Broko dei fu a Graanman Intro

I visited Matt, a Peace Corps volunteer in a village on the Tapanahony River (where the funeral is taking place), for a few days during the broko-dei for the graanman of the Njuka people. A broko-dei is a maroon funeral. The Njuka people are descendents of escaped slaves (maroons) who hid in the interior of Suriname. Funerals are typically weeklong celebrations of the life of the deceased. The word broko-dei literally means “break the day” because family members party in front of the casket until dawn. In the interior, the head political figure is called a graanman (like grand man). Since the graanman of the Njuka people was a public figure who was in power for over 40 years, his broko-dei has been a several month long event. He died in 2011, and the funeral is still going on in March of 2012.