The social context of the drum history performance at the chief's house; the performance format of the drum history; learning to sing it; the chief's responsibility for sacrifices; Baŋgumaŋa; the lessons of history and main themes of particular chiefs; Dagbamba historiography; objectivity and divergent pathways within the Samban' luŋa
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19. knowledge of the Samban' luŋa is the mark of learnedness
20. not all know Samban' luŋa; many can beat for dancing but not sing Samban' luŋa; have to learn it
21. Samban' luŋa drummers have respect in chief's house; done by drumming chiefs; difference from young men's drummers in towns who know praises of chiefs but don't beat Samban' luŋa
22. drum chiefs beat it or send someone to beat it; Alhaji Mumuni's position in Savelugu; Palo-Naa could ask him to do it, or any other drummer who knows it
23. drummers express modesty before performing; fear medicine from jealousy; protect themselves
24. drummers don't seek to beat Samban' luŋa; don't boast that they know too much
25. many people watch and judge the drummer; drummer has to manage anxiety
26. drummer will review his knowledge in his mind; must be confident
27. some use medicine to help them remember; also gives confidence
28. drummer may not sleep from worries and preparation; sitting and thinking and reviewing
29. sometimes a young drummer can ask an older drummer for help in remembering details
30. a drummer won't boast; an older drummer can reassure him that he can beat until daybreak
31. how drummers learn Samban' luŋa; go to different drummers in night with gifts; massage his legs; can take a year or more; different extent of learning
32. after pounding the soup, the Samban' luŋa drummer who sings will stand in front, facing the chief; the singer does not beat a drum; the leader of the drum chorus seated behind; helps singer
33. people gather; some use recording devices if drummer agrees
34. reason why the drummer who sings may forbid recording; example: Dakpɛma Lun-Naa Aliyu
35. possibility of mistakes when perform from memory; how maalams praise drummers learnedness
36. chief sits with elders; chief's wives and children on other side; drummers face the chief; many drummers
65. Samban' luŋa shows chief about chieftaincy and about his family; drummer includes all
66. princes and commoners also learn about their relation to chieftaincy and their ancestors; example: Alhaji Ibrahim descended from Naa Garba and Naa Siɣli
67. even typical Dagbamba can be traced to a Yaa-Naa; families separate and mix in marriage
68. those who fires died: those who did not eat chieftaincy become commoners
69. talk of women in Samban' luŋa: Naa Luro's wife and pakpɔŋ; women learn of their strength and pride
88. differences in drumming talks not a fault; from learning
89. knowledge is passed from an older person to a child; not written; moves through generations
90. comparison of drumming to Islam; role of writing in Islam; different sources of Holy Qur'an
91. the verses of the Holy Qur'an were compiled and written to put it in one form
92. drummers learn in different places, no book; Muslims have different traditions even with a book; maalams admire the drummers
93. different forms from different learning; by tradition, drummers do not refuse another's knowledge
94. drummers also learn from different people and one another; add the talks together
95. beginning of Muslim prayer compared to beginning drumming; call the name of Holy Prophet compared to call Bizuŋ and Namɔɣu; foundation shows the tradition is one
96. what is in schoolbooks about origins of Dagbon is not from Samban' luŋa; mixed truth and lies
97. some drummers are unwilling to talk to outsiders; writing correct drumming talks will help in future
98. we should do the work carefully; respect the material
99. drummers are helping preserve Dagbamba custom; drummers as the paper of Dagbon
“This child should go and pound the vegetables so that the old woman will cook the food.”
“A bachelor is a child, and a married person is the elder.”
As I have been telling you that wisdom doesn't finish, and drumming doesn't finish, no one can know everything in the Samban' luŋa.
Every drummer will learn it [Samban' luŋa] only to his extent.
One drummer's knowledge is greater than another's.
Samban' luŋa talks follow many paths.
The Samban' luŋa is only for those who learn it.
"I'm going to do the work of my father. And so it is my father who gave me this work. I don't say that I know too much. It is by force that I am going to do it."
As for the Samban' luŋa, its talks are too much.
How we are sitting down and I am talking to you, that is how learning the Samban' luŋa is.
Some friendships are more than others.
If your tongue is going to get tired, then your heart will also get tired.
These dead chiefs we talk about are not people who die and remain in the ground. They are roaming.
If you are going to talk about them, you will have to give them something.
Dagbamba say that you don't have to love someone more than yourself.
If a stone is falling from the sky, everybody will put his hand on his head.
The dead chiefs the drummer will talk about want blood to come out, and that is why the chief will slaughter the animals.
We don't beat Baŋgumaŋa without blood coming out.
When we sit for the Samban' luŋa, we look at the olden days' talks, and so it is something like reading.
“They will search for me, but they will not see me.”
A chief who hears the talk of Naa Luro will get to know what is inside chieftaincy.
As the drummer has showed the chief that his grandfather did something great, the chief and all those who have gathered will get to know it, and they and the chief will know how a chief is also standing in our Dagbon.
Naa Zanjina ate the chieftaincy and left his brothers.
Before Naa Zanjina, Dagbon was in darkness, and it was when Naa Zanjina came to eat Yendi that Dagbon's eyes were opening.
We drummers gave Naa Zanjina a name that he lit a lantern and opened the eyes of Dagbon.
If you are going to talk about anything on the part of our customs in Dagbon, you are only going to stand on the footprints of Naa Zanjina.
Naa Zanjina was the lantern of the Dagbamba.
The reason why they are beating the Samban' luŋa is because they want to show the chiefs how chieftaincy is.
It is the Samban' luŋa that will show a chief how he started.
In Dagbon, if they call somebody and say, “This man is a Dagbana,” then he will have some family with the Yaa-Naa.
Everybody in Dagbon here who opens his mouth and speaks Dagbani, he is a grandchild of a Yaa-Naa.
All Dagbamba are grandchildren of a Yaa-Naa.
If you listen to the Samban' luŋa, you will get to know more about your grandfathers and what work they did.
Anyone, even a typical Dagbana, if you follow him very well and get into the details of his family, you will find that at one time his grandfather was the paramount chief.
Their fire died on the way.
If women should come out and listen to this, they will get to know that from the olden days, their heads were strong, and they were proud.
There are many ways a drummer can come and pass inside the Samban' luŋa.
As a drummer is singing the Samban' luŋa, he is looking for the road he is going to pass and his talks will fall nicely.
She didn't want to marry and give birth only to women who would carry the kuŋmani, and not give birth to children who can dig the grave.
No one is writing this down.
We get all of it with our ears and in our hearts.
Everyone holds what he got up and met.
The Samban' luŋa is one.
“An ugly thing has come to the open and will not go and hide again.”
“Water from honey, no one will spit it out.”
“No matter how big a water yam is, it can never conquer a monkey.”
“Fire made at the edge of a river; it was made by somebody who has medicine.”
An old person does not die.
In Dagbon here, someone who hears is an old person.
Everyone has the extent of his knowledge, and everyone has the place where he learns, and that is what has let our talks become different.
There was only one point our grandfathers put down about it, and they said that there shouldn't be any refusing.
As the Samban' luŋa follows different forms, it doesn't mean that it is lies.
If it were lies, it wouldn't be standing as our tradition.
Our drumming is one tradition.
Namɔɣ' yili mali kpiɔŋ kpam: The house of Namɔɣu has strength, plenty!
We don't have any book, but in our beating, we have only one beginning.
It is good, if somebody opens his stomach for you, you too will also open your stomach for him.
The one who knows the quality of the material, even if the material is very dirty, he will still buy the material.
Had it not been for us drummers, Dagbamba custom would have died off a long time ago.
We drummers say that because of us, Dagbon is standing.
We drummers are the paper of Dagbon.
If somebody wants to know something about Dagbon, then you have to see a drummer.
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