A Drummer's Testament

Chapter I-23:  Traveling and Learning the Dances of Other Tribes

Why Dagbamba learn other tribes' drumming; the difficulty of learning the Dagbani language; the drumming styles and dancing of:  Mossis, Kotokolis and Hausas (Jɛbo, Gaabitɛ Zamanduniya, Mazadaji, Adamboli), Bassaris and Chembas and Chilinsis, Dandawas, Wangaras, Gurumas, Konkombas, Frafras, Ashantis, Yorubas; differences in the drummers from different towns

• Supplementary material
• Paragraph outline and links
• Proverbs and sayings
• Dagbani words and other search terms

Supplementary material

Images

dancing Gurunsi-waa

Audio files

• Gaabitɛ zamanduniya 1
• Gaabitɛ zamanduniya 2
• Hankuri zamanduniya
• Amajiro
• Gado
• Jebo
• Gbada 1
• Gbada 2
• Adamboli
• Mohi-waa
• Mazadaji 1
• Mazadaji 2
• Yoruba-waa 1
• Yoruba-waa 2
• Bassari-waa
• Zambarima-waa
• Gurunsi-waa
• Sikare
• Suberima kpeeru 1
• Suberima kpeeru 2
• Gonja Damba
• Wangarisi-waa
• Kasu nkura
• Mamprugu-waa
• Guruma-waa 1
• Guruma-waa 2

Use the audio player to stream a selection at higher quality.
For those with limited bandwidth or older browsers, click on the named link to play the selection at adequate quality in a separate tab or window.

Gaabitɛ zamanduniya 1

Gaabitɛ zamanduniya 2

Hankuri zamanduniya

Amajiro

Gado

Jebo

Gbada 1

Gbada 2

Adamboli

Mohi-waa

Mazadaji 1

Mazadaji 2

Yoruba-waa 1

Yoruba-waa 2

Bassari-waa

Zambarima-waa

Gurunsi-waa

Sikare

Suberima kpeeru 1

Suberima kpeeru 2

Gonja Damba

Wangarisi-waa

Kasu nkura

Mamprugu-waa

Guruma-waa 1

Guruma-waa 2

Contents outline and links by paragraph

How Alhaji Ibrahim traveled to learn more

• 1.    dances of the tribes:  learning from experience and not from training
• 2.    Alhaji Ibrahim has learned many dances
• 3.    should beat without changing; otherwise make mistakes
• 4.    Alhaji Ibrahim trained in Dagbon and traveled to the South; some dances only beaten in South; guŋgɔŋ has different ways

Dagbamba drummers' knowledge compared to other tribes

• 5.    Dagbamba beat the dances of other tribes; other tribes cannot beat Dagbamba dances
• 6.    Dagbamba drumming difficult for others; examples
• 7.    this ability makes others wonder; another example
• 8.    speculate that drumming is difficult because Dagbani is difficult
• 9.    comes from intelligence and experience; differences among Dagbamba drummers; example:  Dakpɛma's drummers don't travel
• 10.  comes from being trained as a foundation before experience

Mossi dance and guŋgɔŋ beating

• 11.  example:  Mossi dance; Alhaji Ibrahim watched and learned the different drum parts; important to notice differences; Mossis and Yarisis
• 12.  example:  Alhaji Ibrahim can beat Mossi language clearly without understanding it
• 13.  have to adjust beating to the other tribe; example:  beating guŋgɔŋ to resemble Mossi drumming
• 14.  Alhaji Ibrahim's learning is different from many other Dagbamba drummers; knows the differences
• 15.  different ways to hold guŋgɔŋ; the sound is important for correct beating
• 16.  example:  compare Jɛblin beating Gbada with a drummer who added Dagbamba styles; fit the sound but were not correct
• 17.  importance of learning work well; example:  how Alhaji Ibrahim beats Kotokoli dances

Jebo

• 18.  example:  in South, beating Jebo for a Kotokoli princess
• 19.  Alhaji Ibrahim accurately beat Jebo drum language styles; people questioned him
• 20.  how the Kotokoli drummer asked Alhaji Ibrahim where he learned Kotokoli beating

Zamanduniya

• 21.  beaten differently for Dagbamba and Kotokolis (Gaabiti), because of language
• 22.  Hausa form of Zamanduniya is different:  Hankuri Zamanduniya
• 23.  Dagbamba form is Ayiko; only some drummers know the differences in all three
• 24.  Zamanduniya brought to Dagbon by Alhaji Adam Mangulana; not an old dance
• 25.  Ayiko was there when Alhaji Ibrahim was a child; how Alhaji Mumuni and Sheni used to beat drums in the market
• 26.  the name of Ayiko has been absorbed into Zamanduniya; only old drummers know it
• 27.  many styles in Zamnaduniya; Alhaji Ibrahim knows the differences and can beat them clearly
• 28.  to beat it correctly, the drum and the guŋgɔŋ have to answer one another

Adamboli

• 29.  Dagbamba heard it from Hausas first; originally Kotokoli; Hausas beat it without guŋgɔŋ
• 30.  Alhaji Ibrahim's group beatsa it the same way ass the people whose dance it is
• 31.  Ŋun' da nyuli styles can fit well inside Adamboli, but a mistake that spoils Adamboli

Other tribes

• 32.  Bassaris are close to Kotokolis; have lunsi drummers; Alhaji Ibrahim learned in Accra; taught Tamale drummers to beat it
• 33.  Chilinsis use only guŋgoŋ; Alhaji heard it ansd taught Tamale drummers
• 34.  Zambarima dance:  Alhaji Ibrahim learned it in Kumasi and Accra; also for Dandawas, beat Gbada
• 35.  Wangaras and Ligbis:  Kurubi; Wangara dance at Kintampo during Ramadan for unmarried girls; young men hire drummers
• 36.  how the girls dress and dance; one has to travel to see it
• 37.  Gurunsi dance:  Alhaji Ibrahim learned it at Kumasi and Kintampo
• 38.  Konkomba dance:  Alhaji Ibrahim learned it in Yendi; description of the instruments and the scene
• 39.  how Alhaji Ibrahim brought the Konkomba dance to Tamale and showed how to beat it
• 40.  Frafra, Ashanti, Gurunsi dances:  watch them and learn how they beat
• 41.  no other tribe can beat Dagbamba dances, not even Mamprusis; Dagbamba beat their dance
• 42.  Kusasis don't use drums, so Dagbamba don't beat their dance, but beat Damba for them

Learning:  training and experience

• 43.  Alhaji Ibrahim's group always knows how to beat for any dancer; from traveling and learning
• 44.  learning the easy parts of drumming; learn the ways of different places, know how they change; follow the local styles
• 45.  once you learn something so that it is easy, it is not difficult to learn other ways of doing it; need to travel
• 46.  learn from somebody who knows it well, then travel and use sense to add
• 47.  John is learning drumming like that

Conclusion

• 48.  transition to talk of drumming eldership and chieftaincies

Proverbs and Sayings

Who becomes annoyed with God?  Only a fool.

When they give food for people to come and eat, those who are first will eat more than those who come last.

Learning is in the heart, and if your heart is bright, you will get what they have taught you.

When you stand and watch someone doing some work, and you want to do that work, if he is not going to teach you and you are only going to watch him, then you can still do the work he is doing.

If you want to learn work, you have to try your best to learn it well.

It is good for you to travel out to towns.

You have to have patience to sit in the world.

If you are a drummer, you don't sit only in your town.

It is roaming that will let you learn more.

When you learn something well, if someone says it is difficult, you will say it is not difficult.

The eye-opening of drumming is just to be traveling all around.  If you don't travel, your sense is only one-way.  It is in the traveling that you will see all the good ways of beating and all the bad ways of beating.

If you want to learn drumming, you have to learn it from someone who knows much about it.

It is good, if you want to learn drumming, you should learn from someone who knows it well.

If you want to teach somebody how to drum, you show him all the corners in the drumming so that he will also know it.

As you are going around, you should use your sense and be adding to what you have learned.

Dagbani words and other search terms

• Chiefs and elders
• Dakpema  (Dakpɛma)
• Magaazhia  (Magaaʒia)

• Musical terms and dances
• A nyaakuna abaabife
• A yi bori ni a be duniya, ni shee suglo  (A yi bɔri ni a be duniya,  ni shee suɣlo)
• Adamboli
• alijeeta  (alijɛɛta)
• Amajiro
• Ayiko
• Bangumanga  (Baŋgumaŋa)
• Baamaaya
• Bassari-waa
• Bululu
• Damba
• Gaabite  (Gaabitɛ)
• Gbada
• gungong  (guŋgɔŋ)
• Guruma-waa
• Hankuri Zamanduniya
• Jebo  (Jɛbo)
• Kpakpatuli Jebo  (Kpakpatuli Jɛbo)
• Kpinkpan-waa  (Kpiŋkpan-waa)
• lundaa
• lunsi
• lunsi-drummers
• lunsi-drums
• lunga  (luŋa)
• Mazadaji
• Mamprugu-waa
• Mohi-waa
• Nagbiegu  (Naɣbiɛɣu)
• Naanigoo
• Nakohi-waa  (Nakɔhi-waa)
• Nyagboli  (Nyaɣboli)
• Nun' da nyuli  (Ŋun' da nyuli)
• prigiti
• Tohi-waa  (Tɔhi-waa)
• Tora  (Tɔra)
• Taachi
• Takai
• Tiban taba  (Tibaŋ taba)
• Waachi fuusi da yiko Allah,  shee waawa
• Zamanduniya
• Zambarima-waa
• Zhim taai kurugu  (Ʒim Taai Kurugu)

• Names and people
• Adambila [Adam Iddi]
• Adam Ibrahim
• Alhaji Adam Alhassan [Mangulana]
• Fuseini Alhassan [Jeblin]
• Mangulana [Alhaji Adan Alhassan]
• Mumuni [Alhaji Mumuni Abdulai]
• Savelugu Taha-Naa Ibrahim Awulilana
• Sheni [Fuseini Alhassan]
• Yisifu [Alhassan]

• Miscellaneous terms
• Alhaji
• Dagbani
• Kurubi
• Ramadan
• calabash
• chieftaincy
• eye-opening
• fugli-fugli  (fuɣli-fuɣli)
• hankuri
• maalams
• Moore
• not-knowing
• pesewas
• waistband
• zamanduniya
• zuliya  (tribe, clan)

• Towns and places
• Accra
• Akwatia
• Asamankese
• Bobo-Dioulasso
• Buya
• Chereponi
• Dagbon
• Damborno
• Kintampo
• Kumasi
• Kumbungu
• Kusasi
• Mali
• Nanton
• Savelugu
• Sokode
• Sunyani
• Takoradi
• Togo
• Tolon
• Voggo
• Yelizoli
• Yendi

• Cultural groups
• Arab
• Ashanti
• Bassari
• Chilinsi
• Dagbana, Dagbamba
• Dandawa
• Frafra
• Gonja
• Guruma
• Gurunsi
• Hausa
• Kasena
• Konkomba
• Kotokoli
• Ligbi
• Mamprusi
• Mossi
• Wangara
• Yarisi
• Zambarima