A Drummer's Testament
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Pregnancy and mid-wifery; bathing a newborn child; naming a child; the suuna ceremony; the child in the mother's family house; how a child grows in infancy; differences between Muslims and non-Muslims
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Contents outline and links by paragraph
Introduction
- 1. childbirth and infancy is a long talk
Pregnancy among typical Dagbamba
- 2. length of pregnancy
- 3. pregnancy is not something to be openly discussed
- 4. for first pregnancies, maalams' medicines and talismans; informing the in-laws; “putting the calabash” custom
- 5. husband's sister relationship to child; completing the pregnancy
Childbirth
- 6. calling the midwife; delivery
- 7. childbirth is women's work; maalams' medicines to ease delivery
- 8. some women do not have difficulty, even give birth without midwife; example
- 9. men do not become involved or witness childbirth
The newborn baby
- 10. cutting the cord and treating the navel; burying the afterbirth; cooking naanzubee soup
- 11. bathing the child with kulkula
- 12. new mothers: preparing the new mother's breast milk while another woman nurses the baby
- 13. the first week before the naming, the mother's family sends foodstuffs for cooking; the naming day
Names and the naming day (suuna)
- 14. typical Dagbamba consult soothsayers; newborn child's name is “stranger”
- 15. soothsayers show the grandparent the child “inherits”; takes that name
- 16. getting the name from the mother's side is unusual
- 17. examples of Dagbamba names for boys and girls
- 18. how parents will address the child as the grandparent
- 19. the name can also come from what the parent wants
- 20. Suuna: the naming ceremony: soothsayer shows the sacrifice; shaving the head; circumcize the boys; prepare food for family and visitors; sometimes drummers beat for dancing
Barbers and their work
- 21. how barbers circumcize babies and treat the sore; their payment
- 22. how barbers cut scars and marks on people
- 23. types of marks; some show the town
- 24. types of marks; some show the family or the circumstances of the person
- 25. types of marks; if the family's children have been dying
- 26. types of marks; "for life" or just because the person wants the mark
The mother goes to her parents' house with the baby
- 27. the wife's parents "beg" for the child; carry the baby to their house
- 28. the room where the baby sleeps
- 29. bathing the child by older woman; shaping the head and features
Restrictions on sex
- 32. medicine to protect the unfaithful wife
- 33. different from an unfaithful woman who conceives from a man outside the house
- 34. if a new wife comes to the house with an outside pregnancy; what husbands do
- 35. "crossing over the child's head": having outside sex while at the parents' house can kill the child
- 36. no sex while at parents' house, even with husband; no new pregnancy until the child walks; quarrels
- 37. white people and Arabs do not restrict sex after childbirth; babies who are not breastfed
- 38. if a newborn dies, the wife also goes to parents' house for some months; no sex during that time, otherwise miscarriages and death
How a child grows
- 39. teaching the child to sit, to crawl, and to walk
- 40. how the child gets teeth
- 41. children who cry or become sick; soothsayers show what they want: rings or bangles (nintua, bangari)
How the wife returns to her husband's house
- 42. when child walks, husband sends foodstuffs to in-laws; cow forelegs; husband begs; they delay
- 43. no actual time or schedule, unless the child walks
How Muslims give birth to and name their children
- 44. differences between those who read and those who pray; no talisman or other customs; use midwife; maalam prays into newborn's ear
- 45. all children given name, even those who die
- 46. no soothsayers for naming; use Holy Qur'an for day names; those who pray consult maalam for name choices
- 47. those who pray can choose grandparent's name from the Holy Qur'an
- 48. also give name to someone who decides to become Muslim
- 49. examples of Muslim names for boys and girls; preparing for the suuna
- 50. suuna: prayer, naming, shaving, circumcision for boys, food
- 51. wife goes to parent's house until child walks; no particular customs like typical Dagbamba
- 52. when wife returns, some men wait for wife to menstruate before sleeping with her
Conclusion
- 53. other childhood topics to come
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Proverbs and Sayings
What is coming is not something that is going back.
“We have put her calabash”: Ti ba la o ŋmani
As for force, there is no medicine for it.
We beg for our friend that we will take him home so that we will bathe him for some days.
She has added to the pregnancy.
“She has crossed over her child's head”: O yɛɣla o bia zuɣu
A dog and meat cannot gather at one place.
Tomorrow is also medicine.
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Dagbani words and other search terms
- Chiefs and elders
- Yidan' Gunu (chief of barbers)
- Savelugu-Naa Mahami
- Names and people
- Abdulai (Simaani)
- Alhassan (Ibrahim)
- Fatawu (Ibrahim)
- Kissmal (Ibrahim Hussein)
- Osmanu (Ibrahim)
- Danaa
- Dawuni
- Napari
- Naparo
- Nayi
- Neempaga (Neempaɣa)
- Paganaa (Paɣanaa)
- Pagawuni (Paɣawuni)
- Saampaga (Saampaɣa)
- Saandoo
- Sibri
- Tidoo
- Tipaga (Tipaɣa)
- Wumbee
- Wumbero
- Abubakari
- Amina
- Ayishetu
- Azima
- Fati
- Fuseina
- Ibrahim
- Iddrisu
- Lahiri
- Mahamadu
- Mimunatu
- Miscellaneous terms
- bagyuli (baɣyuli)
- bangari (baŋgari)
- biekoba (biɛkɔba)
- calabash
- cedi, cedis
- chahinchegu (chahinchɛɣu)
- coalpot
- cowives
- cowlegs
- dawadawa
- dura
- duumbilga
- fula
- gbargu
- groundnut
- gurundoo
- Holy Qur'an
- housepeople
- jengberi (jɛngbɛri)
- kalanchahili
- kanaafiri
- kpaankobga (kpaankɔbga)
- kpakahil
- kpalgu
- kpihiginintam
- kulkula
- maalam, maalams
- Muslim, Muslims
- musuulo
- naa
- naanzubee
- naming
- nintua
- nintugari
- nmam-ma bihili (ŋmam-ma bihili)
- O yegla o bia zugu (O yɛɣla o bia zuɣu)
- pagpuulana (paɣpuulana: pregnant woman)
- pesewa, pesewas
- pirba
- sabli
- salinvogu (salinvɔɣu)
- shea
- suuna
- tapalli
- Ti ba la o nmani (Ti ba la o ŋmani)
- tolana
- walga
- yokolgu (uncircumcized)
- yoli
- zana
- zoli
- Towns and places
- Dagbon (Dagbɔŋ)
- Karaga
- Larabanga
- Savelugu
- Cultural groups
- Arabs
- Ashantis
- Dagbamba
- Dagbana
- Frafra
- Gurunsi
- Gurunsis
- Hausas