Mythologies of the Dagomba Tribe

The Dagombas or Dagbamba are an ethnic group of Ghana, and Togo. They number more than 3.1 million people. The term Dagbamba is originally extended to refer to other related peoples who were unified by Naa Gbewaa including the Mamprusi and Nanumba. The Dagomba country is called Dagbon and they speak Dagbanli language. Dagbanli is the most spoken language of northern Ghana and second most widely spoken local language of Ghana. Dagbanli belongs to the Mabia (Mole-Dagbani) subgroup of the Gur languages, a large group of related languages in West Africa. The Dagomba practises both patrilineal and matrilineal systems of inheritance. The Dagomba are known for their hospitality, tolerance and accommodation of diverse cultures and belief systems. Their religion is the Dagbon Traditional Religion, but Islam has been around for nearly a millennium. In the late 1600s, King Zanjina, became the first ruler to practise Islam. The reign of Zanjina ushered in an era of greater prosperity. Many learning centres were established and scholarship became an important part of tradition. In 1700, the university town of Moliyili was established, but was later abandoned during European colonization. The Dagomba resisted European Colonization even after Germany burnt down and occupied its capital, Yendi, located in Eastern Dagbon (Naya).

Dagomba, the dominant ethnic group in the chiefdom of Dagbon in the northern region of Ghana; they speak Dagbani (Dagbane), a language of the Gur branch of the Niger-Congo language family. Subject to the Dagomba are a number of peoples and parts of other ethnic groups, among them the Konkomba and Chakosi. According to tradition, the Dagomba kingdom was founded by northern invaders in the 14th century. It extended south to the Black Volta River, but it was reduced in size by the conquests of the Guang (Gonja) in the mid-17th century. At the end of that century the Dagomba were subjugated by the Asante, who forced them to pay an annual tribute of slaves; this tribute was paid until 1874, when the Asante were defeated by British forces. The Dagomba are farmers, their chief crops being sorghum, millet, corn (maize), yams, and peanuts (groundnuts). Most farm work is done by men; women often assist in harvesting. Dwarf shorthorn cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, and guinea fowl are kept; hunting and fishing are also practiced. The Dagomba occupy compact walled villages, each household consisting of related men and their wives, children, and other dependents. The population is divided into commoners and chiefly families. The patrilineage is the basis of social organization among the commoners. Matrilineal descent is recognized and credited with the contribution of an individual’s spiritual attributes. The patrilineages are divided into hierarchically arranged segments; lineage heads, as custodians of ancestral shrines, exercise moral authority. The ancestral cult and an earth cult are the major features of Dagomba religion, although Islam and Christianity have had some success in the area.

Dagomba, also called Dagbamba, the dominant ethnic group in the chiefdom of Dagbon in the northern region of Ghana; they speak Dagbani (Dagbane), a language of the Gur branch of the Niger-Congo language family. Subject to the Dagomba are a number of peoples and parts of other ethnic groups, among them the Konkomba and Chakosi. The Dogambas (Dagomba) are one of the larger of the Mole-Dagbanegroup of peoples and are a Gur ethnic group of northern Ghana, numbering about 931,000 (2012). They inhabit the Northern Region of Ghana in the sparse savanna region below the sahelian belt, known as the Sudan. The Dagomba ethnic group speak the Dagbani language which belongs to the More-Dagbani sub-group of the Gur languages. There are around 1 million speakers of Dagbani. The Dagomba are historically related to the Mossi people. The More/Mossi now have their homeland in central present-day Burkina Faso. The homeland of the Dagomba is called Dagbon and covers about 20,000 km2 in area. The Dagomba inhabit a traditional kingdom known as Dagbon and speak a language called Dagbani or Dagbanli. As Professor Locke is fond of saying in class, “the Dagbamba speak Dagbanli in Dagbon.” Dagbani is part of the More-Dagbani subgroup of the Gur languages, a group that stretches across the Sahel from southeastern Mali to northwestern Nigeria. As of a census taken in the year 2000, there are about 656,000 Dagombas. Islam was introduced into Dagomba society towards the end of the 1700s, and while it has exerted a strong influence on their customs, they still retain many of their pre-Islamic beliefs; Islam can be seen in the way they practice their tradition and likewise their tradition is evident in the way they practice Islam.

The Dagomba, or as they call themselves, Dagbamba, are an ethnic group based in the Northern Region of Ghana. The Dagomba have a rich, intricate musical and oral tradition that has allowed them to preserve their history and origins in the form of what can be referred to as “dance-drumming,” which is the focus of this site. Many of these dance-drumming compositions, including the majority of the ones presented here, tell the stories of important events or people in the history of the Dagomba. As is the case with many societies in Ghana and throughout Africa, music has an integral place in the ceremonies and day-to-day lives of the Dagomba, and it is through their music that they remind themselves of who they are and from whom and where they came. The Dagomba inhabit a traditional kingdom known as Dagbon and speak a language called Dagbani or Dagbanli. As Professor Locke is fond of saying in class, “the Dagbamba speak Dagbanli in Dagbon.” Dagbani is part of the More-Dagbani subgroup of the Gur languages, a group that stretches across the Sahel from southeastern Mali to northwestern Nigeria. As of a census taken in the year 2000, there are about 656,000 Dagombas. Islam was introduced into Dagomba society towards the end of the 1700s, and while it has exerted a strong influence on their customs, they still retain many of their pre-Islamic beliefs; Islam can be seen in the way they practice their tradition and likewise their tradition is evident in the way they practice Islam. The story of the beginnings of Dagbon is a long, complicated, and deep narrative, and presenting a comprehensive history of the Dagomba is not the purpose of this site. However, it is important to provide some rudimentary framework about where the Dagomba came from. As recounted by Staniland, the people who would eventually become the Dagomba did not originate in Ghana, but rather in what is now northern Nigeria. These people traversed the Sahel, moving from Nigeria through the present day countries of Mali, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso before settling in Ghana. Toha-zie, the Red Hunter, is the ancestor who led the final southwestern migration from Bawku, at Ghana’s northeastern border, to present-day Dagbon. His grandson, Naa Gbewaa, is considered the common ancestor of the Dagomba and two related groups, the Nanumba and the Mamprussi. Sitobu, Naa Gbewaa’s son, is the father of Dagomba and the man who begat the royal lineage of the chiefs of Dagbon.

Dagomba, also known as the DagBamba, reportedly inhabit the northen region of Ghana. Documentation-Réfugié (2-11 Sept. 1989, 8) reports that the Dagomba comprise 15.8% of the total population of Ghana. The Dagomba are a patrilineal society divided into commoners and chiefly families. Matrilineal descent, however, is recognized for its "contribution of sprititual attributes" (The New Encylopedia Britannica 1989, 846.). The Dagomba, who belong to the Mole-Dagbane ethnic group, speak a language called Dagbane. According to the Area Handbook Series: Ghana: A Country Study, Dagbane serves commonly as a lingua franca throughout a large part of the north and was once the officially recognized language of the Northern Territories under British rule.

DAGOMBA (better pronounced as DAGBAMBA) speak Dagbani (better pronounced as Dagbanli). The language belongs to the More-Dagbanli sub-group of Gur languages. The More or Moshi now have their homeland in present day Burkina Faso, while the Dagbanli sub-group today has broken up into three ethnic groups: The Dagbamba, the Mamprusi and the Nanumba. Even though these groups today constitute three apparently distinct ethnic groups, their people still identify with each other and the bond is strongest among the Dagbamba and Nanumba. The homeland of the Dagbamba is called Dagbon and covers about 8,000 sq. miles in area and has a total population of about 650, 000. The area constitutes seven administrative districts in present day Ghana. These are Tamale Municipality, Tolon/Kumbungu, Savelugu/Nantong, Yendi, Gushegu/Karaga, Zabzugu/Tatali and Saboba/Cheriponi. The overlord the Dagbon Traditional Kingdom is the Ya- Na, whose court and administrative capital is at Yendi. Yendi is reputed to be the largest village in West Africa. The Dagbon Kingdom has traditional administrative responsibilities for hitherto acephalous groups like the Konkomba, the Bimoba, the Chekosi, the Basaari, the Chamba, and the Zantasi. Though ethnic Dagbamba are in the majority, the people of the subject ethnic groups have equal citizenship rights in the Kingdom. The seat of the Ya Na literally translated as King of Absolute Power, is a collection of cow skins. Thus when we talk of the political history of Dagbon, we often refer to it as the Yendi Skin. (Not throne or crown).

Na Gbewaa is regarded as the founder of Greater Dagbon (Present day Dagbon, Mamprugu and Nanung). Lacking in a writing culture, Dagbamba are one of the cultural groups with a very sophisticated oral culture woven around drums and other musical instruments. Thus most of its history, until quite recently, has been based on oral tradition with drummers as professional historians. So according to oral tradition, the political history of Dagbon has its genesis in the lifestory of a legend called Tohazie (translated as Red Hunter.). Culturally, Dagbon is heavily influence by Islam. Inheretance is patrilineal. Prominent festival they celebrate include the Damba, Bugum (fire festival) and the two Islamic Eid Festivals. The most cosmopolitan city of Dagbon is Tamale, which also serves as the Northern Regional capital.

The general view of most scholars and indigenes is that the Anoufum have always been subjects of the Dagomba. Others have however opposed this view and speak strongly about it. This paper sets out to find the actual relationship between the Anoufom and the Dagombas in Northern Ghana. Is it a subject-master relationship? This study was qualitative in nature. Data was collected from extensive oral interviews conducted with knowledgeable elders from the Dagbon ethnic groups of Kumbungu, Tolon and Yendi in the Northern Region of Ghana The same was carried out among the Anoufom of Ghana (NaloriI) Chereponi and those in Sansane – Mango in the Northern part of present-day Togo. A scrutiny and analysis of the data gathered indicated that the Anoufom have never been subjects of the Dagombas, whether through war or conquest, or peace treaty. What indeed brought about that perception was a result of colonial administrative policies carried by the British colonial administrators. This was done by merging smaller ethnic groups with that of a larger one for administrative convenience. It was revealed that the Anoufom had never been subjects of Dagombas. This research adds to the existing literature on political relations among the various tribes in Northern Ghana.

The Mole-Dagomba are a meta-ethnicity and western Oti-Volta Gur ethno-linguistic group residing in six present-day West Africa countries namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali and Togo. The Mole-Dagbani tribe makes up around 16 percent of the current population in Ghana. The tribe accounts for the majority of the Muslim population in the country. It has five sub-cultures, Mossi, Nanumba, Mamprusi, Dagomba and Gonja. Dagbani migrate from north-east of Lake Chad to the south of the Niger bend, Zamfara modern-day Nigeria. It is believed that the tribe originated from these regions around the 13th century. The Mole-Dagbani has distinctive traditional and cultural practices that set them apart from other tribes. They are very withdrawn because of their Islamic beliefs. Their culture is also highly dependent on oral tradition. Here are the aspects that make up their culture and traditions. Ya-Na is the king of the Dagbon traditional kingdom. The court and administrative capital of this kingdom are at Yedi. The seat of the king of Dagbon known as King of Absolute Power is a collection of cow and lion skin. Therefore, the political system is commonly known as Yendi skin. In the kingdom, the houses are arranged in a precise order with the chief's or elderly man's hut built in the middle. Another major feature in the administration of the Mole-Dagbon tribe is chieftaincy. This system is very hierarchical with the paramount chief being the head. A tiered system of governance rules under him.

The Dagomba people, residing in the northern region of Ghana, have a fascinating tradition of naming their children. These names, known as Dagbon names or Dagbani names, encompass a wide range of options. The uniqueness of Dagbani names stems from the fact that they vary depending on the circumstances surrounding the child’s birth. In the Dagbon culture, when a child is born, they are initially considered a stranger or “Sana” until they are formally introduced to the community and given a name. During this period, a male child is referred to as “Saan-doo,” while a female child is called “Saan-paɣa.” These names serve as temporary identifiers until the child undergoes the proper outdooring ceremony. The naming ceremony among the Dagombas in Northern Ghana typically takes place on the eighth day after a child’s birth, once the umbilical cord has fallen off. This special occasion is known as “Nyuɣu lubu”. Once the umbilical cord has naturally detached, the child’s hair is shaved off, and a name is bestowed upon them. Prior to the ceremonial day, the head of the family, known as the Daŋ-kpema, performs sacrifices to honor their ancestors and express gratitude for the safe delivery of the baby. Subsequently, the Daŋ-kpema seeks the guidance of a soothsayer.

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