2 Parties and a Funeral

I’m in the passenger side of a 20 year old pickup truck following an old washed out road. To my left is a hillside; the right is a deep gully, both sides are overgrown with an assortment of jungle flora, creating a dark shadowy canopy above us. “Mi mudda did bury deh so” the farmer driving points out the window on the gully side. “Yuh see eet?”

Through the vines, ferns, tree roots and fallen branches that thickly cover the forest floor, I spied a sliver of grey stone which could have simply been a rock. I nodded to show that I’d seen it and he went on to tell me about the land his family has in the area, and who is buried where.

In rural Jamaica it is common for family members to be buried in their own yards. Since houses are handed down along with the land, many old homes have generations of headstones, some washed away and mossy, others new and glossy. Some are surrounded by rusting iron gates, others are practically part of the landscape, covered by vines or hidden by tall grass. Chances are though, most of those graves were dug by a large group of people who loved and respected the deceased.

While the Jamaican bereavement process is often criticized for being overly extravagant, costly and prolonged, it is an integral part of the tradition in rural communities. When a community member dies, an average of 3 events usually take place: A 9 night or a wake, the grave digging and the funeral/burial. The 9 night (9 nights after death) or wake is usually a huge party that can involve drumming and traditional songs but often ends with a DJ and late night winding; The funeral is the time to mourn, to wail openly in church and send the deceased into heaven. The grave digging however is my favorite.

The grave digging takes place the day or a few days before the funeral, and provides an opportunity for people to contribute labour out of respect for the deceased. Using only shovels and pick-axes, the men dig out the grave. Cinder blocks are then carefully stacked and bound with cement, which is being mixed by hand: one man sifting sand and adding cement, one adding water and one mixing with a shovel. The man with the shovel then fills a bucket and the bucket is handed down to the mason in the grave who is artfully building the grave walls.

This labour is done free of charge, though many involved are skilled workers. Styrofoam cups of chicken foot soup or goat head soup (mannish water) is carried out on trays by the women and served to all present, starting with elders and workers, ending with children. Shortly after the soup, curry chicken with rice follows in the same fashion and rum is always being passed around. This food is always provided for free by the family of the deceased.

These are some pictures I took at Evricks grandfather’s grave digging in July

The cement mixing station next to the blue water drum

You can see some cousins mixing cement behind my o'l’ friend, who is posing on the grave of another family member

Miss Ki-Ki and I debating if chicken foot or goat soup is best

As with almost every other Jamaican event, there are more people than jobs, but with such hard labour for so much time, most men come dressed to work and willingly jump in when another taps out. Those not working find shade and a seat, or opt to join the “instruction team”, watching and directing the work of those involved. Those without jobs sit or stand around talking, eating, drinking, watching the work and of course, laughing: the true essence of every Jamaican party.