The Voice From the Dead

As I joined the crowd, I looked around to see if I could see my mother or my brother Ronald, but they were not there, only my brother Percy came along later that afternoon. Although I was very hungry I did not eat very much because I too was mourning the death of my great-uncle.

The following day the body was prepared for burial, but just before it was time for the burial to commence there was a delay caused by the late arrival of their daughters from Kingston, Edna and Gertrude.  When they arrived the coffin was taken by a carriage hearse, pulled by six white horses in black regalia to Dundee Church for the service. After the service, the coffin was taken back to the house to be buried beside the graves of his brothers and sisters.

Before the burial all the family began to arrive from various parishes all over the island.  Apart from the two daughters, there were brothers, cousins and many members of the extended family.

People from the surrounding villages came to the house all day to pay their last respects as this was the custom of the people and still is to this day.  On the night of the burial when everyone gathers together it is usual no one sleeps that night.

White people from the villages around German Town, Point, Flagstaff, Tangle River, Vaunsfield and other surrounding areas all came to pay their last respects to my great-uncle.  There were also workers from the plantations, the banana cutters and carriers, the sugar cane workers, the workers who tended the cattle in the fields, the truck drivers and black people from all the surrounding villages.  The house could not hold them all as they came and went throughout the night. The sound of mournful hymns sung by weeping voices could be heard echoing around the villages, it was the first time in my life I had witnessed the death of any of my family it was an unforgettable experience.

While the body of my great-uncle remained lying in state many hundreds of people gathered throughout the day to pay their last respects.  There was weeping and mourning by relatives and old friends while the burial took place and continued through the night after his burial.