Mossi

Ancestral Spirits

Rogo Miki involves constant communion with the keemse, the spirits of the ancestors. The ancestral spirits of the Mossi dwell in keem koulogou, the land of the dead, and are active and concerned with the daily lives of their descendants as if they are living elders in the community, but keemse also have the power to protect or punish according to whether tradition is followed. However, they can only protect Mossi who are in Yatenga or Mossi land. The most powerful ancestral spirits are those of the founder of the clan or lineage, the kikirigo, which means twin. Out of respect for their power, the names of these ancestors are not used. Those who have died after achieving advanced age also receive attention in ancestral ritual. Children receive little attention because they will be reborn at some point.

The rokyengo, or ancestral shrine of the founder of the lineage, is located in the residence of the elder of the head family of that lineage. Keemse rogo, or house of the spirits of the dead, are located in other families' houses of the lineage. The shrines are domes of hardened earth that contain earthenware pots that receive sacrifices of chickens, millet beer, millet flour, and water, and, on rare occasions, goats and sheep. Generally, the more significant the request is, the more valuable the sacrifice.

Sacrifices to ancestral shrines can occur at any time and are made as offers of thanksgiving and requests for protection, to affirm birth, puberty, marriage, and death, before journeys and economic endeavors, and to thwart illness. Husbands can offer sacrifice on behalf of their wives and children. Young people request the permission of a lineage elder for a sacrifice to be made on their behalf. Women can ask that sacrifice be made to their husbands' lineage.

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