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.