A HISTORY OF THE PEOPLE OF NANDOM, 1660–1955
Summary
Excerpt
Table Of Contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- About the author
- About the book
- This eBook can be cited
- Contents
- List of Maps
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- List of Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Origins and Early History up to 1875
- Chapter 2 Slavery and the Slave Trade up to the Late Eighteenth Century
- Chapter 3 Indigenous Culture and Social Dimension of Nandom History and Culture: Evolution and Change up to the Twentieth Century
- Chapter 4 Indigenous Politics, Colonial Policy and Pre-Independence Politics in Nandom up to 1955
- Chapter 5 The Evolution of Territorial Politics in Pre-Independence Ghana: Nandom in Perspectives, 1890–1955
- Epilogue
- Bibliography
- Index
FOREWORD
“A History of the People of Nandom, 1660–1955” highlights the lack of comprehensive historical documentation about the Nandom people, a community in the northwest of Ghana. Despite significant attention from scholars to the Northern Territories of Ghana, the specific history of Nandom, including their origins, aboriginal traditions, institutions, and interactions with neighbors and European colonial agents until the nineteenth century, remains largely unexplored. The author expresses astonishment at the absence of in-depth research on Nandom, considering its status as the “Home of Interdisciplinary Professionals.”
The book emphasizes the need to bridge this historical gap as it announces the central focus of the book, examining the preliterate society of the Nandom people from 1660 to 1955. Key aspects explored included the origins of the first three clan settlements in Nandom and the subsequent arrival of other clan groups. The book sheds light on Nandom’s historical narrative, addressing topics such as clan origins, roles in domestic slavery and the slave trade, and the development of various institutions. In essence, the book sets the stage for an in-depth exploration of Nandom’s history, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of their sociocultural evolution over nearly three centuries.
The book further details the methodology employed in the historical exploration of the Nandom people. The book utilizes a qualitative evaluation approach, drawing on a diverse range of sources to piece together the historical puzzle. Archival documents are scrutinized, providing valuable insights into the past, while direct interviews are conducted within the early communities and the associated palaces of sub-chiefs and divisional chiefs of various village settlements, including Lawra-Dikpe, Tom-Zendaagang, Puopiel, Nandomlee, Nardom, Builegang, Ekimpa-Lambusie, Tuopare, Gungunkpe, Zimuopare, Ketuo, Kogle, Naapaal, and the Ninbule (Zongo community).
By combining these primary sources with secondary documents of historical evidence, the book meticulously delineates the origins of Nandom in chronological order. The narrative begins with Zenuo, the revered ancestor of the Dikpielle, and progresses to the subsequent arrivals of the Bekuone, Kpielle, Kpagyangne, Hayoore, Gbaane/Gane/Berewuole, Kuselbe, Baakaale/Breifoule, Bekyine and the Metuole clans. It also shows how the mid-1700s witnessed the arrival of the Ninbule, comprising the Nandom Zongo community. Through this chronological approach, the work provides a coherent and compelling historical narrative, shedding light on the sequence of events that led to the establishment of early villages and other settlements within the vicinity of present-day Nandom. Through this methodology, the book also captures the sociocultural dynamics and interactions that shaped the development of Nandom. The direct interviews with sub-chiefs, divisional chiefs, and community members provide a unique perspective, allowing for a nuanced understanding of the traditions, customs, and beliefs that have been passed down through generations.
In addition to examining the chronological sequence of clan settlements, the book delves into the broader historical context, exploring the role of Nandom in domestic slavery and the slave trade. By analyzing archival documents and secondary sources, the work has unraveled the complexities of Nandom’s participation in these historical practices and its impact on the community. Furthermore, the inclusion of the Ninbule (Zongo community) adds a layer of diversity to the historical narrative, reflecting the multicultural nature of Nandom. The book unravels how the arrival of the Ninbule in the mid-1700s contributed to the social fabric of Nandom and influenced its cultural landscape. Ultimately, this multifaceted approach, combining archival research, direct interviews, and an exploration of various communities within the Nandom region, aspires to provide a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the historical trajectory of the Nandom people from 1660 to 1955. The richness of the sources and the meticulous attention to details in the work contribute to a more complete picture of Nandom’s history, filling the previously existing void in historical documentation about this significant region in Ghana.
“A History of the People of Nandom, 1660–1955” not only endeavors to fill a crucial gap in the historical records of the northwest of Ghana but also presents a captivating journey through time, unraveling the intricate tapestry of the Nandom people’s past. For those who seek a deeper comprehension of Ghana’s history, particularly the northwest region, this book promises not just historical insights but a captivating narrative that brings the past to life. The meticulous research, diverse sources, and the author’s dedication to uncovering the hidden facets of Nandom’s history make this work an invaluable resource for scholars, students, and anyone with a keen interest in the rich tapestry of human history. Prepare to be enthralled, enlightened, and inspired as you embark on this compelling journey through the corridors of time in “A History of the People of Nandom, 1660–1955.”
PREFACE
The histories on then Gold Coast Protectorate [Northern Territories], present-day northern, savannah, northeast, the upper east and upper west regions have had a great deal of attention by scholars. This conclusion is based on a broad review of literature on the history of the people to the northwest of Ghana mostly by colonial anthropologists and contemporary African scholars. Although there is a great deal of research work on the northwest of Ghana, there is very little conscientious study on the origins of the Nandom people, their aboriginal traditions and institutions, and their interaction with both their neighbors and European colonial agents to the nineteenth century. It is simply astonishing that Nandom, which is affectionately called the “Home of Interdisciplinary Professionals” has no far-reaching historical document about its clan origins, their role in domestic slavery and the slave trade, the institutions they acquired and built upon and the like. This missing link is the thrust of this work. This work examines the preliterate society of the Nandom people from 1660 to 1955. The work focuses on the origins of the first three clan settlements in Nandom and the later arrival of the other clan groups.
Using qualitative evaluation of archival documents, direct interviews in the early communities and the associated palaces of sub-chiefs and divisional chiefs of Lawra-Dikpe, Tom-Zendaagang, Puopiel, Nandomlee, Nardom, Builegang, Ekimpa-Lambusie, Tuopare, Gungunkpe, Zimuopare, the Ninbule (Zongo community) and some secondary documents of historical evidence, this study delineate the origins of Nandom in order of chronology beginning with Zenuo, the grant ancestor of the Dikpielle, followed by the arrival of the Bekuone and the Kpielle clans, and later in the mid-1700 arrival of the Ninbule constituting the Nandom Zongo community. This chronology produced a striking historical narrative of how the early villages came to settle in the current location.
Studies on the then Northern Territories, the Gold Coast, West Africa and Africa at large, aside failing to pay satisfactory attention to Nandom people’s origin and its indigenous traditional settings/institutions, are also of a sociological context rather than an historical study of Nandom. Rattray in his work: The Tribes of the Asante Hinterland, for instance, could not give details but just anecdotal informal account about the people of Nandom without talking about the settlement histories and philosophies behind the traditions they practiced.1 Likewise, similar research works that have information about the people of Nandom do not point out, in detail, who the autochthones of Nandom are and what motivated their migration to the current location. Similarly, those studies that have provided information on the history of the northwest, and in particular, the settlements to the east of the Black Volta, do not discuss what early sociocultural and political institutions the immigrants built, nor do the studies delineate what role Nandom played in the early slave trade following the advent of the Zambarima. This can be attributed largely to language deficiency on the part of these early anthropologists and, to a very large extent, the broad nature of their studies. These and many other research challenges do not permit them to examine thoroughly the oral records of ambiguous places but to only carry out all-purpose accounts and analyses.
Also, early works that factored in the settlement histories of the Nandom people in their discussions like John Guiness’ Interim Report on the Peoples of Nandom and Lambussie, and St John Eyre-Smith’s A Brief Review of the History and Social Organization of the Peoples of the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast are undoubtedly valuable literature but embedded with some inaccurate narratives.2
There are yet other works that studied, in detail, the migration history of the Northern Territories and, for that matter, the Dagara people to the west of the Black Volta. Two of such scholarly works: Benedict Der’s “The Origins of the Dagara-Dagaba,” Papers in Dagara Studies, and Carola Lentz’s “Of Hunters, Goats and Earth-Shrines: Settlement Histories and the Politics of Oral Tradition in Northern Ghana.” Whereas Benedict’s work mainly discusses the general perspectives of the Dagara origins, Carola’s work on the Dagara people of Nandom focuses on the appropriation of space, which is ritually legitimized through the acquisition of earth shrines. She used Nandom as a case study to demonstrate how Africans in contemporary times and, in the colonial past, used oral traditions in order to conduct politics and how it impacted their effort to reconstruct their settlements.3 The point is that one cannot depend exclusively on these works to understand the original inhabitants of Nandom from 1660 to 1955. Moreover, these works have not provided information on the chronologies with regards to the areas of first settlement by the first settler before the settlement in the current location, thereby making it seem like the settlers in Nandom did not have a place of origin.
It is instructive, though, to note that the Dagara people of northwestern Ghana in general and Nandom in particular evolved around different types of traditions that sustained their cultural heritage and institutions from the preliterate era. The failure of earlier works to discuss this preliterate culture and the social dimension of the lives of the people of Nandom raises some very critical questions. One such question is whether the people of Nandom have indigenous traditions unique to them as a people or otherwise? If such indigenous traditions and institutions existed, what accounted for their preservation and are there identifiable transformations and continuities? How were these traditions practiced differently in other Dagara settlements? Most importantly, what philosophies and ideologies anchored the cultural heritage as regards their social and political institutions? These questions and many others, seek to make a case for the relevance of this work.
The literature consulted thus far differ in many ways to this work as demonstrated above. That is to say that the available literature does not delineate in any particular way the origins of the Nandom people and whether or not they had no autochthones prior to their settlement in the current location. Furthermore, they do not explain why “strongmen” or the Libiedem [rich people] adopted and kept enslaved people for domestic usage in the preliterate era up until the era of the Zambarima slaving activities in the Black Volta Basin. Most of the works that touched on the settlement histories of the Nandom people did it peripherally or as a case study to understudy a much bigger picture. This cannot be accepted as a complete construction of the history of the Nandom people. This is because the complete history of Nandom involves an examination of the chronology of events in the order in which they successively occurred. This must factor in the origin and progress, the causes and effects as regards the institutions they built for themselves. The observation made thus far is that extant documents that treat the history of Nandom do not offer explanation of their ideas in their study of the settlement histories of the Nandom people expansively.
Again, there are issues of contradictory narratives of which patriclans and/or matriclans are the first settlers and late settlers in both Nandom and Lambussie. Moreover, scholars who have ventured into writing the history of the peoples’ culture, sociopolitical institutions and traditions do not indicate if these cultures, sociopolitical institutions and traditions were borrowed or not. These and many other missing links in the history of Nandom have necessitated the collection of oral traditions in order to compare with those existing stories surrounding the origin and early history of the people of Nandom. This work, therefore, examines the past in an attempt to provide answers to questions of origins and early history of the people of Nandom.
The work provides a comprehensive and thorough history of the people of Nandom up to 1955. This has been undertaken with a view to providing a background that seems indispensable to a proper understanding of the sociocultural and political dimension of the Dagara of Nandom. The sources which have been accessed and used for this work can be grouped into two broad classes: first, primary sources, and second, secondary materials, British, French, and German.
Beginning with the primary sources, data was created through the examinations of oral traditions and oral histories by means of formal and informal interviews and targeted group discussions. Jan Vansina and Ruth Finnegan both explain oral traditions as messages that are passed on orally from one generation to another. The messages in their view may be passed down through speech or song and may take the form of folktales and fables, epic histories and narrations, proverbs or sayings and songs.4 Oral traditions make it possible for a society to pass knowledge across generations without writing. Oral history on the other hand, is a reserve, solely restricted to modern history and mostly acquired by means of recordings, preservation, and interpretation of historical information based on the personal experiences and opinions of the eyewitness.5 It may take the form of eyewitness evidence about the past but can include folklore, myths, songs and stories passed down over the years by word of mouth.6 Aside these stylistic or structural characteristics of oral literature, Ruth maintains that Africa possesses both written and unwritten traditions. The written traditions we are very familiar with in the European language, but the unwritten traditions, she observes are far less widely known and appreciated.7 In the context of this work, oral history is defined as the collection and interpretation of spoken narratives, personal accounts, and memories passed down through generations within the Nandom community. This approach seeks to capture the lived experiences, perspectives, and cultural memories of the Nandom people, contributing to a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of their history. The people of Nandom interpret oral narratives as vital repositories of their cultural heritage. These narratives serve as a means of preserving and transmitting historical knowledge, ensuring that the community’s identity and traditions are passed on to succeeding generations. The value placed on oral narratives in Nandom is multifaceted. These stories are seen as more than historical records; they are living expressions of the community’s collective memory. The interpretation of oral narratives is deeply intertwined with the sense of identity and continuity, reinforcing a connection to the past while shaping the present and future. Oral narratives are considered authoritative sources that complement written records, providing context, depth, and cultural perspectives that may not be captured in formal historical documents. The community values the authenticity and richness of these narratives, recognizing them as essential components of their historical consciousness. The people of Nandom actively participate in the creation and transmission of oral history. Elders, storytellers, and community members play crucial roles in sharing narratives during communal gatherings, ceremonies, and informal settings. The collaborative nature of oral history in Nandom fosters a sense of community ownership and engagement. Individuals contribute their personal experiences, family histories, and interpretations, collectively shaping the narrative of Nandom’s past. Efforts are made within the community to preserve and document oral narratives. This recognition of the cultural significance of these stories reflects a commitment to maintaining a strong link with the community’s roots. The interpretation and value attributed to oral narratives in Nandom underscore their role in reinforcing cultural cohesion, instilling a sense of pride, and fostering a shared understanding of the community’s journey through time. However, within the theoretical context of oral history and memory studies, the works of James Olney, Donlad Ritchie, Paul Thomas, and Richard Bauman8 are invaluable to this work.
Whereas Paul Thompson’s The Voice of the Past: Oral History explores the principles and methods of oral history, emphasizing its significance in preserving marginalized voices and uncovering historical truths, Ritchie’s Doing Oral History is a comprehensive work that serves as an essential resource for researchers in oral history. These works offer practical advice on interview techniques, ethical considerations, and the interpretation of oral narratives, thus, making such scholar contributions a foundational tool for incorporating oral history into the research methodological framework of this current work.9 But then again, Olney’s exploration of memory and narrative also gives us an edge into the ways individuals construct and convey their life stories. By examining the intricate relationship between memory and storytelling, this work contributes valuable insights into the dynamics of personal and collective remembrance.10 Richard Bauman’s Remembering Ahanagran: Storytelling in a Family’s Past is an ethnographic study that delves into the complexities of family storytelling and how memories are constructed and shared, providing insights into the interplay between personal and collective memory.11
Oral history and memory studies provide a valuable framework for capturing the lived experiences, narratives, and collective memories of a people. This approach recognizes the importance of preserving and interpreting stories passed down through generations, offering a nuanced understanding of historical events. All history, writes Thomson, depends ultimately upon its social purpose and it is the reason, according to him the past has been handed down by oral tradition and written chronicle.12 Suffice it to say that conducting oral history interviews with elders and community members to document personal narratives, anecdotes, and historical accounts related to key events of a people’s history is key to undoing the biases and the fragmentations embedded in their make. Utilizing memory studies to explore how certain events are collectively remembered, identifying patterns of commemoration, and understanding the ways in which memories shape the community’s identity is an important undertaking to reconstructing the people’s history. Incorporating these oral histories into the broader historical narrative to enrich the understanding of the past, ensuring that the voices of the people play a central role in constructing their history is the ultimate objective to this work. Overall, the inclusion of oral history and memory studies ensures that the research methodology and data creation for the work goes beyond archival records, providing a more inclusive and nuanced portrayal of the community’s historical experiences. That is to say that the collective contributions of the scholarly works cited above will enrich the research framework of this work by providing methodological depth, theoretical grounding, and practical considerations for weaving oral history and memory studies into the broader historical narrative of the Nandom people.
Details
- Pages
- XXVIII, 218
- Publication Year
- 2025
- ISBN (PDF)
- 9781636676470
- ISBN (ePUB)
- 9781636676487
- ISBN (Hardcover)
- 9781636676463
- DOI
- 10.3726/b21179
- Language
- English
- Publication date
- 2025 (February)
- Keywords
- Chronology Nandom Gbangbaa Elopement Dagara Slavery Nandom History North-West Ghana Indigenous Politics Colonial Policies Pre-Independence Settlement History Black Volta Basin Clan Origins Socio-Cultural Evolution Northern Ghana Cultural Heritage
- Published
- New York, Berlin, Bruxelles, Chennai, Lausanne, Oxford, 2025. XXVIII, 218 pp.
- Product Safety
- Peter Lang Group AG