A Drummer's Testament
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How medicine works; types of medicine: liliga, vua, kabrɛ, tahiŋga, etc.; witches and wizards (bukpahinima); maalams' medicines: walga, sabli
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Contents outline and links by paragraph
Introduction
- 1. comparison to gods; the gods are like medicine in helping people
- 2. gods can treat sickness
- 3. God or gods do not solve all problems; people believe in what helps them
Examples of medicine
- 4. person who struck a medicine man
- 5. at Voggo, story of Shembila taking the wife of Kukuo-Naa
- 6. conclusion of the story of Shembila and Kukuo-Naa
Belief in medicine
- 7. why Alhaji Ibrahim doesn't have medicine
- 8. people use medicine to protect themselves; jealousy against John
- 9. need to fight for yourself in the world
- 10. Alhaji Ibrahim only likes medicine that will help a person
- 11. medicine works from belief and trust
- 12. talk of medicine relates to typical Dagbamba; watchful for signs
- 13. reading of signs resembles the talk of gods; not for Muslims
- 14. example: belief in circumstances and luck
- 15. Muslims do not follow these beliefs
Getting medicine
- 16. always begin with greetings to person with medicine
- 17. types: talisman, armband, waistband, powder, water
- 18. annual sacrifices; often during Buɣim
Liliga
- 19. vanishing; removes a person from danger; types of liliga
- 20. example: person with liliga who vanished; it happens at once
- 21. testing liliga when receive it; your heart must jump; liliga can refuse a person
Vua
- 22. calling; in a horn; person will respond from wherever
- 23. used by hunters to call animals
- 24. used by drummers to get money or praise
- 25. used to get women
Kabrɛ
- 26. tying; prevents someone from doing things
- 27. many types of kabrɛ; does bad work
- 28. used by Gbɔŋlana to prevent quarrels at a chief's funeral
Medicines for money
- 29. lukuri; lukuri sabli; the money does not last
- 30. compared to maalam's medicine or prayers for money
Not to die
- 31. a dead person continues to live; example: Savelugu chief's dead brother was met in another town
- 32. example: Gurunsi man at Voggo
Other medicines
- 33. paɣali: lost from sight
- 34. tahinga: shouting; its types; jumping medicine, bulimbuɣliŋga, mankubia; stick medicine (doli tim), knife medicine (sutili)
- 35. chilo; medicine for seeing
Bukpahinima (wizards)
- 36. catch and kill witches
- 37. the drums used by the wizards
- 38. how they use chilo
- 39. chiefs also roam and catch witches; example: Nanton-Naa Alaasambila
The ways of medicine
- 40. medicine should not be in the open; no boasting
- 41. even the person with medicine does not see its work
- 42. people do not know who has medicine or not; only the medicine man knows its name
- 43. storing medicine in a calabash
- 44. medicine requires confidence; example: maalam who disarmed a mad man
Maalam's medicines
- 45. maalams have all the same types; works more slowly but thoroughly
- 46. example: maalam who was abused by Savelugu-Naa Mahama Piɛɣu
- 47. British removed the Savelugu-Naa
- 48. maalams know the words of God; their prayers are powerful
- 49. maalam's medicines: walga, writings that are washed an drunk; sabli, writings put inside talisman
- 50. muhima; medicine to make people like a person; types: bɛ yum' ma
- 51. greetings to maalam with cola (money) for kerosene
- 52. maalam's medicines for drummers
Conclusion
- 53. many different types and ways of medicine; this talk only about some of them
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Proverbs and Sayings
You should put a hen basket under your armpit.
The place you want to go to, it is the road of that place you will ask.
Only a fool says that everybody should like him or love him.
God said that if you are in a town and there is no one with medicine in the town, you should leave that town.
God shows that a town without medicine is not a good place to sit.
Medicine is trust.
When he tells you something and you hear, don't accept it and don't refuse it.
It is the heart which sleeps before the eyes.
Medicine doesn't like boasting.
If you have the medicine that says no one should knock you, you should sit down coolly.
As the road is outside, can somebody walk there and you will see that person's footprints?
It is only a bad person who can know a witch.
Medicine has no name.
Medicine is hiding.
As for medicine, it has no end.
Take cola and buy kerosene.
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Dagbani words and other search terms
- Medicines mentioned
- ankare (ankarɛ)
- be yum' ma (bɛ yum' ma)
- bulimbuglinga (bulimbuɣliŋga)
- chilo
- doli tim
- kabre (kabrɛ)
- korinliliga (koriŋliliga)
- kpinyi
- liliga
- lukuri
- lukuri sabli
- mankubia
- muhimba
- pagali (paɣali)
- pipigu (pipiɣu)
- sabli
- sonliliga (soŋliliga)
- sutili
- tahim pielli (tahim piɛlli)
- tahin sabinli
- tahinga
- vua
- walga
- Names and people
- Adambila
- Alhaji Adam
- Alhaji Amadu
- Fati
- Gbonlana (Gbɔŋlana)
- Ibrahim (Alhaji Ibrahim)
- Kissmal (Ibrahim Hussein)
- Kukuo-Naa
- Nanton Lun-Naa (Iddrisu)
- Nanton-Naa (Alhassan / Alaasani / Alaasambila)
- Sabaanaa
- Savelugu-Naa Mahama Piegu (Mahama Piɛɣu)
- Shembila
- Miscellaneous terms
- Alhaji
- armband
- Bugim (Buɣim)
- bukpaha, bukpahinima
- calabash
- chieftaincy
- chilo
- chilton (chiltoŋ)
- duiker
- gaa [Diospyros mespiliformis Hochst ex A.DC.]
- gungon (guŋgɔŋ)
- Holy Qur'an
- housepeople
- Kai [exclamation]
- kanaafiri
- kogbe
- kparbua
- lebihi
- maalam
- maalams
- Milo
- Muslims
- nosugu (nosuɣu)
- nugso (nuɣso)
- nyaringa (nyariŋga) [Vitex doniana Sweet and Vitex grandifolia]
- Oi [exclamation]
- Ramadan
- tadabo
- tim [sometimes translated as “juju”]
- timlana [literally: medicine holder, medicine owner]
- tindana
- tindanas
- waistband
- Yoo-o [exclamation]
- Towns and places
- Accra
- Dagbon
- Kukuonayili
- Kumasi
- Ouagadougou
- Sakasaka
- Savelugu
- Vehakuga
- Voggo
- Yendi
- Ziong
- Cultural groups
- Dagbana
- Dagbamba
- Gurunsi, Gurunsis