Fisi Funeral

The funeral rites of the afisi are considered savage, barbaric and disgusting by outsiders, but to the afisi themselves, eating their dead is simply a way of honouring them and ensuring that their strength and memory remains with the clan after their passing.

History

Afisi, unlike most species, do not appear to suffer any adverse effects from eating the flesh of their own species. As such, they never developed such strong taboos against cannibalism as other sapients, and it may have become a natural option at times when other prey was scarce.
From this starting point, it became an integral part of their culture and particularly their religion, which teaches that the dead should be eaten so that their experiences and strengths will not go to waste. According to fisi religion, there is no afterlife, and dead people simply rot away and cease to exist if they are not eaten. By consuming the flesh of their deceased ancestors, afisi believe that they gain a portion of that ancestor's abilities. This also extends to enemies defeated in battle and animals brought down in hunts.

Components and tools

The use of implements such as knives is frowned upon by traditionalists, as the purest form of the ritual calls for the use of claws and teeth alone. For the sake of speeding up the ritual if there are a lot of dead bodies, knives to cut up the corpses are permitted for the feasting that follows a battle.

Participants

The closest relatives of the deceased are given the first pick of the remains, with the oldest daughter traditionally eating her parent's heart. However, the whole clan is expected to participate if possible. Even children too young to eat solid food can partake vicariously in the feast by drinking their mother's milk after she has eaten.

Observance

A funeral is held as soon as possible after the person's death, to avoid giving the corpse time to start rotting. Due to this constraint, there are no specifications for the location or time of day, with most bodies being devoured wherever they fell.