after a death, the body of a prominent member of society is placed on a stool in a sitting posture and is clothed in the deceased's finest garments. animal sacrifices may be offered and the dead person is well perfumed. burial usually follows within 24 hours of death. in the 21st century, the head of a home is usually buried within the compound of his residence. different types of deaths warrant different types of burials. this is determined by an individual's age, gender and status in society. children are buried in hiding and out of sight; their burials usually take place in the early mornings and late nights. a simple untitled man is buried in front of his house and a simple mother is buried in her place of origin: in a garden or a farm-area that belonged to her father. in the 21st century, a majority of the igbo bury their dead in the western way, although it is not uncommon for burials to be practiced in the traditional igbo ways.