Six Feet Under

January 29, 2005 8:50 AM

Want to get buried in a fish, an airplane, or car?A visit with Ghana's fantasy coffin manufacturers just might help you achieve your dreams for death. Check out the pictures.
posted by drezdn (11 comments total)

i really like these--but the polished uterus is pushing it a bit--like going backwards maybe?
posted by amberglow at 9:05 AM on January 29, 2005

Nice. I've got my eye on that beer bottle.
posted by hojoki at 9:16 AM on January 29, 2005

See, until I reread the FPP, I was thinking this was a post along the Turducken lines.

But these are pretty cool. Not as polished as the ones made by these folks. But they are pretty imaginative and cool.

Just because it would make people wonder forever, I'd probably go with the chicken casket!
posted by fenriq at 9:45 AM on January 29, 2005

[this is good]
posted by scarabic at 10:02 AM on January 29, 2005

I saw these in a store in Philly called Material Culture. I'm hoping they weren't, eh, used.
posted by contessa at 10:37 AM on January 29, 2005

Good post, drezdn! Apparently, the Ghanaians like to make a final statement. Here are photos of a wake and a burial (tripod) and here is more about these coffins.

Personally, I might opt for an urn.
posted by madamjujujive at 11:13 AM on January 29, 2005

If you're in D.C. check out these coffins in person at Smithsonians Museum of Natural History's excellent African Voices exhibit.
posted by maniactown at 11:20 AM on January 29, 2005

Up until now I planned on being cremated and having my remains handed out to mourners in ziplock baggies, but I'm starting to like the idea of being buried in a giant chicken.
posted by Marit at 12:08 PM on January 29, 2005

More on Ghana fantasy coffins. (Not a double-post callout, obviously, just a pointer to more discussion.)
posted by languagehat at 1:19 PM on January 29, 2005

Very cool pictures, although the giant uterus is a bit squick-worthy to me. Now I know where to go when I make good on my threats to bury my mother in a giant penguin-shaped coffin.
posted by chickygrrl at 1:22 PM on January 29, 2005

I love this!

I am quickly flipping through my mental files trying to come up with my ultimate coffin. I can't get around the fact that I dislike the idea of coffins too much, so my husband has suggested either a pocket watch, a zippo lighter, or a Scooby Doo lunch box.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 2:20 PM on January 29, 2005