The Kusasis-A Short Histroy (2)

of the grave is merely covored over with the pot in the
meantime, so that when the relatives come they can enter
the hole and see the body lying in the ttmnel.
On the death of her husband a Kusasi woman removes
her waist beads
\ piece of common
and usual leaves) dOIming instead a
string decked with leaves from a Shea tree.
Before appearing in the market again she must be
walked rotllld the outside of it .. by an old woman, and thu:lee
days after the death she must have her head shaved.
~prussi wamgQ yomen put a black string round their necks
until after the funeral c.ustom.
The Shea leaves are
never worn by Kusasi. women
except as described above.
The Nabnamba-Kusasis never put them on at all,
however.
When a woman's husband dies the custom is for
her to go into the hen house or sheep pen and roll about
,
on the floor until ooverad with dung.
She then appears
in publiC and shor-tly afterwards is washed by other
women.
Lourning, so far as mle is concerned, is then
finished.
His religion is probably the most important
thing in a Kusasi's life~
It pervades everything he
does, and all his aotions outside the ordinary routine of
daily life are governed by the diotates of the fetishes.