Elder women of Boase who spearheaded a performance of songs and dances associated with Manaa Ndiom (puberty), Bijam (wedding) and funeral rites as practiced in Boase. The event was organized by the chief and elders of Boase and filmed by the Banda Heritage Local Committee. L-R: Ama Gyakari, Adwoa Dankuli, Ama Lopom, Ama Nimsaa, Afua Gyakari, Yaa Anto, Afua Nsiah. Boase, 11 November, 2018.
Afua Wewa is pictured on the occasion of a filmed interview with the Banda Heritage Initiative Local Committee during which she spoke about life in earlier decades in Wewa village. Ahenkro, 24 August, 2018.
Afua Fawoman is pictured on the occasion of a filmed interview with the Banda Heritage Initiative Local Committee during which she spoke about the events that led to Fawoman people moving from Brohane to Fawoman. L-R: ___, ___, Afua Fawoman, ___. Fawoman, 1 October, 2018.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Fawoman
Subjects:
Relocation; Family history; Village founding; Banda Heritage Initiative
A man holds up for view a male and female pair of carved wooden baboon (Mbong in Ligbi) masks during a 2019 interview with Ligbi elders in Bongase. The male mask (left) has a reflective silver cloth attached. A pair of bush cow (Siginjuru-ayna in Ligbi) masks lays on the table behind. Masks such as these have been used in masquerade dances celebrating special occasions like weddings and public festivals, including the end of Ramadan, the annual month-long period of Muslim fasting. Scholars refer to this masking tradition as "Do," while locally it is termed "Bedu." These same masks were photographed in 1967 by René A. Bravmann during the course of doctoral dissertation fieldwork. For additional details, see Bravmann, René A. (1974) "Islam and Tribal Art in West Africa" (Cambridge University Press), pp. 147-177. The baboon masks pictured here were worn and photographed in 1995 when Ligbi people from Bongase brought the masquerade to the commissioning celebration for the Banda Cultural Centre. A June 2019 performance of Mbong at a Banda Heritage Event can be viewed through a link below. Bongase, 11 June, 2019.
A man holds up for view two carved wooden masks during a 2019 interview with Ligbi elders in Bongase. These masks are used in masquerade dances to celebrate special occasions like weddings and public festivals such as the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. The mask on the left (13.25 inches in height) is a thrush (Kokogyinaka in Ligbi). The mask on the right (9.75 inches in length) is a "beautiful Gonja woman" (Gbanyamuso in Ligbi). Their features are highlighted by red, blue and white pigment. The Gbanyamuso mask is also adorned by a red hair band. A baboon mask (Mbong in Ligbi) lays on the table to the right. René Bravmann, an art historian, photographed these masks in 1967 during doctoral dissertation fieldwork. For additional details, see Bravmann, René A. (1974) "Islam and Tribal Art in West Africa" (Cambridge University Press), pp. 88-95. Scholars refer to this masking tradition as "Do," while locally it is termed "Bedu." A June 2019 performance of Gbanyamuso (center) at a Banda Heritage Event can be viewed through a link below. Bongase, 11 June, 2019.
A man holds up for view a female (left) and male (right) pair of carved wooden bush cow (Siginjuru-ayna in Ligbi) masks during a 2019 interview with Ligbi elders in Bongase. Masks such as these have been used in masquerade dances to celebrate special occasions like weddings and public festivals including the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. The masks' features are highlighted by red, blue and white pigment. René A. Bravmann, an art historian, photographed the male bush cow mask in 1967 during doctoral dissertation fieldwork. For additional details, see Bravmann, René A. (1974) "Islam and Tribal Art in West Africa" (Cambridge University Press), pp. 147-177. Scholars refer to this masking tradition as "Do," while locally it is termed "Bedu." Bongase,11 June, 2019.
Women of Brɛmawuo house, most of whom no longer live in the house, have come together for an interview sparked by a 1986 photo of them gathered around hearths in the compound's courtyard preparing food. As they talk, several of the women are processing calabash seeds (fnumu in Nafaanra), cracking the hull to extract the seed. An audio recorder sits on a low wooden stool with a lidded iron pot nearby. The binder of photos that has sparked the conversation sits on the veranda to the right. Enoch Mensah of the Banda Heritage Local Committee (interviewer, on left) sits on a blue plastic chair as he listens to the women talk about changes in foodways. L-R the women are Ama Mensah (black head scarf), Ama Nwotwenwaa (orange dress), Adwoa Hana, Yaa Yaa Dankwa and Abena Kuma. A video of the full interview can be accessed through through the "iaff_works" link below. Sabiye, 13 November, 2018.
Irene Mensah, a member of the Banda Heritage Initiative Local Committee, uses a camcorder to shoot video footage in Boase during a visit by the Local Committee to document the songs and dances of Nafana puberty (Manaa Ndiom) and marriage (Bijam) ceremonies. She volunteered to join the Local Committee after hearing her grandfather tell stories of the area's past during an interview. To the right, a group of young people are gathered near a small kiosk which is surrounded by a bicycle, a motorcycle and a motorized three-wheeled cart. Metal-roofed houses line the main street. Boase, 11 November, 2018.
Two Nafana men from Fawoman--center and right--beat out foundational rhythms on hippopotamus jaw bones using a hippo canine tooth to accompany a performance of hunters' dances (Bɔfɔɔrɔ in Nafaanra). Oral history recounts that the dances are those of animals observed and copied by ancestral hunters, generations ago. The percussion instruments are said to be those collected by ancestral hunters after they watched the animals dancing, then scared them off and collected their equipment. Left, a man plays an "apentemma" (Twi) drum with his hands. A June 2019 performance of the dances at a Banda Heritage Event can be viewed through a link below. Fawoman, 21 May, 2019.
Two women (Ama Nwotwenwaa and Yaa Yaa Dankwa) view a binder of photos during an interview in the house of Brɛmawuo about cooking practices. The interview was sparked by a 1986 photo of these and other women in the household preparing food. Two youngsters look on. Sabiye, 13 November, 2018.
Calabash drums accompany songs sung by Nafana women during the celebration of puberty (Manaa Ndiom) and marriage (Bijam) rites. These drums are played exclusively by women. The drums are made by filling a large hollowed-out calabash or gourd (chrɛ in Nafaanra) with water. A smaller calabash bowl (chrɛgbɔɔ in Nafaanra) floating upright in the water provides the surface on which the women drum. The small calabash ladles resting in the water are used to beat the up-turned floating calabash bowls and the rim of the large calabash. Visible at the bottom of the larger calabash drum are maize (bleju in Nafaanra) kernels tossed into the drum by passing dancers. Among the kernels are several pesewa coins also tossed in by dancers. Two views. Boase, 11 November, 2018.
Two views of a twinned lost-wax cast copper alloy figurine from Kuulo Kataa, Mound 118, Unit 62W 4N, Level 3. Lower "foot" plate broken off from figurine body. Height: 3.7 cm. Weight: 13.2 g. Kuulo Kataa, 15 June, 1995.
Two views of a serpent-like figure made from an iron rod. The "head" of the direct metal sculpture resembles a triangular-tipped iron projectile point, similar to those found on the same site during the same time period. The body is formed by undulating S-shaped loops which are stacked atop one another to form the "tail." Kuulo Kataa, Mound 118, Unit 62W 4N, Level 1. Scale in cm. Length: 8.4 cm. 39.6 g. Kuulo Kataa, 15 June, 1995.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Provenance:
Kuulo Kataa, Mound 118, Unit 62W 4N, Level 1
Location(s) Facet:
Kuulo Kataa
Subjects:
Serpents
Subjects Facet:
Direct metal sculpture; Archaeology; Snakes; Iron; Projectile point; Artifacts (Antiquities)
Informational posters on Banda history and archaeology are displayed on easels in the hall of the Banda Cultural Centre. Examples of pottery recovered from excavations at Banda area sites rest on shelves in the background. Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro, 18 July, 2011.
At an event showcasing the songs and dances associated with puberty (Manaa Ndiom) and wedding (Bijam) rites, two Boase women sit on low wooden stools as they play drums made from hollowed-out calabashes or gourds (chrɛ in Nafaanra). The large lower calabashes are supported by another container (a large tomato paste tin on the left and a plastic bowl on the right). A smaller calabash bowl (chrɛgbɔɔ in Nafaanra) floats upright in water contained within the larger calabash. The women create a rhythm by tapping the calabash ladles held in their right hands on the surface of the floating calabash and the rim of the larger calabash bowl. The kernels of maize (corn, or bleju in Nafaanra) clustered at the base of the larger calabash in the foreground have been tossed into the drum by dancers as they pass by. Another woman, seated upper left, holds a small calabash bowl filled with maize kernels which dancers will use as offerings. Boase, 11 November, 2018.
At an event showcasing the songs and dances associated with puberty (Manaa Ndiom) and wedding (Bijam) rites, two Boase women play drums made from hollowed-out calabashes or gourds (chrɛ in Nafaanra). The large lower calabashes are supported by another container (a large tomato paste tin on the left and a plastic bowl on the right). A smaller calabash bowl (chrɛgbɔɔ in Nafaanra) floats upright in water contained within the larger calabash. The women create a rhythm by tapping the calabash ladles held in their right hands on the surface of the floating calabash and the rim of the larger calabash bowl. Women behind the drummers clap in accompaniment to the song. Boase, 11 November, 2018.
At a performance showcasing the rituals associated with Nafana wedding rites (Bijam) organized by the chief and female elders of Boase, a weathered calabash or gourd bowl (chrɛgbɔɔ in Nafaanra) holds money (Ghanaian cedis) offered by well-wishers. A calabash lid rests on the ground nearby, its side mended with stitches. Boase, 11 November, 2018.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Boase
Subjects:
Cedis; Bijam; Money
Subjects Facet:
Rites and ceremonies; Gourd, Calabash; Marriage customs and rites
Several young men gather outside of Kafͻnͻ (Kafono) Katoo under the shade of a small thatched shelter. They are looking at a binder of photos that includes pictures of their family house taken in 1986 when its roof was being re-thatched. At that time the house was decorated with a painting of a bicycle, reputed to be the first bicycle in Banda. Ahenkro, 1 September, 2018.
Front and side views of a twinned, lost-wax-cast copper-alloy figurine from Kuulo Kataa, Mound 130, Unit 95E 108N, Level 2. Height: 3.9 cm. Weight: 3.8 g. Kuulo Kataa, 4 July, 2000.
Front and side views of a lost-wax cast copper alloy figurine from Kuulo Kataa, Mound 130, Unit 95E 108N, Level 3. Height: 3.5 cm. Weight: 2.4 g. Kuulo Kataa, 4 July, 2000.
A copper alloy finger ring made from a rod forged into undulating S-shaped loops and joined at its ends by a flat metal plate. Two views. From Kuulo Kataa, Mound 101, Unit 2W 2S, Level 7. Height: 1.4 cm. Width: 2.6 cm. Weight: 8.4 g. Kuulo Kataa, 9 June, 1995.
Photo of the exterior wall of the Kafͻnͻ Katoo compound in Ahenkro. The wall now occupied by a lace-curtained window was formerly a solid wall on which the image of a bicycle was painted, said to be the first bicycle in Banda and photographed in 1986. Other areas of the exterior wall were previously decorated with inscribed and painted geometric designs, the outlines of which can still be seen in the closeup image of the wall included here. The entire building is roofed with metal. A ewe and her lamb pass by in front of the house. Ahenkro, 1 September, 2018.
Members of the 2009 archaeological excavation team at Ngre Kataa. Team members included graduate students from the University of Ghana and North America, a representative of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board and Banda men from Ahenkro and Nyrie. Back row (L-R): David Adjartey Tei-Mensah, Peter, Frimpong, Enoch Mensah, Yaw Mensah, Yaw Francis, Devin Tepleski. Middle row (L-R): Amanda Logan, Sampson Fordjour, Kofi Paul, Felix Ochra, Yaw Frimpong; J.K. Mensah; Kofi "Photo" Manu; Ann Stahl, Kwakye Eric, Frank, Kofi Nsia; Front, seated (L-R): Abass Iddrisu, Osei Kofi, Andrew Gurstelle (kneeling). 9 July, 2009, Ngre Kataa.
Banda Research Project team member Sampson Attah (left) presents a Banda chief (right) with copies of heritage documents at a community event celebrating Banda cultural heritage. Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro, 15 July, 2011.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Banda Cultural Centre; Community engagement; Community event
Banda Research Project team members present informational posters on Banda history and heritage to members of the Banda Traditional Council. Sampson Attah (kneeling, stripped shirt) describes the content of the "Banda in the 18th & 19th Centuries" poster to the paramount chief and elders. Project members Ann Stahl (kneeling) and Kofi "Photo" Manu (standing, brown print shirt) look on together with assembled elders. Banda Ahenkro Palace, 11 July, 2011.
The Banda Queen Mother (Lelԑԑ Akosua Kepefu) and her elders look at informational posters on Banda history and heritage prior to the community event at which they were launched. Lelԑԑ Kepefu (left) listens as as Elder and Linguist Afua Fofie points to an image of women spinning cotton thread on the "Banda in the 18th and 19th Centuries" poster. Banda Research Project team members Sampson Attah (standing, orange collar) and Timothy Fordjour (right) look on. Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro, 15 July, 2011.
Banda Research Project team member Yaw Frimpong (blue shirt with the Banda Cultural Centre "Unity" logo) serves as a docent for one of the informational posters on Banda history and archaeology launched at a 2011 community event. Project team member Frimpong from Nyire (tan shirt) shares insight as several community members listen. A young man in the rear uses his cell phone to take a photo of the poster as he listens to the conversation. Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro, 15 July, 2011.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Banda Cultural Centre; Community engagement; Community event; Poster
Members of the archaeological excavation team at Ngre Kataa. Team members included graduate students from the University of Ghana and from North America, a representative of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board and Banda men from Ahenkro and Nyrie. Back row (L-R): Amy Groleau, Kofi Paul, Yaw Frimpong, Kofi "Photo" Manu, Felix Ochra, Mr. Monney, Nelson Anane, Sampson Fordjour, Yaw Mensah, Enoch Mensah, Ben Nutor, Amanda Logan, Osei Kofi. Front row (L-R): Ann Stahl, J. K. Mensah, Idrusu, Abass Iddrisu, Kofi Nsia, Kwakye Eric. Ngre Kataa, 19 July, 2008.
Banda Research Project team members Kofi Paul and Kofi Nsia screen soil from a Mound 7 excavation unit at Ngre Kataa as team member Idrusu brings another headpan of soil. The excavated soil is sieved through 1/4 inch mesh screen in order to recover artifacts (fragments of pottery, metals, beads, animal bone) that will be bagged, cataloged and studied. Studying these objects and the contexts from which they were recovered (their provenience) helps archaeologists to learn about the daily lives of past people. Ngre Kataa, 9 July, 2008.
Archaeological team member Enoch Mesah (left, white shirt) explains what archaeologists have been learning through excavation of Mound 7 at Ngre Kataa. He addresses Tolɛɛ Gbankama, chief of Nyire (standing, center, white shirt) and accompanying Nyire elders during a site visit. Archaeological team member Kofi Nsia pauses excavation during the conversation, the short-handled hoe with which he is working resting on the ground in front of him. Ngre Kataa, 6 July, 2009.
In June 2011, Banda Research Project team member Amanda Logan collaborated with local artist Kwame K.B. 2 to develop paintings for the doors of the Banda Cultural Centre's courtyard. The paintings illustrate crafts practiced in the area for which we have archaeological evidence. This image shows a blacksmith forging iron. Based on the presence of byproducts like slag and the tools used to make metal, we know that blacksmiths smelted and forged iron in the Banda area from at least 1000 years ago. Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro, June, 2016.
In June 2011, Banda Research Project team member Amanda Logan collaborated with local artist Kwame K.B. 2 to develop paintings for the Banda Cultural Centre's courtyard doors. The paintings illustrate crafts practiced in the area for which we have archaeological evidence. This image shows a woman headloading pottery on her way to market. Pottery making and marketing has been practiced in the Banda area for thousands of years. Scientific studies of pottery from archaeological sites across the region show that pottery was made in different locations over time and was widely traded within and beyond the region. Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro, June, 2016.
Community members discuss one of the informational posters on Banda history and archaeology launched at a 2011 community event. Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro, 15 July, 2011.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Banda Cultural Centre; Community engagement; Community event; Poster
In June 2011, Banda Research Project team member Amanda Logan collaborated with local artist Kwame K.B. 2 to develop paintings for the Banda Cultural Centre's courtyard doors. The paintings illustrate crafts practiced in the area for which we have archaeological evidence. This image shows a woman spinning cotton thread (right) and a man wearing a locally made blue-and-white strip-woven cloth (left). Archaeologists find spindle whorls used to make thread on late 18th-and early 19th-century archaeological sites. This shows that households produced their own cloth during recent centuries. Before the 17th century, cotton cloth seems to have been less common and was probably acquired through trade from market centers. Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro, June, 2016.
Ann Stahl shares photos from Banda Project Archives with the Banda Queen Mother and her Elders as part of a consultation process leading to the Banda Heritage repository. L-R: Ann Stahl, __, __, __. Ahenkro, 19 June, 2016.
Boase Chief Tolԑԑ Ligbi Wulotei (center) looks at pottery from Banda area archaeological sites while Banda Project team member Boye (far right) looks on. Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro, 15 July, 2011.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Banda Cultural Centre; Community engagement; Community event
Banda Research Project team member Samuel Babatu (white shirt) serves as a docent for one of the informational posters on Banda history and archaeology launched at a 2011 community event. Young people gather to listen as he discusses the poster's content. In the background, other project team-member docents (Boye, Kofi "Photo" Manu and Yaw Frimpong) share other posters. Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro, 15 July, 2011.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Banda Cultural Centre; Community engagement; Community event; Poster
The Banda Queen Mother, (Lelԑԑ Akosua Kepefu) and her elders view archival photos on Ann Stahl's laptop. L-R: Afua Fofie, Lelԑԑ Kepefu and Lelԑԑ Yahͻͻ, Ann Stahl. Ahenkro, 19 June, 2016.
Young people look at and talk about the"Banda in the 15th to 17th Centuries" informational poster during a Banda Heritage community event. Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro, 15 July, 2011.
Banda Research Project team members present informational posters on Banda history and heritage to members of the Banda Traditional Council. Sampson Attah (kneeling, stripped shirt) describes the content of the "Learning about Life in the Past" poster to the paramount chief and elders. Project members James Anane (standing, red shirt) and Ann Stahl (kneeling, right) look on. Banda Ahenkro Palace, 11 July, 2011.
In June 2011, Banda Research Project team member Amanda Logan collaborated with local artist Kwame K.B. 2 to develop paintings for the Banda Cultural Centre's courtyard doors. The paintings illustrate handicrafts practiced in the area for which we have archaeological evidence. Here Kwame K.B. 2 stands next to his painting of a woman carrying pottery to market. Ahenkro, 8 June, 2011.
Banda Queen Mother Lelԑԑ Akosua Kepefu (center) shows an example of locally made strip-woven cloth to a young painter as a model for a painting on the Banda Cultural Centre doors. Enoch Mensah holds one end of the cloth. To the right, Afua Fofie, Linguist, looks on with artist Kwame K.B. 2. They stand on Ahenkro's main street (view towards the south). Ahenkro, 5 June, 2011.
Members of the 1990 archaeological excavation team at Makala Kataa. Team members included Banda men from Ahenkro and Makala. Back row (L-R): Kwasi Donkor, Donkor Johnson, __, Lamini, Kwasi Mensah (driver), Kwadwo Manu, Obour Bartholomew, Yaw Francis, Enoch Mensah, Mensah Listowell (red shirt). Front row (L-R) Daniel Mensah, Kwabena Mensah, Malik Abrefa, Ann Stahl, Yaw Frimpong, Osei Kofi. Also pictured are Peter Donkor and Richard Aboabo. Makala, July, 1990.
Members of the 1989 archaeological excavation team at Makala Kataa. Team members included Banda men from Ahenkro and Makala. Left-right: Enoch Mensah, Yaw Frimpong, Kwasi Donkor, Obour Bartholomew, ___, Osei Kofi, Samuel Babatu, Yaw Francis, Mustapha, Donkor Johnson. Makala Kataa, July, 1989.
Archaeological excavations of Mound 6 at Ngre Kataa in 2009 expose a workshop where blacksmiths produced iron and copper-alloy tools and ornaments. The mound is being excavated in 2 x 2 meter units named for the coordinates of their northeast corner. In unit 50N 0W (foreground), an area of burned soil marks the location where blacksmiths heated metals. A pottery jar sits in place to the right. In surrounding units (50N 2W, 48N 0W, 48N 2W) are large anvil stones where the hot metals would have been hammered and shaped through forging. The mound's stratified deposits suggest that the workshop area was used for many decades, and perhaps centuries, between the years of about 1350 and 1520 CE (Common Era). View across the mound from the northeast looking towards the southwest. Site Ngre Kataa. 27 June, 2009.
Miniature lost wax cast spoon, perhaps a gold weight. From Ngre Kataa, Mound 7, Unit 14N 22E, Level 8. Length: 4.3 cm. Weight: 2.1 g. Ngre Kataa, 27 June, 2009.
A crucible used to process copper alloys from Kuulo Kataa, Mound 130, Unit 95E 102N, Level 12. Crucibles like this would have been used to heat copper alloys to a liquid state for use in casting, including casting through a lost-wax process. Scale in cm. Kuulo Kataa, 27 June, 2000.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Provenance:
Kuulo Kataa, Mound 130, Unit 95E 102N, Level 12
Location(s) Facet:
Kuulo Kataa
Subjects Facet:
Handicraft; Metal casting; Metalworking; Copper alloys; Lost wax casting; Archaeology; Lost-wax process; Crucibles; Artifacts (Antiquities)
Finger ring made from twisted copper alloy wire. From Ngre Kataa, Mound 6, Unit 44N 4W, Level 5. Width: 2.3 cm. Weight: 1.6 g. Ngre Kataa, 8 July, 2009.
Young girls dressed in the attire for Manaa Ndiom (puberty) and Bijam (wedding) rites as part of a cultural performance in Boase. The event was organized by the chief and elders of Boase and filmed by the Banda Heritage Local Committee. Front, L-R: ___, ____. Rear, L-R: ___, ___, ___. Boase, 11 Nov, 2018.