Coffin in the Form of a Fish: Explore Collections: Windows to the World: Digital Artifacts for Global Educators: Indiana University Bloomington

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Coffin in the Form of a Fish

Coffin in the Form of a Fish

In coastal Ghana, one last way for family members to honor a deceased relative is by burial in a so-called “designer” or fantasy coffin. Bold, colorful, and inventive, these coffins relate to the deceased’s profession, status, or accomplishments and take the form of objects ranging from cars (Mercedes Benz is a favorite) to cocoa pods (one of the region’s important cash crops). Along the coast, many people’s occupations are sea-related, so it is not surprising to find coffins in the form of boats, outboard motors, fishing nets, lobsters, crabs, and fish of various forms and colors. (Courtesy Eskenazi Museum of Art.)

A painted wooden coffin in the shape of a fish. The fish is painted pink with red stripes near its top, and the fins are painted yellow, with crimson areas where the fins join with the fish's body.

Throughout much of the Ghanaian coast, coffins often look quite different from those in the United States. Many people commission abebuu adekai (proverb boxes) or fantasy coffins as final ways to honor their deceased family members. These commissioned pieces symbolize things such as the person’s profession, accomplishments, or status. Coffins take on forms such as cars, marine life, or agricultural products. For the families who commission these coffins, ancestors live on in the next life, much as they did in this life, and it is important to ensure they are properly respected. Fantasy coffins first came about in the 1950’s, but their history has its roots in the figurative palanquins used for the burials of Ga chiefs.

This particular coffin was made by the workshop of Ernest Anang Kwei. Ernest Anang Kwei was a second-generation coffin maker whose father, Seth Kane Kwei, created coffins for the Musée National d'Art Moderne’s 1989 exhibition Les Magicines de la terre. This exhibition was the first professional showing of fantasy coffins in the West. Since the exhibition, coffins have been commissioned by and displayed in galleries across the globe.

Fish-Shaped Coffin Activity Guide

Teacher-Made Fish Coffin Lesson Plan- 2nd Grade ELA

Resources

Resource 1

Fantasy Coffins- BBC

This is an article from the BBC, which talks about the birth and growth of fantasy coffins in Ghana. The coffin studio in this article is the same one that produced the fish coffin.

Resource 2

Fantasy Coffin Exhibit- National Museum of Funeral History

The National Museum of Funeral History has a special exhibit dedicated to Ghanian fantasy coffins. Notice how each coffin showcases something different about the person it was commissioned for.

Resource 3

sarcophagus.jfif

Image credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Development of the Egyptian Coffin- ARCE

Another well-known example of elaborate coffins comes from Ancient Egypt. This article from the American Research Center in Egypt talks about the structure of Egyptian coffins and how they came to be such an important part of Egyptian religion.