1.

During Grandfather Bakhye funeral he experienced the three stages of initiation;

separation, transition, and reincorporation. The first initiation, separation refers to the
actually separation of Grandfathers Bakhye body and spirt. This is known process that
many religions believe happen. Similar to Christianity, the spirt leaves the body to
enter heaven, or in the Grandfathers Bakhye case a new world. Grandfather Bakhye
spirit wasnt ready to leave yet and thats when they dressed him up and seated him
up right while tribe members sang, played the drums, and mourned. This was
preparing him for the transition stage. The transition phase is his sprit transitioning
into a new universe. This a very important stage where people believe that dressing a
certain way or burying valuables with the dead will make their transition easier and
more effective. The last stage reincorporation is the burial of Grandfathers Bakhye
body. His body will be reincorporated into the earth and tribe through burial. I believe
the ritual is an ideological. I choose ideological ritual due to the fact that the rituals
depict codes of appropriate behavior within the community and encourages cohesion,
while helping the community through the crisis. One way that the funeral is similar to
funerals I have been to be the time put into it. Funerals in my family can last a week
long due to planning, the wake, the actually funeral, and burial ceremony. Funerals
are something that involves a lot of time, money, and energy because even though the
person is deceased we still feel that they deserve to be buried correctly.
2. One tradition that stood out to me was that the grandchildren received a lot of
information from their grandparents in the Dagara culture. The relationship between
Bakhye and Malidoma was very close and intense. The fact that young boys who
werent given the opportunity to have a relationship with their grandfather hindered
their adult life was interesting. The seminary education was very different from the
Dagara customs. The seminary education were very strict and demanding. For
example, he was introduced to science and mathematics. Also Malidoma was
expected to know French and the Latin Bible, and if you were not able to remember
you would be smacked in the head with a stick. The seminary was very harsh. They
would call the students out of their name to get a message across all students that they
do not mind public humiliation. Majority of the words and teachings he was expected
to remember he have never been traduced to. However the Dagara teaching was very
 similar. One thing that I thought would have been switched around was the act of free
speech. In the seminary that was strictly prohibited, but in the Dagara culture you
were free to express yourself. It would seem that in the Dagara tribe you would be
more limited in things you could say due to they would not want exposure to other
ways of life, but that wasnt the case. The seminary were very stern about what you
said and what was appropriate. My education has a little bit of both cultures in it. A
lot of stuff I have learned has come from my parents and grandparents. They were my
initial teachers when it came to common sense and right from wrong. Also basic
knowledge was exposed to me early from my parents. Also my education can be
similar to the seminary. The introduction to other topics such as science and math are
things I am still exposed to my line of education. Also having to learn things that are
foreign to me and expecting to remember it is something that I can relate to. Also the
scolding if not being able to live up to my teachers expectation. I wasnt threaten the
way Malidoma was but I was threatened with bad grades and in-school suspension.
Overall I wouldnt say my education was just like any of the other cultures but have
similar tendencies.
3. Due to Malidoma was away for fifteen years the elders believe he should be re-
initiated due to he may have lost his customs. He was away from the Dagara
community which could have allowed him forget his language, characteristics and
traits. All of the villagers where concerned of what Malidoma could have picked up
from the white westerners which could have caused him cultural confusion. The
elders expressed their concern on page 176 you are the first to carry into the village
the kind of knowledge you have. Its as if the real you is somewhere else still trying to
find the route home. I believe Malidoma goes though the revitalization ritual. He
gets his old cultural values restores and the tribe members are educating him through
revitalization. The three stages that make up this ritual is separation, liminality, and
incorporation. Malidoma undergoes separation by first finding his mission. He goes
through the cave and finds the shell that tells him the meaning of life. The second
stage is liminality or transition stage. This stage is when you are neither living or in
the after-life. You spirt is in-between to allow it to move freely. Malidoma was forced
to stare at a tree until he had a revelation. He also crossed a river bridged by
 crocodiles which symbolized family. He was also able to fly to a mountain in this
state so he could find the Kontomble world. He dreamed of having a wife and kids
which was illegal therefore he was executed in the state. The last stage, incorporation,
is the when the passage is completed which allows for him to have a new identity.
This will allow him to be accepted back into the village.
4. Names have a meaning. In most cultures, when naming a child a great deal goes into
it. Whether they are naming the child after someone or what the name means or
symbolize its a very important aspect of a persons life. Some believe that your name
will determine your life. Depending on what your name means depends on the trials
and tribulations you will go through in life. Malidoma name means be friend with
the enemy in his native language. Everything that happened in Malidomas life lead
up to his life. Malidoma visited the western world and brings back knowledge do his
community. This is a great description of someone who befriends the enemy. The
ancestors where a very important aspect of a childs name. Supposedly the ancestors
spirits communicate with priest, mother, and grandfather through rituals. The
ancestors would show the childs mission in life and propose possible names.
Through the childs life the ancestors help them fulfil their destiny and stay on track.