A Drummer's Testament: Dagbamba Society and Culture in the Twentieth Century
Dedicated to Musicians and Friends of Musicians
A Drummer's Testament is the product of a collaborative ethnographic effort. Led by John M. Chernoff and Alhaji Ibrahim Abdulai, a team of elders and translators gathered and preserved extensive lectures on Dagbamba music, history, and culture. This web-based publication of A Drummer's Testament is intended to provide free access to that living body of cultural memory and thought. In addition to research consultants, other
co-authors and principal collaborators were Kissmal Ibrahim Hussein, Benjamin Danjumah Sunkari, Mustapha Muhammad, Alhaji Mumuni Abdulai, and Rev. Daniel A. Wumbee.
How to Navigate This Website
Each chapter has a PORTAL page that has links to:
- the chapter text both as a webpage and as a PDF file that can be downloaded and printed;
- a paragraph-by-paragraph outline of the chapter, with links to the major sections of the chapter's content;
- a section that excerpts proverbs and sayings from within the chapter;
- a section that lists names, places, and Dagbani terms in the chapter's text;
- when relevant, links to images, to audio files, or to supplementary aids for managing information.
A Drummer's Testament is organized into three volumes:
- The first volume, The Work of Drumming, describes Dagbamba culture and the role of drumming in Dagbamba society.
- The second volume, Old Talks, describes the history of Dagbon, the political and religious
institutions of Dagbamba society, and the role of drummers in maintaining historical knowledge.
- The third volume, In Our Living, describes economic and family customs within the stages of life from childhood through householding and old age.
- These volumes are supplemented by links to facilitate readers' access to the information in the chapters, from content outlines,
visual and audio media, genealogies, and other material.
- Also supplementary is an Introduction by co-author John Chernoff, discussing the project's research context and methods.
© 2024 John M. Chernoff
A Drummer's Testament may be accessed, cited, copied, or printed for private or non-profit educational use, but no modifications of content are authorized. The material remains under copyright protection, and no commercial use or licensing of the material (text, images, or audio) may be inferred or undertaken without permission. High-resolution images and high-quality audio files are available for licensing.
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