Fantasy Coffins of the Ga People

Around the world, thousands of cultures have created and preserved funeral rites that have lasted for centuries, but almost none of these has persisted unaffected by the modern world. Like the 20th century New Orleans jazz funeral (which has its roots in West African culture, and took hundreds of years to become what it is today), many of today’s more interesting funeral traditions are a blend of old beliefs with a more modern flair. This is not more true anywhere than it is in Ghana, where the funeral traditions of the Ga people combine ancient beliefs about ancestral piety with the trappings of modern life to create amazing fantasy coffins that have become sought-after works of art the world over.

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Origins of Fantasy Coffins

The use of these elaborate, hand-carved coffins is rooted in the religious beliefs of the Ga. The Ga do not regard death as the end of life and believe that life after death continues just as it did on Earth. They believe their ancestors to be very powerful and influential over their lives, and that pleasing them begins with a big sendoff and a fancy coffin. Since life is believed to go on as usual, these coffins often symbolize things like a person’s profession, hobby, or rank in society, and the designs can be practically anything you can imagine.

The first fantasy coffins were carved in the 1950s, and were often more traditional than modern, with popular designs like fish and birds, and also symbols of status like holy swords of the Ashanti and lions for chiefs. As the practice has evolved, just about any design you can imagine has been realized, and these coffins have been featured works of art in galleries in Paris, London, and New York.

Today, these coffins are all still carved by hand without the use of power tools by artisans who usually have at least one apprentice. All are custom made, with turnaround times of 2 to 6 weeks, and it’s not uncommon to have one’s coffin completed long before death. With the exception of those made for export to collectors or galleries, all are carved from traditional local woods.

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Ghanaian Funerals are Celebrations of Life

As the most important concern at Ghanaian funerals is a big sendoff that will impress the deceased and allow them to take their rightful places with other ancestors, the bigger the party, the better. While there are very specific mourning rituals associated with death in Ghana, the funeral isn’t one of them, and a Ghanaian funeral is often an all-night party. They usually happen on Saturday, and are huge social events, even in Ghanaian communities in other parts of the world. In the Ga tradition, this translates to brightly-colored coffins in shapes ranging from beer bottles to jet planes to gas pumps.

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If there’s a more unique funeral tradition than the fantasy casket, there’s certainly not a more fun one. These caskets merge the old world and the new in a way that keeps Ga culture vibrant in the 21st century whether they end up buried underground or in a Soho gallery.