Abstract

Death is an inevitable end to every living soul. It is therefore a debt that every human being must pay. Death in Igede culture is accompanied by the performance of a series of rituals or rites which, it is believed by the people, connect the dead and the living. This study is a semiotic analysis of burial rites among the Igede of North Central Nigeria. The main objectives are to examine the uniqueness of burial culture, to state the different burial rites in Igede culture as well as the signs and symbols involved in burial rites among the Igede. Data for the study were collected through oral interviews supported by participant observations at burials in Igede land, as well as documented materials on burial rites and rituals. The study is guided by the functional approach theory propounded by Smith, Bruner and White and the cultural semiotic theory by Cassirer for the analysis of the data. It is found in this study that burial rites are representations of cultural performance which mark the people’s thoughts, emotions, interpersonal relationships, social organization, as well as cultural identity. It is also observed in recent times that the waves of modernity, Christianity and Islam have had positive as well as negative impacts on the performance of traditional burial rites in Igede land. The study therefore recommends that for the cultural identity of the indigenous people to be maintained, similar studies should be carried out on other aspects of the people’s culture such as festivals, artefacts, music and the like with the view to showcasing their sociocultural benefits to the world.

Keywords: Semiotics, Rites, Burials, Igede