In a coastal neighborhood near Accra, the workshop air can smell like fresh-cut wood and paint. A coffin might be taking the shape of a bright fish, a cocoa pod, a sleek airplane, or a familiar tool—forms that look almost playful until you remember their purpose. In Ghana, these are often called “fantasy coffins” or “figurative coffins,” and among the Ga people they are known as abebuu adekai, a phrase frequently translated as “receptacles of proverbs.” They are made to carry a life story the way a proverb carries wisdom: compact, symbolic, and meant to be remembered.
For families encountering this tradition for the first time—perhaps through a photo, a museum exhibition, or a friend’s account—it can be hard to understand how something so visually bold can also be sacred. But that tension is part of the point. A Ghana fantasy coffin is not meant to hide the reality of death behind a plain surface. It’s meant to speak. It says: this person mattered, this life had shape, and our goodbye will honor that shape.
Where the tradition comes from and why it matters
Fantasy coffins grew from local histories of status, symbolism, and ceremony in the Greater Accra Region. Many accounts trace the development of modern figurative coffins to the mid-20th century and to workshops associated with the Teshie area, building on earlier traditions that used figurative forms in ceremonial contexts. Over time, what began in more specific social and spiritual settings became a widely recognized form of funeral expression—especially among Ga communities—and eventually a visual language known around the world. Museum and cultural organizations have documented how abebuu adekai developed from the 1950s onward, connecting craft practice, family memory, and changing public life in Ghana.
If you want one clear takeaway, it’s this: these coffins aren’t “novelty.” They are chosen in grief, in love, and with deep intention. A recent report covered by Religion News Service describes how families work with craftsmen to select designs that reflect identity, occupation, and sometimes status. That practical detail—collaboration, craft time, and careful choice—matters because it reminds us that meaning is built through decisions, not just tradition.
Choosing a design: how families turn a life into a symbol
When a family commissions a fantasy coffin, they are doing something many families around the world try to do in quieter ways: they’re asking, “What tells the truth about who this person was?” In Ghana’s figurative coffin tradition, the answer is often visual and immediate. A fisher may be honored with a fish shape. A pilot or a dreamer might be remembered in an airplane. A beloved farmer could be represented through crops or tools. The coffin becomes a last portrait—one built from symbols rather than photographs.
That doesn’t mean the design is random or purely decorative. In many communities, certain forms can carry specific cultural weight. A shape might signal family lineage, social role, or a proverb that the community understands. The “fantasy” isn’t escapism; it’s storytelling. It’s the community saying: we know who you are, and we will carry you accordingly.
Common themes you’ll see in Ghana fantasy coffins
- Work and vocation: fish, taxis, sewing machines, microphones, tools
- Identity and character: animals tied to symbolism, beloved objects, or personal emblems
- Dreams and movement: airplanes, boats, cars—images of journey and aspiration
Even when two coffins share a similar theme, the details tend to be specific: the type of fish, the color pattern, the way a logo is painted, the expression of an animal sculpture. Those details are where grief and love quietly show up. A family isn’t just choosing “a fish.” They’re choosing his fish, the one he sold, the one he joked about, the one that fed the household.
Craftsmanship: how a fantasy coffin is made
To understand why these coffins are both sacred funeral objects and internationally collected art, it helps to look at the work itself. A figurative coffin is not simply painted to look like something; it is engineered to be that thing in three dimensions, while remaining structurally functional. The craft demands carpentry skill, proportion, balance, joinery, sanding, and finishing. The painted surface isn’t an afterthought—it’s part of the storytelling and part of the honor.
In workshops associated with this tradition, the process often begins with conversation and sketches. The family describes the person: what they loved, how they lived, what the community knew them for. The craftsman translates that into form. In that sense, a fantasy coffin is not only an object; it’s a relationship between maker and mourners. A good workshop listens carefully, because the “right” shape is less about what looks impressive and more about what feels true.
Cultural institutions have also explored how these coffins moved into global art contexts. For example, an exhibition description from the Museum of International Folk Art highlights how abebuu adekai are connected to the Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshop in Teshie-Nungua and traces their evolution from mid-century origins to international recognition. You can read one such overview via the Museum of International Folk Art’s exhibition notes, which situate the coffins within both local funeral practice and broader artistic discourse.
Sacred object and collected art: holding both truths at once
It can feel uncomfortable to see funeral objects in galleries. Some families worry that the tradition will be misunderstood, reduced to aesthetic shock, or separated from the grief that gives it meaning. At the same time, international interest has helped preserve and document the craft, and it has allowed artisans to build livelihoods from their skill. In the real world, both realities often coexist: some coffins are built for burial, and others are commissioned for display. What matters is not pretending the tension doesn’t exist, but staying honest about what the coffin means where it comes from.
In Ghanaian contexts where fantasy coffins are part of elaborate funerals—events that may include music, community presence, and a strong emphasis on honoring the person—these designs can shift the emotional atmosphere. Reports describe mourners gathering around the craft itself, sometimes finding a brief softness in the midst of sorrow because the coffin tells a story rather than simply containing loss. That doesn’t erase grief. It gives grief a form to gather around.
What Ghana’s figurative coffins can teach any family about funeral planning
Not every culture uses sculptural coffins, and not every family wants one. But the impulse underneath the tradition is universal: making choices that reflect a person’s life. In that sense, Ghana fantasy coffins can open a helpful door into funeral planning for families everywhere. They remind us that a meaningful goodbye is rarely about one “correct” option. It’s about aligning practical decisions with values, identity, and the way a family wants to remember.
In many places, that alignment happens through different memorial objects and rituals. Some families choose burial with a traditional casket. Others choose cremation and ask different questions: Will we be keeping ashes at home? Will we scatter them? Will we create a shared memorial so multiple relatives can grieve in their own way? The object changes, but the need for symbolism remains.
According to the National Funeral Directors Association, cremation continues to rise in the United States, with the 2025 cremation rate projected at 63.4% and long-term projections still trending upward. The Cremation Association of North America also tracks year-over-year data, reporting a U.S. cremation rate of 61.8% for 2024. More cremation means more families are faced with the same tender, practical question: what to do with ashes—and how to do it in a way that feels like love rather than logistics.
From story-shaped coffins to story-shaped memorials: urns, keepsakes, and jewelry
For families choosing cremation, the equivalent of a “speaking object” is often the urn—or something even smaller. The urn becomes the place where the story is held, displayed, carried, or gently released. If you’re beginning that decision, Funeral.com’s collections are organized in a way that matches how families actually think: by purpose, by size, and by the kind of daily life you want the memorial to fit into.
Many families start with classic cremation urns designed to hold a full set of remains. If you’re browsing options, the cremation urns for ashes collection can help you see materials and styles side by side, without having to know the “right” answer upfront. When families want a smaller footprint—or want to share ashes among siblings—small cremation urns are often the next step, and Funeral.com’s small cremation urns for ashes collection is built specifically for that use.
Sometimes, though, the need is even more intimate. A portion of ashes might be set aside for a child, a parent, or a partner who wants something close. That’s where keepsake urns come in. They aren’t “lesser” memorials; they’re memorials designed for sharing and proximity. You can explore that approach through the keepsake cremation urns for ashes collection, which pairs well with families who are coordinating multiple tributes.
For others, what feels right is wearable remembrance: cremation jewelry that holds a tiny portion of ashes. Some people prefer a discreet pendant; others want something that feels like a daily ritual—touching it before a meeting, holding it on an anniversary, carrying a private connection through public life. Funeral.com offers both a broad cremation jewelry collection and a more specific cremation necklaces collection, which can be helpful if you already know you want a necklace-style memorial.
And if your grief includes a companion animal, the same questions apply with the same tenderness. pet urns are often chosen in the weeks after a loss, when the house still feels arranged around routines that suddenly stopped. Families looking for pet urns for ashes can begin with Funeral.com’s pet cremation urns for ashes collection, which includes traditional shapes and materials as well as more expressive memorial styles. If you want something that feels like sculpture—something that resembles your pet’s presence—the pet figurine cremation urns for ashes collection is designed around that idea. And for families who want to share a small portion between multiple people, pet keepsake cremation urns can offer a gentle solution.
Keeping ashes at home, water burial, and the quiet choices families make
One reason Ghana’s abebuu adekai tradition resonates across cultures is that it treats memorial choices as part of the story—not an afterthought. Cremation families often need that same permission. If you are considering keeping ashes at home, it’s normal to have practical concerns about safety, placement, visitors, children, or what happens years from now. Funeral.com’s guide on keeping ashes at home walks through those questions in a steady, respectful way.
Other families feel drawn to water—because the person loved the sea, because it feels like release, or because it matches an eco-minded value. People sometimes use “water burial” casually, but the details matter when you’re planning. If you’re considering a biodegradable urn that floats briefly before dissolving, or one that sinks more directly, Funeral.com’s guide to biodegradable water urns for ashes can help you understand how these options work in real ceremonies.
And if you’re still at the earliest stage—simply wondering what to do with ashes—it can help to see the full landscape of choices, from scattering and burial to keepsakes and jewelry. Funeral.com’s article on what to do with a loved one’s ashes is written for families who are trying to move one decision at a time, without rushing grief.
Cost questions are part of grief, too
Families rarely want to talk about money in the same breath as loss, but planning makes it unavoidable. If you’re asking how much does cremation cost, you’re not being cold—you’re trying to keep your footing. The National Funeral Directors Association notes median costs for U.S. funeral services and compares typical totals for burial and cremation scenarios, which can give families a baseline for expectation-setting. And because real pricing depends on the type of cremation you choose (direct cremation versus a full-service funeral with cremation), Funeral.com’s practical guide to how much cremation costs can help you understand common fees, add-ons, and where quotes can differ.
In many places, memorial traditions also sit inside a real economic context. Families weigh meaning, craft, travel, venue costs, and community expectations while trying to honor a loved one. That is a universal tension: meaning and budget are not enemies, but they do have to meet each other honestly.
What it means to honor someone well
Ghana’s abebuu adekai tradition endures because it gives families a language for honoring identity. The form may be bold, but the intention is familiar: to say goodbye in a way that matches the life that was lived. Whether your family’s memorial object is a figurative coffin, a classic casket, a home display urn, a shared set of keepsake urns, or a simple pendant among cremation necklaces, you are doing the same human work—carrying love forward with as much clarity as you can.
If you’re planning now, try to hold onto one gentle truth: there is rarely a single “right” choice. There are choices that fit your family, your beliefs, and your loved one’s story. And if you need help translating that story into practical steps—choosing urn size, deciding on placement, understanding jewelry, or mapping out next decisions—resources like Funeral.com’s guide on how to choose a cremation urn and its cremation jewelry 101 overview can offer steadiness when your mind feels crowded.
In the end, a fantasy coffin is a proverb you can see. And many modern memorial choices—an urn on a shelf, a necklace close to the heart, a pet cremation urns figurine that resembles a beloved companion—are also proverbs, just spoken in different materials. They say: this mattered. This is how we remember. This is how we carry them.
