Asatsa Stephen, Lew-Levy Sheina, Ngaari Mbugua Stephen, Ntaragwe Maria, Shanyisa Wilkister, Gichimu Elizabeth, Nambiri Jane, Omuchesi Jonathan
Department of Psychology, The Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya.
Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, UK and.
Evol Med Public Health. 2025 Jan 8;13(1):14-24. doi: 10.1093/emph/eoaf001. eCollection 2025.
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.
Data were collected from 45 community elders, 30 bereaved adults, 30 bereaved adolescents, and 8 religious leaders through focus group discussions and interviews.
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.
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.
据报道，仪式是全球表达悲痛和促进社区支持的重要机制。尽管有这些益处，但在原住民社区，仪式的使用受到传教、全球化和西方化的威胁。本研究旨在探讨传统哀悼仪式在社区道德和福祉中的相关性。基于文化进化理论，该研究采用了民族志研究设计。
通过焦点小组讨论和访谈，从45位社区长者、30位丧亲成年人、30位丧亲青少年和8位宗教领袖那里收集数据。
该研究确定了卢希亚人实行的五种哀悼仪式，每种仪式都可能对社区生存和福祉起到进化作用。我们的研究结果表明，卢希亚传统哀悼仪式在社区福祉中发挥着重要作用，尽管并非所有成员都能平等地从这些影响中受益。
该研究发现宗教领袖、文化领袖以及西方生物医学心理健康方法对仪式存在不同观点的冲突。然而，丧亲者报告称，卢希亚仪式和宗教仪式都帮助他们排解了悲痛。为全面解决心理健康问题，在西方模式、宗教方法和文化方法之间建立合作很重要。
