition of the FIAT-IFTA Funeral
heritage Report in the English language
we aim to publish this Report also in the
Chinese, Japanese and Spanish language.
In the coming years we hope to develop
and give direction to the accomplishments
of IAFM – International Association of
Funeral
Museums.
Our
full
attention
will be focused on the safeguarding
of world funeral heritage in the framework
of UNESCO and on the representation of
FIAT-IFTA in the different bodies of the
UNESCO organization.
In the past year we have been supported
by many FIAT IFTA members who have
dedicated much time and effort to the work
of our Committee. We sincerely hope that
you will enjoy the content of this report and
that the FIAT-IFTA Funeral Heritage Board
will live up to your expectations.
CHEN Yuanyuan
Chair of the FIAT-IFTA
Funeral Heritage Board
Director of the Cultural
Heritage Working
Committee of China
Funeral Association.
Introduction
FIAT-IFTA
Funeral Heritage Report 2020
2008
2017
2011
2014
2015
2016
History and timeline
FIAT-IFTA & IAFM
Barcelona
To preserve and to safeguard the Global Funeral Heritage FIAT-IFTA
establishes at the 10th International Convention the FIAT-IFTA Funeral Heritage
Steering Committee. Presentation of the FIAT-IFTA Funeral Heritage Charter.
Amsterdam
FIAT-IFTA has founded IAFM – International Association of Funeral Museums to
create a global platform for funeral museums and collections. Annual meetings
of the FIAT-IFTA Funeral Heritage Steering Committee in Chantilly, near Paris.
Paris
At the UNESCO Headquarters - Official accreditation as: International NGO
Consultative Status UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. No.: 90253. For FIAT-
IFTA, the International NGO Consultative Status UNESCO Intangible Cultural
Heritage means: all FIAT-IFTA National Members are invited to cooperate with
the FIAT-IFTA Funeral Heritage Board and the National UNESCO Bureau to
investigate actively funeral customs and traditions and to create awareness.
Invitation to attend the fifth session of the General Assembly of the States
Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage. A delegation led by FIAT-IFTA Vice President Teresa Saavedra
represents FIAT-IFTA.
Bologna
Meeting of the FIAT-IFTA Funeral Heritage Steering Committee in Bologna to
evaluate the Pilot Projects brought in by the National Members.
Montreal
Presentation of the 4th edition of the FIAT-IFTA Funeral Heritage Report. This
edition provides a survey of Funeral Heritage sites and traditions and a directory
of funeral museums. Earlier editions: 2010, 2012 and 2014.
Beijing and Warshaw
Foundation by FIAT-IFTA National Member CFA – China Funeral Association
of the Cultural Heritage Working Committee and foundation by PFA – Polish
Funeral Association of the Polish Funeral Heritage Committee.
Valencia
Model presentation by the Chair of the China Funeral Heritage Working
Committee Mrs. Chen Yuan Yuan of the activities deployed by the Committee.
FIAT-IFTA & IAFM
2018
2019
2020
FIAT-IFTA Funeral Heritage Steering Board
Paris
FIAT-IFTA submits the first mandatory NGO quadrennial report to UNESCO
2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The FIAT-IFTA NGO Report has been approved.
Paris
Attendance of FIAT-IFTA delegation at the UNESCO – NGO Consultation Meeting
at the UNESCO headquarters. Special meeting on the role of the accredited
NGO’s under the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage.
Birmingham
FIAT-IFTA National Members at the 50th I.C.D. Meeting agree to appoint a
new FIAT-IFTA Funeral Heritage Steering Committee at the 16th FIAT-IFTA
International Convention in Yokohama, Japan. The 2020 edition of the FIAT-IFTA
Funeral Heritage Report shall be in the English, Chines, Japanese and Spanish
language. National Members adopt that – following the status of International
NGO at UNESCO and the obligation of capacity building and creation of
awareness– all National Members shall create a method, an institute, a
committee or a liaison officer to cooperate with the FIAT-IFTA Funeral Heritage
Steering Committee in order to install a library of living funeral traditions
set up according to the Directives of the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the
Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Chairperson:
Chen Yuan Yuan, P.R. of China
– Asia and UNESCO relations
Members:
Marcus Pinter, Austria
- Funeral Museums relations
Maria Martinelli, Uruguay
– Latin American relations
Wang Jisheng, P.R. of China
- International relations
Emerson De Luca, United Kingdom
Secretary of FIAT-IFTA
– Representing FIAT-IFTA
Funeral Heritage Report 2020
IAFM
International Association of Funeral
Museums
The International Association of Funeral
Museums has its seat in Amsterdam.
The office address of the Association is
the address of the Association’s Secretary
or such other address as may be specified
by the Board.
The objects of the Association are:
1. To
advance
and
promote
the
preservation of collections in the field
of international funeral history.
2. To encourage and promote international
cooperation between organizations and
persons involved in the creation and
preservation of collections in the field
of international funeral history.
3. To collect and give access to information,
to provide information to the public and
to offer advice and support in the field
of international funeral history.
The Association endeavors to achieve its
objects by:
a. Promoting
international
contacts
and arranging agreements between
funeral museums, scientists, scholars,
researchers,
the
media,
public
authorities and other stakeholders.
b. Providing
public
information
on
the nature and importance of the
international heritage in respect of
funerary customs, practices, rituals,
objects and items.
c. Organizing
meetings,
providing
information and advice to organizations
and persons involved in the creation
and preservation of collections in the
field of international funeral history.
d. Establishing funds to support the
creation and preservation of collections,
the carrying out of relevant research,
the publication of texts and the
organization of meetings.
The Association is not affiliated with any
political party or religious organization and
is a not-for-profit organization.
IAFM is registered at the Chamber of
Commerce of The Netherlands under
the number 51455862 and located at
FIAT-IFTA Office, Oude Enghweg 14, 1217 JC
Hilversum, The Netherlands.
IAFM
Austria
Bestattungsmuseum Wiener Zentral
Friedhof, Vienna
www.bestattungsmuseum.at
Canada
Écomusée de l’Au-Delà, Montreal
www.ecomuseedelau-dela.net
P.R. of China
Shanghai Humanism Memorial
Museum, Shanghai
http://museum.fsygroup.com
France
Musée des Augustins, Collection
Funéraire Gothique, Toulouse
www.augustins.org
Germany
Zentralinstitut und Museum für
Sepulkralkultur, Kassel
www.sepulkralmuseum.de
Museum Ohlsdorfer Friedhof, Hamburg
www.fof-ohlsdorf.de
Grabkreuzmuseum der Kunstschmiede
Berg-meister, Edersberg
www.bergmeister-kunstschmiede.de
Hungary
The Kegyeleti Museum: Piety Museum,
Budapest
www.fiumeiutisirkert.nori.gov.hu
Mexico
Museo Nacional de la Muerte,
Aguascalientes
https://museonacionaldelamuerte.uaa.mx
Russia
The Museum of World Funeral Culture,
Novosibirsk
www.musei-smerti.ru
Spain
Museu de Carrosses Fúnebres, Barcelona
www.cbsa.cat
Sweden
Ljungby Funeral Museum, Liungby
www.svenskakyrkan.se
Switzerland
Sammlung Friedhof am Hörnli, Riehen
www.sammlunghoernli.ch
The Netherlands
Nederlands Uitvaart Museum Tot Zover,
Amsterdam
www.totzover.nl
United Kingdom
London’s Museum of Funeral History,
London
www.niche-museums.com
The Albin Museum, London
www.albins.co.uk
United States of America
The National Museum of Funeral
History, Houston
www.nmfh.org
Museum of Death, Los Angeles
www.museumofdeath.net
Directory of funeral museums
The Coffin Works, Birmingham
www.coffinworks.org
Funeral Heritage Report 2020
The Merina people celebrating a feast
for the dead
The core spiritual belief of the Malagasy is
in the power of their ancestors. Recently
passed-on generations are considered to
exercise influence over all aspects of the
lives of the living, so burial, exhumation
and second burial are an important focus.
This veneration stems from a belief that
the departed ones act as intermediaries
between the living and the supreme
being, and are capable of bringing good
fortune to the family or community if
they are well entreated. The Malagasy
people of Madagascar have built a way
of life around death – during the dry
winter months, Famadihana ceremonies,
known as “the turning of the bones”, take
place around various towns and villages
to commemorate the deceased. One of
such ceremonies honoring the dead is
the Famadihana of the Merina people
of Madagascar.
The word ‘Famadihana’ is derived from the
verbal root ‘Vadika’ meaning to turn which
relates to the ceremony of supplementing
the silk winding sheets or ‘lamba mena’
of the dead, occasioning the turning
over of the bodies.
At the commencement of the ritual, the
corpses are exhumed from their burial
places and re-wrapped in new shrouds to
keep the ancestors warm according to the
people’s belief. The corpses are redressed
on the laps of the Zanadrazana (children
of the ancestors) in public and then put on
new mats to bask in the sun for a while.
Before the corpses are re-interred, they are
hoisted up and carried around their tombs
several times, amid dancing so they can
become familiar with their resting places.
It is believed that the dead will roam and
terrorize the people afterwards if they are
not familiar with their final abode.
Famadihana also offers a chance for
deceased family members to be reunited
in one single family tomb, since Malagasy
beliefs sees being buried separately as
a terrible fate. The family tombs are either
female or male. Except in the case of a
husband and wife, male corpses are never
grouped with female.
The reburial ceremony practiced by
the Merina and Betsileo is known as
the turning of the bones, or Famadihana.
This is a joyful occasion which occurs
about every seven years after first
Madagascar
Famadihan-Drazana, the ‘turning of
the bones’ celebration
Famadihana exhumation is an act of love
Madagascar
10
burial and provides the opportunity to
communicate with and remember a loved
one. The remains of the selected relative
are taken from the tomb, re-wrapped in
a new burial shroud, and carried around
the tomb a few times (or even through the
village) before being replaced.
Meanwhile the corpse is informed of all
the latest events. Generous quantities
of alcohol are consumed amid a festive
atmosphere with much dancing and
music.
By
law,
a
famadihana
may
take place only in the dry season
(June – September). It can last up to a
week and involves considerable expense,
as befits the most important celebration
for any family. Variations of the ceremony
are practiced by several other tribes.
Tomb architecture
The style of tombs defines the different
tribes better than any other visible feature
and indicates the wealth and status of
the family concerned. The local name of
these tombs is Fanesy which means ‘your
eternal place’. Zebu horns are scattered
on the tomb as a symbol of wealth (on
Sakalava tombs, zebu horns are only a
decoration, not an indication of status).
The Antandroy and Mahafaly tombs have
much the same architecture as those of
the Sakalava but are more artistically
decorated. The Mahafaly aloalo bear
figures depicting scenes from the person’s
life, and the entire length is often carved
with intricate designs.
In early times burial sites were near valleys
or in marshes. The body would be placed
in a hollowed-out tree trunk and sunk into
the mud at the bottom of a marsh. These
Fasam-bazimba marshes were sacred.
Later the Merina began constructing
rectangular wooden tombs, mostly under
the ground but with a visible structure
above. In the 19th century Frenchman Jean
Laborde had a profound effect on tomb
Famadihana ceremony
Funeral Heritage Report 2020
11
Famadihana tombs
architecture: tombs were built with bricks
and stone. It was his influence which led to
the elaborate structure of modern tombs,
which are often painted with geometric
designs. Sometimes the interior is lavishly
decorated.
During the Vazimba period, the Sakalava
tombs were simple piles of stones.
With the introduction of cement, a step
design was added. At a later stage, wooden
stelae, Aloalo, were placed on the tombs
facing east. These were topped with
carvings, often of a most erotic nature.
Since Sakalava tombs are for individuals
and not families, there is no attempt at
maintaining the stelae as it is believed
that only when the wood decays will the
soul of the buried person be released.
Tomb construction commences only after
the person’s death and can take up to six
weeks, the body meanwhile being kept in a
house. While a tomb is under construction,
many zebus are sacrificed to the ancestors.
The Sakalava call their tombs Izarana,
‘the place where we are separated’.
Joanna Gillan
Ancient Origins, Reconstructing the Story
of Humanity’s Past
Literature:
A Contribution to the study of the
Collective Representation of Death
- Robert Hertz
Celebrations of death: The Anthropology
of Mortuary ritual
- Peter Metcalf, Richard Huntington
Madagascar
12
Funeral Heritage Report 2020
13
Australia
The land were time began
Aboriginal Death Ritual
Chants of the totemic lodge of a dying
person are sung as he is dying. This was
done to both comfort him and help him
reconcile himself to his imminent return to
the spirit world. This ritual was practiced
in some parts of the north and in South
Australia. Mourners camp near the grave in
some places, as in the northeast of South
Australia. Over several days, it takes to
complete the totemic cycle, sacred songs
being sung by his kin every day, and every
day small amounts of earth are added to
the grave until it is filled in.
These
ceremonies
are
extraordinarily
complex and spectacular in some places,
such as the northeastern and north-
central Arnhem Land. The nature of such a
ceremony from eastern Arnhem Land was
described in which many people gathered
around a symbolic waterhole and patch
of country that was marked out with low
mounds and depressions. The people
included members of the clan and moiety
of the decreased person, the husband or
wives and their kin.
The singing and invocation of the sacred
names of the dead man’s waterhole and
country, with its associated mythological
significance,
is
carried
out
by
the
ceremonial leader of the deceased’s
clan and linguistic unit, as he beats his
clapping sticks. The songs are sung in
a characteristic wail by women, and
among the conventional words they
make informal comments about the dead
person, or angrily make accusations about
the blame for the death. The island of
Bralgu is central to the Dua moiety cycle,
while Badu is the focus of the main Jiridja
moiety sequence.
The Nganug series is a subsidiary cycle
of the dua moiety, one of a number,
that speaks of the Paddle Maker for the
dead man’s spirit canoe. There is also a
Macassan mast ceremony telling how the
spirit of the dead person departs across
the sea on its journey to the Islands of the
Dead, just as the Macassans sailed away to
their homeland. In a section of the Bralgu
cycle of the dua moiety it tells how various
animals move to and from the corpse to
the Land of the Dead, in this case it was
blowflies. Items such as clothing, spears
and tobacco were placed in or around
Burial pole
14
Australia
symbolic waterholes by close relatives
during the big mortuary rituals. The rites
and singing take place in the camp where
the dead person died, and the camps
where such relatives were living at the time
of the death. Before and after the burial,
or other disposal method, they speak
to the spirit of the deceased. They only
stop when the bones have been collected
from the grave or platform, depending
on which method of disposal was used.
Accompanied by singing and dancing,
the bones are cleaned and covered with
red ochre and placed in a small bark coffin,
or other container, that is painted with
designs of totemic significance.
The coffin is placed in the fork of a tree
and are watched over by the keeper
of the bones for about 2-3 months.
After this period, they are brought down
to the edge of the camp and more ochre
is applied. By this time a hollow log has
been prepared and painted with designs
associated with the deceased, which is
placed on a slant, held by a forked stick.
Accompanied by singing, various people
dance up with the bones, which are then
broken up and placed in the log. The log
is then stood upright where it remains
until it rots. There are several variations
on this theme. In one the skull and other
bones may be taken to the waterhole of
the deceased person, from where his spirit
came. Alternatively, the specially painted
skull may be carried around for a sometime
before being placed in a cave.
If the corpse had been buried, a wuramu,
or grave post, may have been placed over
the grave. The wuramu may have been
erected in the main camp if the corpse
was exposed on a platform. It may be
a stylized image of the dead person or
possibly represent a spirit associated
with his moiety home of the dead.
The dead person’s body is represented by
the Morning Star pole, or the Macassan
mast of the dua moiety, or some other
similar construction, that are set up during
the mortuary rituals, then left standing
in the camp. ‘we look at the post and
remember the departed spirit’.
The burial is followed by an inquest
on Bathurst Island and Melville Island.
The bugamani ceremonies began about
two months after the burial. The ilania is
the first of these, that involves jumping
over a fire. Short songs that have been
composed for the occasion are sung by
the mourners. Men are given the task of
Elder Aboriginal during a Pukumani ceremony
on Bathurst Island
Funeral Heritage Report 2020
15
The bushes are removed from the grave
and the mourners throw themselves on it,
wailing. The beards of the chief mourners
are plucked, and the painted decorations
are washed from their bodies.
There is a large amount of work involved
in the rituals. An aim of the ceremonies
is believed to be propitiation, and the
assuagement of sorrow of those intimately
concerned.
M.H. Monroe
Australia: The Land Where Time Began
Literature:
The World of the First Australians
– C. Berndt
Women’s wailing; Yirrkalla
- C. Berndt
making the burial poles who then attend
to matters connected with the grave
and the type of poles to be prepared.
The return of the pole makers and their
feeding, and a mock fight between the
pole makers and the mourners (bugamani)
was involved in the second ilania, as well
as singing and dancing. In the bumadi
married men and women beat their
affiliate relatives with boughs, and ritual
firejumping also takes place. About a
month before the bugamani, message
sticks are sent to other camps informing
them of the impending rituals. In the
meantime, other ilania are held. About 3
months after the burial the final bugamani
is held that is in 5 parts over a couple of
days. The participants, wearing bugamani
ornaments, are all paired. A basket dance
is held with another firejumping rite.
After this all rushed to the grave and
flung themselves onto the covering,
after which a series of songs and dances
are held on the special dancing ground.
The 2nd phase consists of more songs
and dances. In the 3rd phase the pole
makers are paid, goods being placed
on the top of each pole. The poles are
climbed by some men who sing about
how wealthy and generous they are to
pay the workers so much. The poles are
erected at the grave in the 4th phase.
Spirit figures
16
Australia
Funeral Heritage Report 2020
17
United States of America
The role of music in the tradition of
African American funerals
It is a fact that the first American genre
of music created was the Negro Spiritual.
Spirituals are a soulful blend of West
African retentions and Western European
music. This creation gives insight into the
complexity, duality, struggle, and beauty
of what it means to be both African and
American. It is through music we soothe
the sting of death. In this tradition,
we stand firmly planted in hope and find
cause for celebration even in the painful
experience of death.
In the African American community,
funeral
services
and
expressions
of
mourning contain a theme of celebration,
rather
than
the
somber
emotions
associated with death in other cultural
settings. This attitude grew out of the
period of slavery when most slave owners
Berklee College of Music, Boston
would not allow slaves to gather for
funerals. During this dark time, death
was often seen as freedom and a reason
to celebrate amidst the grieving. Many
believed that the deceased’s soul returned
to their African homeland. From this arose
the concept of Homegoing, which survives
today, although it is now seen as the soul
entering heaven or joining with ancestors.
After slavery was abolished, the newly
freed slaves could openly gather to
honor their dead, and the opportunity
to honor their loved ones became an
important time
in their
community.
Extravagant
celebrations
of
the
deceased’s
life
became
common,
including music and dancing and singing
spirituals. Death is seen as a time for
celebration, especially through song.
18
United States of America
Many of the songs we sing have duality in
their meaning. Ultimately, deliverance to
better earthly situations is always prayed
for and pressed towards. Yet, it is in heaven
we finally find forever rest, peace, joy and
no more pain and struggle. We reunite
with those who have gone on before us
and see the face of our maker. Our maker
in heaven carries us on earth through
every valley that seems too low and over
every mountain that seems too hard to
climb. Then, through faith, we are carried
onto the glory land. Therefore, we sing and
make music jubilantly, even at the funerals
of loved ones.
There is a belief that we are returning
home when we die. We know this earth to
be our home. But, in this tradition there
is an earthly home and a heavenly home.
This tradition is carried over from West
African religions. Some of those religions
believed the earth to be “this world” and
the heavenly world to be “the other world.”
In the book, “To Serve The Living”, by
Suzanne E. Smith, she goes into great
detail about how funeral and burial
traditions from West Africa were some of
the most well preserved cultural rituals
from the motherland Africa - not lost in
the new world American colonies. These
included the grandeur and sophistication
of funeral rituals, as well as “public
bewailment” and crying out. In this book,
it is also discussed how African American
funeral homes, much like the black church
in America, provided a space to advance
the causes of racial equality. It was the
funeral home that prepped bodies to
be seen after the last mass lynching
in America. (This lynching in Georgia is
known as the Moore’s Ford Lynching.)
Charles Albert Tindley, the first gospel composer
In the song, “Soon I will Be Done”, written
by composer William Dawson, references
the belief that dying brings relief from the
trials of the world and in death, a soul is
finally free. He wrote, “Soon ah will be
done ah with de troubles of de world.”
African Americans are not just singing
about the trials and tribulations of
life that all humans endure: sickness,
life challenges, and loss. But “troubles of
the world” also refers to being free from
the systemic racism that is a result of
being brought unwillingly to a new world
as chattel, as a slave and being treated as
less than human.
The hymn writer, Charles Albert Tindley,
put it this way,
“We are often tossed and driven on the
restless sea of time somber skies and
howling tempests oft succeed a bright
sunshine. But in the land of perfect day,
when the mists have rolled away, we will
understand it better by and by.”
Funeral Heritage Report 2020
19
Understanding it better by and by does
not just mean we will understand the
afterlife and spiritual world we call heaven
better after we die. It also means we
will better understand why we had to
endure what we had to endure as a people
- just because of the color of our skin.
The duality in the lyricism of music we
sing at funerals and burials has a direct
correlation to being African American.
To better understand the pain, the
celebration, feelings of defeat; while
keeping
high
hopes,
we
can
look
at
examples
of
other
song
lyrics.
Two spirituals composed by Freedman
Wallace Willis are “Steal Away to Jesus”
and “Swing Low Sweet Chariot.” In “Steal
Away” the line “Haven’t got long to stay
here” doesn’t only refer to heaven, but it
also refers to being on earth in a condition
less that what a loving God would have for
a beloved child of God.
In the spiritual “Swing Low”, the line
“Coming for to carry me home” does not
only mean heaven. It also means home
to freedom, to a place on earth filled
with dignity, respect and equality. What
spirituals could this not be applied to?
It is virtually seen in every song. Another
historic spiritual states, “In that great
getting up mornin”. The term, “That
mornin” refers not only to the ascension
to glory, but also to waking up in the
morning and finding loved ones gone
who left in the night on the Underground
Railroad running for freedom. Fare thee
well!
There can be an actual anticipation for
death which is heard in the styling of
Richard Smallwood’s “Anticipation.”
Can’t wait to see Him, look upon His face,
bow down before Him, thank Him for His
grace.
Shake hands with the elders, the twenty
and the four, say hello to my loved ones
who fought on before.
Jesus is preparing a place just for me,
if you want to see me, in heaven I will be.
The song lyrics “Can’t wait to see Him,
look upon His face” express excitement
for what waits for us at death. This
desire for freedom in life and in death
is also noted in the post-civil war,
African American spiritual, “Oh Freedom”
where the prominent verse is repeated as
a mantra,
Before I be a slave, I’ll be buried in my
grave and go home to me Lord and be
free!
Not only does it refer to freedom in the
world to come after death, as many slave
spirituals do, but it celebrates their new
freedom in the here and now.
There are more examples in the 20th
century of songs that truly have a
celebratory flare about them, though they
are about death. “Heaven all the Way”, by
Karen Clark Sheared is a song that has an
urban funk edge to it. “Just As Soon As I Get
There”, a song by the Chicago Mass Choir,
literally sings of happiness so apparent it’s
worth actually shouting about. “They Got
The Word” by the Mississippi Mass Choir
sings of a “coronation in the middle of the
air.” This is the type of excitement that is
happening in the spiritual realm crowning
the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
“When We Reach That Other Shore” by
Luther Barnes, the song tells us, “They’ll be