A Drummer's Testament
<Home page>
<PDF file>
The relationship of dancing and drumming; differences in styles of dancing; differences between men's and women's dancing; how people learn dancing; aesthetics of good dancing
<top of page>
Supplementary material
Images: Multiple chapters (I-15 to I-23)
<top of page>
Contents outline and links by paragraph
Introduction
- 1. overview: the starting of different dances
- 2. dances are not grouped, such as for women or men; drummers beat all dances
- 3. there is dancing at many occasions
Benefits of dancing
- 4. dancing shows happiness; even at final funerals; drumming but no dancing during burial time
- 5. some burials have no drumming; Kulunsi after return to house; praising; dancing at final funeral; exceptions
- 6. dancing especially for old person's funeral; happiness for long life
- 7. dancing and happiness go together
- 8. dancing makes a town good; increases a town's name
Dancing styles and projection of character
- 9. different styles of dancing add to the dance; make it nice, reflect happiness and cool heart
- 10. the dance shows the heart of the person
- 11. dancing with respect; patience and coolness
- 12. different types of dancing reflect different types of human personalities
- 13. showing oneself; project coolness, happiness, and self-respect
- 14. dancing is a choice; what the heart wants
- 15. example: at market show part and hide part of what you sell; or who you are; preserves respect
Dancing movements
- 16. dancing: good to dance coolly, with respect and patience; not roughly
- 17. no particular meaning to movements; try to follow traditional precedents; acknowledge elders
- 18. respect tradition with dress
- 19. good dancers dress dance appropriately to the drumming and the dance itself; don't mix styles
- 20. older people know tradition; dance better than young people
- 21. older people have more knowledge of traditional significance
- 22. experience and knowledge make the dancing nice
Dancers and drummers
- 23. experience: it is good to know the dance and learn it well
- 24. the dancer can follow the beating of the guŋgɔŋ
- 25. dancer can also engage the drummer; drummer can help the dancer
- 26. Nakɔhi-waa originally had movement from drummer; now some other dances
Learning dancing
- 27. can learn dancing from watching and not from asking
- 28. try to dance to resemble an admired dancer one has watched
- 29. when people are dancing, people look at them
- 30. can learn dancing by watching and listening
- 31. styles of movement from the type of dance; some dancers don't have many styles
Dancing of chiefs and commoners
- 32. Damba does not have many styles; movements reflect chieftaincy
- 33. formerly the commoners did not have dance circles as at today's gatherings
- 34. formerly an offense for commoner to dress or dance like a chief
- 35. modern days, the chiefs and commoners are closer
- 36. modern times are good for drummers because life is easier
- 37. people know one another's standing at the gathering place
- 38. when a person dances, drummers show the family; the dance should reflect relationship to ancestors
Dancing of princes
- 39. showing oneself in dancing is not bluffing; but princes don't show themselves
- 40. princes put limits on dances and styles
- 41. different dancing styles for a prince who gets chieftaincy; will not hide
- 42. differences in dancing of chief, commoner, prince
Dancing and styles
- 43. the beating shows which dances have styles, but styles are not as important as dancer's projections
- 44. cool dancing is interesting, but should follow the drums; make the dance look nice
- 45. dancer follows the beating; follows the guŋgɔŋ and all drums together
- 46. drummers can show dancer how to move; makes the dance nicer for everyone
- 47. change dances when drumming changes; different tribes dance with different parts of body
- 48. dancing mainly in the legs; use of arms in Nakɔhi-waa
- 49. Nakɔhi-waa is difficult; sometimes Nakɔhi-waa dancer's arms are just adding movement; Naanigoo is nice without many styles
- 50. drummers adjust beating to individual dancer's movement
Men's and women's dancing
- 51. women also dance in Dagbon
- 52. differences in men's and women's dancing from the body; women more discreet
- 53. woman's body is loose, can move faster; man has more strength
- 54. man dances, turns, and shows smock; women show beauty
- 55. women dance with more shyness; feet in and out; Zamanduniya good for women
- 56. women's arm movements in Damba, Naɣbiɛɣu, Naanigoo; foot movements in Nakɔhi-waa
Dancing and tribal styles
- 57. Damba movements
- 58. Mamprusi dance movements
Conclusion
- 59. dances are different; people call both drummers and goonji groups
- 60. transition to group dances
<top of page>
Proverbs and Sayings
Where you see people dancing, it means there is no sorrow there.
Truly, it is happiness that is the dance.
If there is a town and you don't have people who dance, the town becomes weak.
If there is a town and there are no dances, it is not a good town.
Salt does not praise itself.
When you dance beautifully, it shows that your heart is cool and that your heart is lying down.
To dance with respect: you hold yourself coolly, and you don't laugh too much, but you laugh.
Somebody who keeps quiet is not a fool, and somebody who talks too much is not a mad person.
As the drummers have brought you out in the public, they have shown your respect, and when you stand up to come out and dance, you are showing yourself.
If you want to do any work that concerns a group or people watching, you shouldn't tie your face.
You can take cold water and cook somebody, but if you take hot water to cook somebody, he will run away and leave you.
When you are dancing, you should cool your heart, and you should not tie your face.
The dance you are dancing, it is your heart that wants that dance; that's why you are dancing it.
Showing yourself, on the part of dancing, and what I have told you, it means that you don't have to give your whole self or all your secrets out. You have to show it and also hide part of it.
It is a human being who will respect himself before the town respects him.
The dance you dance until the next morning, you don't shake yourself very hard.
Dancing coolly makes the dance more beautiful,
How we look at it, beauty is on the part of when you have seen something and it makes your heart happy.
The work you grow up to meet, that is the work you also do.
Don't cook your soup and then put honey inside it.
As for the work of the eye, you don't ask questions again, because the eye has seen it.
When you see something, it is better than your ear hearing it.
The tradition is what adds more to someone's dancing.
Shyness and pride: these two things are within a human being
A person's style in dancing comes from his way of living, that is, the heart or the character.
<top of page>
Dagbani words and other search terms
- Chiefs and elders
- Naa Yenzoo
- Naa Zanjina
- Musical terms
- Baamaaya
- Damba
- Dikala
- goonji, goonjis
- gungon (guŋgɔŋ)
- Kulunsi
- lunga (luŋa)
- Lua
- lundaa
- Nagbiegu (Naɣbiɛɣu)
- Naanigoo
- Nakohi-waa (Nakɔhi-waa)
- Nantoo Nimdi
- Tora (Tɔra)
- Taachi
- Takai
- yua
- Zamanduniya
- Zhim Taii Jurugu (Ʒim Taai Kurugu)
- Miscellaneous terms
- cedis
- chieftaincy
- chinchansi
- Dagbani
- jengbarga (jɛŋgbarga)
- maalams
- Mouth-tying month
- Muslims
- Ramadan
- suhu pielli (suhu piɛlli)
- suhu sogimbo (suhu soɣimbo)
- tindanas
- Togo
- Water-drinking month
- zhim (ʒim)
- Names and people
- Holy Prophet
- Holy Prophet Muhammad
- Towns and places
- Dagbon
- Yendi
- Cultural groups
- Dagbamba
- Gonja
- Kotokolis
- Mamprusi