Regulating community well-being through traditional mourning rituals: Insights from the Luhya People of Kenya

Asatsa, Stephen; Lew-Levy, Sheina; Ngaari Mbugua, Stephen; Ntaragwe, Maria; Shanyisa, Wilkister; Gichimu, Elizabeth; Nambiri, Jane; Omuchesi, Jonathan

Abstract

Background and objectives
Rituals have been reported to serve as a vital mechanism for expressing grief and fostering communal support worldwide. Despite these benefits, use of rituals in Indigenous communities is threatened by missionization, globalization, and westernization. This study sought to examine the relevance of traditional mourning rituals in community morality and well-being. Anchored in cultural evolutionary theory, the study employed an ethnographic research design.

Methodology
Data were collected from 45 community elders, 30 bereaved adults, 30 bereaved adolescents, and 8 religious leaders through focus group discussions and interviews.

Results
The study established five mourning rituals practiced by the Luhya people, each potentially serving an evolutionary function for community survival and well-being. Our findings show that Luhya traditional mourning rituals play an important role in community well-being, though not all members may benefit equally from these effects.

Conclusions and implications
The study established conflict over rituals with differing viewpoints from religious leaders, cultural leaders, and the western biomedical approach to mental well-being. Yet, the bereaved reported that both Luhya and religious rituals helped them process their grief. To address mental health issues fully, it is important to establish collaboration between western models, religious approaches, and cultural approaches.

Citation

Asatsa, S., Lew-Levy, S., Ngaari Mbugua, S., Ntaragwe, M., Shanyisa, W., Gichimu, E., Nambiri, J., & Omuchesi, J. (2025). Regulating community well-being through traditional mourning rituals: Insights from the Luhya People of Kenya. Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, 13(1), 14-24. https://doi.org/10.1093/emph/eoaf001

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 21, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jan 8, 2025
• Publication Date: 2025-01
• Deposit Date: Feb 13, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 24, 2025
• Journal: Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health
• Electronic ISSN: 2050-6201
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 14-24
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/emph/eoaf001
• Keywords: cultural evolution, cultural psychology, Indigenous knowledge, mourning rituals, grief therapy
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3362655