A Drummer's Testament
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How Muslims are buried; stages of a Muslim funeral; sharing property; how chiefs die; how chiefs are buried; the installation of the Regent; chiefs funerals and the work of drummers; example: Savelugu; the Gbɔŋlana and the Pakpɔŋ; seating the Gbɔŋlana; the Kambonsi; Mba Naa and showing the riches; selection of a new chief
Supplementary material
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Contents outline and links by paragraph
Introduction
- 1. differences of Muslim funerals; drummers do not beat
- 2. differences among Muslims: those who only pray and those who are more deeply inside
Muslim funerals
- 3. three days and seven days; can extend time for strangers; finish with the forty days; no showing the riches
- 4. prayers of the dead body in the house and at burial
- 5. gather in evenings for prayers and preaching, throughout
- 6. for maalam or important Muslim, many maalams will come and preach
- 7. final day preaching until daybreak; contributing money and alms; money for maalams; greetings; same prayers at forty days
The forty days
- 8. widows stay inside the house for the forty days
- 9. bathing the widows; prayers and alms; return to family house; some may remain to care for children
Sharing the property among Muslims
- 10. in Dagbamba funeral, can share after showing the riches, but often delay until later
- 11. Muslims share property on the forty days gathering; a maalam shares according to Holy Qur'an; a woman gets one half of man's share
- 12. how property is divided among the widows and children
- 13. property given before death is not counted as a share
- 14. while living, some people give property to brothers' children living with them; otherwise excluded when sharing property at funeral
- 15. written wills can be challenged; people trust maalams; a child can only be excluded when person was alive, not after death
- 16. sharing property is difficult; complexities of a large estate
- 17. Holy Qur'an gives general guidelines for maalams to follow; no specific bequests
Sharing the property in Dagbamba villages for non-Muslims
- 18. typical Dagbamba who are not Muslims; more differences
- 19. in Dagbamba villages, the elder of the funeral takes the property of his brother; also takes care of the children
- 20. in villages, the children will group and give seniority to the eldest brother
- 21. how the house can break up; issues among children of different mothers
- 22. sometimes the household will be unified
Sharing property in the towns
- 23. dividing versus selling a house in the towns
- 24. trouble common among the brothers' wives and children
- 25. example: Alhaji Ibrahim and his brother Sumaani and house in Tamale
- 26. difficult for siblings from different mothers to stay together in a house
Transition
- 27. conclusion of Muslim funerals; no drumming; chiefs' funerals have many talks
- 28. different drumming for different types of people; chiefs are different
Chief's burial and small funeral
- 29. drumming: crying the funeral when dead body in the room; not taught
- 30. chief “does not die“; dress the chief and walk him to the grave
- 31. beating Gingaani for big chiefs; placing the body in the grave; drumming for three days and seven days to finish the small funeral
- 32. deciding about the shaving day and seating the Gbɔŋlana
Example: Savelugu chief's small funeral and seating of Gbɔŋlana
- 33. this talk also about chieftaincy; Savelugu the main chief of western Dagbon (Toma)
- 34. Nanton-Naa performs Savelugu-Naa's funeral
- 35. Yaa-Naa's elders meet Nanton-Naa; Namo-Naa sends elders; Yendi Akarima
- 36. seating Gbɔŋlana after the small funeral; shaving the funeral children
- 37. drummers wake up the funeral on Friday; Kambonsi also come
- 38. shave the Pakpɔŋ and Gbɔŋlana first
- 39. then shave funeral children; drummers beat Yori
- 40. slaughter cow; how it is shared; head to Namo-Naa's messenger; legs to Akarima
- 41. Gbɔŋlana wears “red-day dress“; he and Pakpɔŋ wear hat called buɣu
- 42. Namo-Naa's messager leads Gbɔŋlana outside with Gingaani
- 43. message of the Gbɔŋlana; the chief has not died
- 44. maalams say prayers; after, drummers beat Zuu-waa for the Gbɔŋlana and Pakpɔŋ
- 45. Gbɔnlana will sit in place of chief until final funeral; acts in his place
Example: Savelugu's chief's final funeral, waking up the funeral
- 46. many chiefs come with drummers; bring food; drummers wake up the funeral; Kambonsi
- 47. the Kambonsi: not at every funeral; differences for women and men
- 48. Kambonsi gather and go around the chief's house; dance Kambɔŋ-waa
- 49. Kambonsi can attend a commoner's funeral for pay
Example: Savelugu chief's funeral, showing the riches
- 50. Mba Naa kills the chief's horse and dog
- 51. elders eat blood-soaked cola; meat thrown into wells
- 52. chiefs and Gbɔŋlana ride horses; daughters wear kpari; Pakpɔŋ carries calabash around her neck
- 53. drummers beat; procession around the chief's house three times
- 54. Gbɔŋlana and Pakpɔŋ gather with Nanton-Naa outside the house
- 55. cows and cloths from Gbɔŋlana's mother's house and husbands of Pakpɔŋ and other daughters
- 56. many animals at Savelugu chief's funeral
- 57. not all the cows are slaughtered at chief's house; many used for food for visitors
- 58. dancing in night; next day prayers and alms; funeral children to Nanton and then to Yendi
Choosing a new Savelugu-Naa
- 59. Nanton-Naa sends messenger with Gbɔŋlana to greet Yaa-Naa that funeral is finished; Yaa-Naa will choose new chief
- 60. many chiefs want Savelugu, along with Gbɔŋlana and other princes
- 61. other who claim Savelugu to interfere
- 62. Yaa-Naa informs Namo-Naa of his choice; the drummers gather at Yaa-Naa's house
- 63. Namo-Naa sings praise-names for the chiefs
- 64. Mba Duɣu announces the selection
- 65. putting the gown on the new chief; Namo-Naa beats Ʒɛm; sharing cola
- 66. as the candidates leave Yendi, they greet Yaa-Naa in case of another chieftaincy
- 67. if Gbɔŋlana does not get Savelugu, will be given another chieftaincy
- 68. Gbɔŋlana and funeral children greet Yaa-Naa; follow new chief back to Savelugu
- 69. conclusion of the talk
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Proverbs and Sayings
Everyone learns to the point he can learn.
We are all one, but knowledge and traveling has made us to be more than one another.
A chief does not die.
As our elder is not there, he is not dead. He has traveled.
He has removed the skin and left the molting.
An orphan who becomes annoyed is someone without a father.
Yaa-Naa has given so-and-so this town to go and hold the children. And when he gets home, he should pretend he doesn't hear, and he should be blind, and he should be a fool. He shouldn't say his eyes are open, and he shouldn't say he has heard, and he shouldn't say he is wise.
Chieftaincy doesn't know anything.
“I put something on the skin and went home.”
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Dagbani words and other search terms
- Chiefs and elders
- Balo-Naa
- Banvimlana
- Demon-Naa
- Gbonlana (Gbɔŋlana)
- Gbungbaligalana
- Gundo-Naa
- Gushe-Naa
- Kambong (Kamboŋ)
- Kambonsi
- Kamo-Naa
- Karaga-Naa
- Karagalana
- Kari-Naa
- Kori-Naa
- Kpanalana
- Kpatinlana
- Kunkon-Naa
- Limam, Limams
- Mba Dugu (Mba Duɣu)
- Mba Naa
- Mionlana
- Mionlana Mahami
- Mionlana Mahamuru
- Naa
- Naa Gungobli
- Namo-Naa
- Nanton-Naa
- Pakpon (Pakpɔŋ)
- Palo-Naa
- Sagnerigu-Naa
- Savelugu Palo-Naa
- Savelugu-Naa
- Savelugu-Naa Abilaai
- Savelugulana
- Tibunlana
- Tolon-Naa
- Toma Yaa-Naa
- Wulana
- Yaa-Naa
- Yeri-Naa Yɛri-Naa
- Yendi Sampahi-Naa
- Yidan' Gunu
- Proverbs and praise-names
- M bo m-pa gbandi zugu ka kuli (M bo m-pa gbandi zuɣu kakuli)
- Musical terms
- Akarima
- Bangumanga (Baŋgumaŋa)
- Be kumdi la kuli
- Bimbiegu (Bimbiɛɣu)
- Bimbiegu yaa yen gari, miligim' k'o gari (Bimbiɛɣu yaa yɛn gari, miligim' k'o gari)
- Damahili
- Damba
- Dikala
- Dogu (Doɣu)
- Dotuli
- Gingaani
- Kambon-waa (Kambɔŋ-waa)
- Kulunsi
- Nam zhi sheli (Nam ʒi shɛli)
- Nmantuna yergu (Ŋmantuna yergu)
- timpana
- Yori
- Zambuyee! Kpamkpamba, Zabagsi, Sagyersi, heei! Zambuyee-e, heei! (Zambuyee! Kpamkpamba, Zabaɣsi, Saɣyersi, heei! Zambuyee-e, heei!)
- Zuu-waa
- Miscellaneous terms
- adua
- Alhaji
- Asalaati
- Be pindi la kubihi (Bɛ pindi la kubihi)
- Bugim (Buɣim)
- bugu (buɣu)
- buni wuhibu
- calabash
- chieftaincy
- daba pihinan
- Dagbani
- dawadawa
- fufu
- fula
- gbogno (gbɔɣno)
- gbong (gbɔŋ)
- gungong (guŋgɔŋ)
- Holy Qur'an
- housepeople
- kpaakulo
- kpari
- lana
- maalam, maalams
- maha
- Muslims
- pon (pɔŋ)
- preachings
- sagim (saɣim)
- salimata
- shelorgu (shelɔrgu)
- takaba
- waistband
- Towns and places
- Accra
- Dagbon
- Diari
- Karaga
- Korli
- Kumbungu
- Mion
- Nanton
- Naya
- Sagnerigu
- Savelugu
- Tamalgu
- Tibung
- Tolon
- Toma
- Voggo
- Yendi
- Zangbalin
- Cultural groups
- Dagbamba
- Dagbana
- Gonjas
- Kambɔŋa
- Konkombas
- Kpamkpamba
- Saɣyersi
- Wangara
- Yoruba
- Zabaɣsi