The dead vanish into the depths of the earth, but their spirits never die. They join the hosts of ancestors, and use their power as spirits to work for the benefit of the tribe. Memorial figures are carved in their honor, to provide them with a temporal place to reside. The figures are treated with great respect, as through them the ancestors remain symbolically and spiritually alive. W hen death occurs in the community, the mourners chant dirges and extol the virtues of the deceased.
Dancers wearing costumes and masks often appear to invoke the ancestral spirits.
Through the vehicle of the masks, the spirits participate in the funeral, and they are asked to guide the dead person's soul safely to the other world. A dult secret societies were very important in African societies. Among their many duties, the adult societies served as custodians of the tribe's ancestral traditions. They preserve the myths, laws, and customs of the past, and dutifully hand them down when each new generation is initiated. The girls are taught what their duties as wives and mothers will be, and the boys are put through various ordeals to test their manliness and courage.