A narrow excavation trench cuts across several low mounds at Makala Kataa, Station 10. A low wall stub is visible to the left of the trench in the foreground. Trees dot the site, and low piles of screened excavated soil from the trench are visible in the background. According to oral histories, people moved from this area of Makala Kataa early in the 20th century when British colonial officials implemented a "village planning" scheme. People built new houses east of the old settlement and in time the old houses collapsed and formed low mounds. Makala Kataa, 1990.
Banda Research Project team members excavate units at Mound 6, Station 6, Makala Kataa. Alex Ababio (standing left, in hat) watches as Kwasi Peter digs with a short handled hoe, placing excavated dirt into headpans. Leith Smith (center) and Yaw Francis (right) look on. In the background (right) other team members screen soil. Wooden stakes mark 2 m interval grid points with excavation units marked off by string. A large baobab, one of several on the site, is visible in the background (right). Makala Kataa, June 1994.
Two everted-rim jars partially exposed in level 8 of Unit 4E 0S, Mound 5 at Station 6. View looking east. Photo scale in 10 cm increments. Makala Kataa, 16 July, 1994.
Banda Research Project archaeologists unearth two everted-rim jars in level 8 of Unit 4E0S at Station 6. L-R: Obour Bartholomew; Caesar Apentiik, ___. Makala Kataa, 16 July, 1994.
West wall of excavation unit 4W 4S, Mound 5, Station 6, Makala Kataa. Rootlets can be seen in the dark soils of upper levels. Midway down the profile are concentrations of burned sediment, remains of pots and other artifacts. Some of these rest on compacted "floor" deposits--orange-brown in color. The rounded body of a large storage jar is visible in the south wall (left). Together these reflect a living surface that appears to have been left at short notice (in light of the number of intact pots and other things left behind). The upper levels formed on top of this living surface as rain and wind moved soil across the site. Below the "floor" level, the soils are lighter brown and yielded few artifacts. Makala Kataa, 12 July, 1989.
The standing wall stubs of a small structure are surrounded by trees at Makala Kataa. Its walls were built using an atakpame technique. The grass cover has been cleared by archaeologists in preparation for site mapping. Far right, Banda Research Project team members work on nearby Station 10 excavation units. According to oral histories, people moved from this area of Makala Kataa to establish a new village in a place immediately east of the old settlement. This move happened at a time when British colonial officials were implementing "village planning" schemes in the early decades of the 20th century. Makala Kataa, 1990.
Wooden grid pegs mark the edges of a 2 x 2 m excavation unit (foreground) as two Banda Research Project team members screen soil (right) at Station 6. Osei Kofi carries an empty head pan (left). After sieving the soil, the men carefully pick and bag artifacts (fragments of pottery, metals, beads, animal bone) left in the screen. Studying these artifacts and the contexts from which they were recovered (their provenience) helps archaeologists to learn about the daily lives of past people. Makala Kataa, 1989.
Base of level 7, unit 4W 4S, Mound 5, Station 6, Makala Kataa. An area of burned soil (left), several flat grinding stones (center) and an everted rim jar are exposed at the base of the level. The unit wall shows the transition from dark soils close to the mound's surface and the lighter soils in its lower levels. Makala Kataa, 6 July, 1989.
Banda Research Project team members draw a profile map of walls in completed excavation units, Mound 5, Station 6. Enoch Mensah (kneeling) records measurements as Yaw Frimpong (standing) holds a tape measure. Makala Kataa, 1989. Wooden stakes marking 2 m grid intervals are visible across the mound surface. Makala Kataa, 1989.
Banda Research Project team members use cutlasses to clear the grass around Makala Kataa, 1989. Small trees cover much of the site surface. Baobab trees also grow on the site, one of which is visible in the background (right). Makala Kataa, 1989.
Banda Research Project team members prepare to profile the north wall of unit 55W 69N at Mound 102, Kuulo Kataa. Osei Kofi (blue shirt) prepares to take measurements from a level string anchored by chaining pins. Alex Caton (wearing a hat) prepares to draw the profile. Wooden pegs mark the corners of the 1 x 2 m unit. Mound 102 is a large deep midden mound which covers approximately 1600 m2 and rises several meters above the surrounding ground surface. A single 1 x 2 m unit was excavated to the base of level 13, after which a 1 x 1 m unit was excavated to almost 4 m, removing roughly 5 m3 of soil. Kuulo Kataa, 8 July, 2000.
In-progress excavations at Mound 130, Kuulo Kataa. A notched tree trunk provides a ladder into the deep units. The south walls of units 93 & 95 E, 110N are visible (center photo), showing the mound's layered deposits. In unit 95E 106 N (photo right), Emmanuel Duku (left), Wazi Apoh (center) and Leith Smith (right) record soil colors using a Munsell Soil Color Chart. Top left, two team members work by a screen used to sieve excavated soil, piles of which are visible in the background. Mound 130 covers an area of approximately 1100 m2 and rises to roughly a meter above the surrounding ground surface. Excavation here revealed thick layers of ashy midden deposits inter-stratified with walls and floors of houses. Kuulo Kataa, 2000.
Banda Research Project team members Courtney Amos (left), Leith Smith (center) and Emmanuel Duku (right) document the stratigraphy and soil characteristics of the west wall of unit 68E 4N at Mound 129, Kuulo Kataa. Duku measures the boundaries of stratigraphic layers using a metal tape measure and a level string anchored midway down the profile wall. Amos uses graph paper to create a profile map, marking the locations of points measured by Duku. Smith uses a Munsell Soil Color Chart book to record the color of soils from top to bottom along the profile wall. Kuulo Kataa, 2000.
A burned basin-like feature is visible in profile in the east wall of excavation unit 130W 26S, Mound 138, Kuulo Kataa. Clustered and adjacent to the burned area at the base of level 7 are three pottery pedestal bases, broken away from their original pots. The presence of slag and other burned features in adjacent units suggest that Mound 138 was a place where the site's occupants worked metals. A photo scale with 5 cm intervals points north. Kuulo Kataa, 14 July, 1995.
Two Banda Research Project team members screen excavated soil at Mound 102, Kuulo Kataa. The men work on the edge of a cleared area several meters away from excavation unit 55W 69N. Thick vegetation covers the mound behind them. A headpan of excavated soil sits in front, awaiting screening. After sieving the soil, the men carefully pick and bag artifacts (fragments of pottery, metals, beads, animal bone) left in the screen. Studying these artifacts and the contexts from which they were recovered (their provenience) helps archaeologists to learn about the daily lives of past people. Kuulo Kataa, 2000.
A light-colored slurry plaster is visible in the base of level 8 in excavation unit 64W 4N, Mound 118, Kuulo Kataa. The plaster is associated with floors and walls of a collapsed structure. Dark circular areas which interrupt the slurry may represent post holes. A photo scale with 5 cm intervals points north. Kuulo Kataa, 14 July, 1995.
Close-up photo of slurry plaster, level 8, excavation unit 64W 4N, Mound 118, Kuulo Kataa. The outer edge (upper left) of a wall/floor appears light in color against darker subsoil. A photo scale with 5 cm intervals points north. Kuulo Kataa, 15 July, 1995.
A deeply worn grinding stone (grindstone 1, NK-08-112) removed from levels 1-2, unit 44N 4W, Mound 6, Ngre Kataa, photographed at the side of the excavation unit. The grinding stone was found in association with other grinding stones, tuyere fragments and whole and partial pots. When found, the grinding stone was oriented with its working surface facing downward. It was located adjacent to a concentration of dark soil (feature 1) that contained abundant oxidized sediment, slag and broken pottery. Archaeologists interpret the features at Mound 6 as facilities used to make and process metals. Photo scale in 5 centimeter increments. Ngre Kataa, 2 July, 2008.
Banda Research Project team members Amanda Logan (right) and Amy Groleau (left) draw a plan map of units 44N 4W and 44N 6W, Mound 6, Ngre Kataa. They map in situ artifacts and features, including several large grinding stones, a whole pot, pottery clusters and a tuyere fragment. Wooden stakes mark the corners of 2 x 2 meter excavation units. A photo scale place near a partially exposed everted rim jar in unit 44N 6W (NK-08-407) is in 5 centimeter increments. Ngre Kataa, 7 July, 2008.
Devin Tepleski, University of Victoria undergraduate student in visual anthropology, plays back film footage on a video camera to children from Bui Village. The children carry headpans as they make their way to the river to fetch water. Acting on a request by Bui people, Tepleski visited Bui as part of the Banda Research Project to video-document the village and its people prior to their mandatory relocation due to the Bui Hydroelectric Dam project. His short film "Mango Driftwood" was posted on YouTube on 20 November, 2010 at the link below. Bui Village, May, 2009.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Bui
Subjects:
Headpans; Mango Driftwood; Team photo; Bui; Fetching water; Children's work
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.
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.
Members of the archaeological excavation team joined by the Dompofie chief and teachers during the last days of the 1995 season at Kuulo Kataa. Team members included Banda men from Ahenkro and Dompofie along with visiting American graduate students and Ann Stahl. Back row (L-R): __, __, __, __, __, __, Amos Bediako, __, Alex Ababio, Daniel, __, Kwasi Peter, __. Middle row (L-R): Nana Emmanuel Dwiru, Yaw Francis, Kwasi Ali, Anane, __, Kofi "Photo" Manu, Donkor Johnson, Yaw Frimpong, Osei Kofi, Obimpeh Blorpor, Enoch Mensah, Kwame Anane, __, __. Front row (L-R): Kwame Bio, Alex Caton, Leith Smith, Ann Stahl, Obour Bartholomew. Also included in the photo are Alex Donkor, Alfred Nkrumah, Anane Peter, Asamoa Martin, John Preprah, Kwadwo Masoate, Kwadwo Nkrumah, Moses Nsiah, Peter Bile, and Stephen Okrah. Kuulo Kataa, July, 1995
Members of the archaeological excavation team during the last days of the 1995 season at Kuulo Kataa. Team members included Banda men from Ahenkro and Dompofie along with visiting American graduate students and Ann Stahl. Back row (L-R): __, Kwame Bio, __, __, __, __, Amos Bediako, Obour Bartholomew, __, Alex Ababio, Daniel, __, Kwasi Peter. Middle row (L-R): Yaw Francis, Kwasi Ali, Anane, __, Kofi "Photo" Manu, Donkor Johnson, Yaw Frimpong, Osei Kofi, Obimpeh Blorpor, Enoch Mensah, Kwame Anane, __, __. Front row (L-R): Ann Stahl, Andrew Black. Also included in the photo are Alex Donkor, Alfred Nkrumah, Anane Peter, Asamoa Martin, John Preprah, Kwadwo Masoate, Kwadwo Nkrumah, Moses Nsiah, Peter Bile, and Stephen Okrah. Kuulo Kataa, July, 1995.
During a communal labor day, young men from Ahenkro gather close to the site of the Banda Cultural Centre where they are making blocks which will be used to construct the Centre. Center photo, men mix sand with cement while those to the right use a block machine to form the bricks. Finished blocks are stacked in the background. A mason, standing left, supervises the work. Headpans and buckets used in the work sit nearby. Each of Ahenkro's four Unit Committees provided communal labor for block-making which made construction of the Banda Cultural Centre possible. Ahenkro, 1994.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Banda Cultural Centre; Unit committees; Communal labor; Headpans
Archaeological excavations focused on a collapsed house mound are in progress at Makala Kataa "Station 10." Archaeologists have left "balk" walls between 2 x 2 meter units as a way to study the mound's stratigraphy. Headpans for carrying excavated soil to nearby screens for sieving sit beside the excavation units. Scattered around the sides of the units are short-handled hoes which the excavation team uses to carefully scrape the soil as they dig. Graduate students Maria Dores Cruz and Leith Smith direct the excavation team while Tolԑԑ Kofi Dwuru III (Nana Millah), visiting the site from Ahenkro, stands to the right in black cloth. Makala Kataa, July 1994.
Members of the 1994 archaeological excavation team at Makala Kataa. Team members included a National Service and a staff member from the Ghana National Museum, American graduate students and Banda men from Ahenkro and Makala. Back row (L-R): Kwame Bio, Samuel Babatu, __, Kwame Anane, Donkor Johnson, Timothy Fordjour, Daniel Mensah, __, Yaw Francis, __, __, Kwadwo Manu. Middle row (L-R): __, Kwame Abrifa, Kwasi Peter, Amos Bediako, Kwabena Mensah, Kofi "Photo" Manu, Yaw Frimpong, Alex Ababio. Front row (L-R): Caesar Apentiik, Ann Stahl, Maria Dores Cruz, Obour Bartholomew, Kwasi Ali, Obimpeh Blorpor, Leith Smith, Victor Mattey, Osei Kofi, Brian Thomas. Also pictured are Frank Osei Kofi, Seth Tahara, Kwame Menka, Kwame Okyei, and Thomas Bio. Makala Kataa, July, 1994.
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.
School children from Ahenkro carry sand to the site where Unit Committees are supplying communal labor to make blocks to build the Banda Cultural Centre. The children have been directed by the Traditional Council and teachers to assist the project for an afternoon by transporting sand for block-making to the building site. Ahenkro, 1994.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Banda Cultural Centre; Headloading; Unit committees; Communal labor; Headpans
Subjects Facet:
Brickmaking; Building; Lifting and carrying; Bricks
Banda Research Project excavation team members at work on Mound 118 at Kuulo Kataa. Wooden stakes mark the corners of 2x2 meter excavation units, several of which are in progress. North American students Leith Smith (white hat and shirt) and Alex Caton (far right) are pictured along with men from Dompofie and Ahenkro. View looking northward. Kuulo Kataa, 1995.
A Makala elder pours libations at the site of Makala Kataa to open work on a Friday. He is accompanied by two members of the 1994 Banda Research Project excavation team, both from Makala. L-R: __, __, __. Makala Kataa, 1994.
Tolɛɛ Kofi Dwuru II was the Paramount Chief of Banda from the time of his enstoolment in 1938 until his death in 1977. Here the Nafana chief is pictured seated on an Asante-style "akonkromfi" chair with his sandaled feet resting on a carved wooden white stool to which protective leather amulets made by Islamic clerics have been tied on to the stool's central column. Two large cast metal bells rest on either side of the stool at its base. The paramount chief wears a white cotton cloth bearing geometric designs and Arabic script written in black, blue and red inks. To the right, an Asante-style "assipim" chair is propped against the wall. Suspended from a cord on the wall behind him is a collection of animal bones among which are large ungulate (hoofed animal) and carnivore skulls and jaw bones. For additional details, see Bravmann, René A. (1974) "Islam and Tribal Art in West Africa" (Cambridge University Press), pp. 88-95. Two photos. Ahenkro, 25 November, 1967.
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.
This Asante-style "akonkromfi" chair belonged to Tolɛɛ Kofi Dwuru II who was the Paramount Chief of Banda from the time of his enstoolment in 1938 until his death in 1977. Kofi Dwuru purchased the chair in Kumasi during the 1930s. The chair's back rest and legs are studded with brass tacks. A leather cushion rests on the seat of the chair. For additional details, see Bravmann, René A. (1974) "Islam and Tribal Art in West Africa" (Cambridge University Press), pp. 89. Ahenkro, 25 November, 1967.
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.
A group of men and women stand in the doorways of the Banda Traditional Council building as the Traditional Council holds a meeting inside. The colonial-period building's interior is lit by natural light through large windows, with several panes of window glass intact on the rear side of the building. Several young people sit on the steps of the building. Visible to the left is the metal-roofed colonial-period village clinic and residence of the village nurse who was in this period the primary medical care personnel for the Banda area. Ahenkro, 12 August, 1986.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Colonial period buildings; Banda Traditional Council
Banda Research Project team members wearing blue shirts with the "Unity" logo and dresses embroidered in blue process down Ahenkro's main street from the Paramount Chief's palace to the Banda Cultural Centre for the centre's commissioning ceremony. Ann B. Stahl-- just enstooled as an honorary Queen Mother by the Banda Traditional Council under the stool name Lelɛɛ Yadwo Gongo II--is carried in a palanquin lined with kente cloth and shaded by one of the chief's royal umbrellas. A woman in local-made strip woven cloth stands left, with Binghamton University MA student Alex Caton wearing local dress to her right. To her right in blue-embroidered dresses are project team members Doris Millah and Doris Mensah. Visible in the background are the thatched and iron roofs of houses lining Banda-Ahenrko's main street. Ahenkro, 21 July, 1995.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Queen Mother; Banda Cultural Centre; Umbrella; Palanquin; Banda Research Project
Subjects Facet:
Rites and ceremonies; West African strip weaving; Thatched roofs; Metal roofing; Textiles; Clothing; Kente cloth; Litters (vehicles); Royal regalia
The glass beads considered sacred and used in the puberty (Manaa Ndiom) and marriage (Bijam) rites of Nafana women are stored within a calabash bowl, its lid lying next to it. Most of the beads are imported varieties typical of those that circulated in the Atlantic trade period. On top of two other lidded calabash bowls rests a pair of iron manacles or shackles which are included among ritual paraphernalia. Ahenkro, July 1995.
An aerial view of Banda area settlements and roads, looking southeastward from the north side of Banda-Ahenkro, district administrative center since 2012 of the Banda District in Ghana's Bono (formerly Brong-Ahafo) Region. The linear range of Banda hills is visible in the background (right, top) with the compact core of Banda-Ahenkro center photo. To the west (right) and north (bottom), Ahenkro's houses are more dispersed than in its compact and older core. The left-hand fork of a Y-shaped road (center photo) is the main road that leads south towards Sabiye and Bofie to Menji. The right-hand fork is the now-bypassed old main road between Ahenkro and Kabruno. The road that extends horizontally across the left side of the photo is the paved road that extends from the Banda junction to the Wenchi-Bamboi road (N12). The clustered villages visible south of Ahenkro include Kanka, Kabruno, Sase, Gbao, Dompofie and Makala. To the west (photo's far right) of the Y-Junction, toward the base of the Banda hills, are light-green rectangular areas devoid of trees. These are fields once cleared for tobacco cultivation and now put to other forms of mono-cropping (single crop farming). To the east of Ahenkro (photo's far left) the angular straight edges and lighter green color of a cashew plantation stand out from the surrounding vegetation. Cashew has become an increasingly important cash crop grown in the area since the early 2000s. Two photos. Ahenkro, 25 June, 2019.
Family history interview with Elders of Loobia Katoo dressed in customary attire for the Yualie Festival celebrated at the harvest time for sorghum and millet. Loobia Katoo supplies the custodian of the Jafun shrine to which offerings are made during the Yualie Festival. The family brought the shrine to Banda from Senyon (Northern Region) during the time of Dabla, paramount chief of Banda. In the background (left) calabash (gourd) bowls (chrԑgbͻͻ in Nafaanra) are set out to dry. Left: custodian of the Jafun shrine, Kwadwo Kamiekunu (Jafun Bͻͻnyiifun); right: Amman Nyiimor (female head), 24 July, 1986.
Family history interview with Elders of Shiofi Katoo including Kofi Asare (Abakomahene; seated, second from left). Other members of Shiofi Katoo to the right of Asare, Kwabena Dibi, Yaw Krah, and (standing center) Mensah Listowell. Female head Kosua Yablewo, standing, back right. James Anane (interviewer), standing left. Ahenkro, 24 July, 1986.
Family history interview with Elders of Kofi Krԑma [Krema] Katoo. Seated center Donkor Amma, female head; seated right Kwadwo Abedi, male head. Banda-Ahenkro, 13 August, 1986.
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
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.
Amma Bio of Gbaŋmbɛ Katoo demonstrates the dance associated with sinyeele (balo or xylophone) music played at funerals. Male family head Nyua Kwadwo plays the sinyeele. Lying beneath the partially assembled instrument are calabashes that serve as resonators and produce the instrument's distinctive sound. A small wooden stool lies on its side nearby. Sanwa, 6 August, 1986.
Family history interview with Elders of Kuulo Katoo including (seated front, left to right) Kwame Broma, Tolԑԑ Kwadwo Fordjour (Odikro), Lelԑԑ Afua Fofie (female head). Standing in brown cloth, Kwasi Millah, and to his right Emmanuel Dwira. Other members of Kuulo Katoo pictured are Kwasi Donkor and Kwabena Mensah. James Anane (interviewer) standing left. Dompofie, 6 August, 1986.
Kafͻnͻ Katoo, Ahenkro, has long provided swordbearers (Bͻͻnfiԑn Yiifun) to the Banda paramount stool. Yaw Fori, pictured here, held the position in 1986.
Family history interview with members of Gangoolo Katoo, including Tolԑԑ Sah Dongi, Oyokohene (seated, center), Kwaku Donkor (linguist, seated, light blue cloth), Kwado Fordjour and Ama Nyini (on left with head scarf), Samwa, 4 August, 1986.
Family history interview with members of Gbla Wolo Katoo, including Nana Sie Jiniŋge, Ankobeahene (seated, center) as well as Ha Yaw, Sie Yaw Bediako, Asoma Kramo, Siedu, Kwaku Frimpong and Kwasi Wankyi, Sabiye, 15 August, 1986.
A light-colored slurry plaster marks the outlines of earthen walls exposed through excavations at Mound 7, Ngre Kataa. View looking westward. The T-shaped juncture where two walls intersect is visible (center, top). The interior and exterior of the walls were coated with a thin plaster, appearing as a light-colored thin line exposed by archaeologists as they dug down. A two-meter scale appears (right) by a photo board. To the left and outside the building is a cluster of stones, some perhaps used in food processing activities. Ngre Kataa, 6 June, 2009.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution--NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Provenance:
Ngre Kataa, Mound 7, Units 12N 24E and 12N 26E, 80 cm below datum
Ann Stahl takes notes on excavation Unit 1, Mound 1 at Ngre Kataa ("Banda 40") in preparation for further excavation of the unit, originally opened in March 2001 by Leith Smith as part of a regional site testing project. A partially complete everted-rim jar ("Vessel 4"), oriented with its mouth down, is visible in the profile wall (left). Two trowels rest on the ground surface just above the jar. To the right on the ground surface is a Munsell Soil Color Charts book resting on top of a clip board and graph paper used to draw a profile map. Ngre Kataa, 19 June, 2001.
Female elders are seated under a thatch awning outside the Banda Cultural Centre on the day of its commissioning, Ann B. Stahl (seated center) has just been enstooled as an honorary Queen Mother of the Banda Traditional Council under the stool name Yadwo Gongo II. To the left is Binghamton University graduate student Alex Caton (Peni Yaa) and seated to the right wearing white cloth is Afua Wewa, one of the Banda Queen Mother's elders. A young man holds an umbrella over the Banda Queen Mother, Lelɛɛ Akosua Kepefu, who sits behind Alex Caton. Ahenkro, 21 July, 1995.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Queen Mother; Banda Cultural Centre; Enstoolment; Banda Traditional Council
A map showing the location of towns and villages in the Banda Traditional Area, Bono Region, Ghana.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution--NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Date:
2020-02-28
Location(s) Facet:
Banda
Subjects Facet:
Maps; Villages; Banda (Brong-Ahafo Region, Ghana)
Creator:
Desmond Roessingh
Language:
English
Date searchable:
2020-02-28
Genre:
Map; Maps
Genre Facet:
Map
Format:
Image
Location(s):
Banda, Ghana
Commentary:
Technical note: Projection WGS 1984, UTM Zone 30N; Data sources: Ann Stahl (Banda border, point locations); Natural Earth (country boundaries); Humanitarian Data Exchange, Open Street Map (roads); DIVA GIS, Open Street Map (rivers and elevations)
The deeply stratified deposits of a midden mound are visible in the east wall of excavation unit 2W 2S, Mound 101, Kuulo Kataa. Mound 101 is a large mound covering roughly 1200 m2 and rising roughly 3 m above the surrounding ground surface at its apex. Unit 2W 2S was excavated to a depth of ca. 330 cm below the mound surface to the point where laterite rock was encountered. It was excavated as a 2 x 2 m unit to level 15, narrowing to a 1 x 2 m from level 16, with a total estimated 8.7 m3 of soil removed from the unit. Upper levels were characterized by dark soils with many rootlets which transitioned to lighter brown soils. Gray ashy soils dominated the lower cultural levels of the mound. At base, orange-brown clayey soils appeared above the laterite substrate. Visible in the profile wall, to the left and slightly lower than a circular area of dark soil, is the interior of a pottery jar, the other half removed and reconstructed (KK 95-693; see link below). Kuulo Kataa, July, 1995.
View of excavation units at Mound 2, Station 10, Makala Kataa. Wooden stakes mark grid points at 2 m intervals and string is used to mark the boundaries of 2 x 2 m excavation units. A deep pit in the corner of Unit 82W 14S (bottom, left) has been excavated and is set up for being photographed with a scale and photo board. Several Banda Research Project team members work as children look on. View to the south. Makala Kataa, July, 1994.
Banda Research Project team members use a datum string, pulled tight and leveled with a bubble level, to measure the depth below datum of the excavation unit's surface. Yaw Francis (right) holds the string level as Yaw Frimpong (left) measures the depth close to the bubble level. By taking periodic measurements as they dig across the unit, they ensure that the surface of each completed level is even. A head pan and short handled hoe sit next to excavated dirt in the unit. Maria Dores Cruz (far left) and other team members work on an adjacent excavation unit on Mound 6, Station 6. Makala Kataa, 1994.
In preparation for beginning excavation of a new 2 x 2 m unit, Banda Research Project team members Leith Smith (right) and Victor Mattey (left) extend grid points on Mound 6, Station 6, Makala Kataa. Smith uses a rock to pound in a grid peg at a point established using tape measures extended from previously placed grid pegs. The accuracy of the peg's location in this 2 m interval grid is checked according to horizontal (2 m) and diagonal (5.66 m) measurements from the other unit pegs. Low piles of sieved dirt from ongoing excavations are visible in the background. Makala Kataa, Station 6, 1994.
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.
Banda Research Project team member Enoch Mensah stands on a ladder in unit 55W 69N, Mound 102 at Kuulo Kataa. A tape measure and a level line have been set up on the north wall of the unit in preparation for drawing a profile map. Mound 102 is a large deep midden mound which covers approximately 1600 m2 and rises several meters above the surrounding ground surface. A single 1 x 2 m unit was excavated to the base of level 13, after which a 1 x 1 m unit was excavated to almost 4 m, removing roughly 5 m3 of soil. Three radiocarbon samples from lower levels of the mound (3-3.5 m below the ground surface) had calibrated age ranges of c. 1400-1530 CE. Kuulo Kataa, 2000. Kuulo Kataa, 2000.
Eight jar rims have been exposed in situ at the base of level 7, unit 0W 0S, Mound 5, Makala Kataa Station 6. The jar rims are broken off below the neck of the pot and appear to have been placed around a room where they were used as pot stands. In a raised area (bottom center), not excavated to the same depth as surrounding soil, a concentration of reddish soil and gravel marks the traces of a house wall. Archaeologists interpret unit 0W 0S as a part of a kitchen area where foodstuffs were likely stored. The pots and their contents have been removed, with only the pot stands remaining. In the background sits a headpan filled with soil from cleaning the 2 x 2 m unit prior to photoing. A scale arrow with 10 cm intervals points north. View to the west. Makala Kataa, 19 July, 1994.
Banda Research Project team members Obimpeh Blopor (left) and Timothy Fordjour (right) carefully remove dry, compact soil from around a series of pot rims that are appearing in the base of level 6 in unit 0W 0S, Mound 5 at Makala Kataa Station 6. Obimpeh uses a cutlass and Fordjour a short handled hoe to loosen the dry soil. Another team member scoops the excavated soil into a headpan using a short handled hoe. A string with line level lies next to the iron rod that marks the unit datum. A trowel and tape measure rest nearby. Makala Kataa, Station 6, 1994.
Field drawing showing the stratigraphy of unit 68E 4N, Mound 129 at Kuulo Kataa. The profile map depicts unit deposits as seen in the north wall of the excavation unit. Kuulo Kataa
West wall of excavation unit 55W 69N in Mound 102 at Kuulo Kataa. Topmost levels are characterized by dark soil that fades to brown below the area where rootlets are visible. A distinct boundary separates these brown soils from the gray ashy levels below. Mound 102 is a large deep midden mound which covers approximately 1600 m2 and rises several meters above the surrounding ground surface. A single 1 x 2 m unit was excavated to the base of level 13, after which a 1 x 1 m unit was excavated to almost 4 m, removing roughly 5 m3 of soil. Three radiocarbon samples from lower levels of the mound (3-3.5 m below the ground surface; not visible in this photo) had calibrated age ranges of c. 1400-1530 CE. Kuulo Kataa, 8 July, 2000.
The deeply stratified deposits of a midden mound are visible in the east wall of excavation unit 2W 2S, Mound 101, Kuulo Kataa. Mound 101 is a large mound covering roughly 1200 m2 and rising roughly 3 m above the surrounding ground surface at its apex. Unit 2W 2S was excavated to a depth of ca. 330 cm below the mound surface to the point where laterite rock was encountered. It was excavated as a 2 x 2 m unit to level 15, narrowing to a 1 x 2 m from level 16, with a total estimated 8.7 m3 of soil removed from the unit. Upper levels were characterized by dark soils with many rootlets which transitioned to lighter brown soils. Gray ashy soils dominated the lower cultural levels of the mound. At base, orange-brown clayey soils appeared above the laterite substrate. Kuulo Kataa, July, 1995.
In-progress excavations of adjacent 2 x 2 m units at Mound 148, Kuulo Kataa. The base of units 70E 48-52N and 72E 50N have been excavated to depths ranging from 90-110 cm below datum. The large area of dark soil concentrated in unit 70E 50N (center) is intrusive pit fill which cut through the living surface at this mound level. An area of packed reddish-orange laterite gravel in unit 70E 52N (bottom, left) likely represents a prepared floor surface. To the right of the dark pit soil, in the boundary between units 70E 50N and 70E 48N, is a an irregularly shaped burned feature interpreted by archaeologists as likely associated with metalworking. Two radiocarbon samples associated with this burned feature had calibrated age ranges between c.1200-1400 CE. A cluster of hearth stones has been exposed in nearby unit 72E 50N (center photo). White bags filled with soil samples collected for flotation sit outside the excavated area together with excavation equipment. View looking eastwards. Kuulo Kataa, 11 July, 2000.
Traced field drawing showing the stratigraphy of unit 2W 2S, Mound 101 at Kuulo Kataa. The profile map shows unit deposits as seen in the north wall of the excavation unit. Kuulo Kataa, 9 July, 1995.
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
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.
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 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Several large clay pots used for water storage (chͻkoo in Nafaanra) sit in the interior courtyard of a house next to a black metal barrel, which is also used for water storage. The surface of the two larger clay jars has been textured with maize cob roulette (bledjukaan in Nafaanra ), and one is decorated with arching grooves. The smallest jar has red-painted vertical lines on its interior rim. The small round-based jar has been placed on an enameled-ware pot for support. The larger water jar behind it rests on the upturned base of an enameled-ware headpan, re-purposed after its base rusted and it could no longer be used to carry things. A clay grinding bowl is visible in the lower left corner of the picture. Banda area, 1994.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Banda
Subjects:
Water storage; Water pots (chokoo); Maize cob roulette; Decoration; Jars
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.
Interior view of a shelter constructed at farm with walls made from woven mats and a thatched roof supported by wooden poles around the shelter's perimeter. In the shelter's rear corner, calabash (gourd; chrԑ in Nafaanra) bowls and ladles rest on a low platform constructed of poles and thatch. Several other worn calabash and fired clay vessels are beneath the platform. A hearth, right foreground, is constructed of three stones in-between which dry wood collected from around the farm is placed. Several maize (corn; bleju in Nafaanra) shucks lie on the ground, lower left foreground. Farm near Ahenkro, September, 1982.
Exterior view of a shelter constructed at farm with walls made from woven mats and a thatched roof supported by wooden poles around the shelter's perimeter. In the foreground, right, a cutlass (machete) rests on a sharpening stone. In the shade of the shelter's eave to the right of its roof-support pole are a small fired clay eating bowl, a clay cooking pot turned upside down resting on its rim, and a larger fired clay water storage pot. Farm shelters provide shade, refuge from rain and a place to rest and prepare food while families are at their farms, which may be located some distance from their homes. Farm near Ahenkro, September, 1982.
A group of men work together, gathered at farm, processing calabash (gourd; chrԑ in Nafaanra) for market sale. The calabash is split, its pulpy interior removed, and the gourd's interior surface scraped clean before drying. Shavings from this thinning process are scattered about on the ground. Several children are gathered nearby as the men work. A basket sits next to a pile of prepared calabash bowls (chrԑgbͻͻ in Nafaanra). Farm near Ahenkro, August, 1982.
Interior view of a shelter constructed at farm with walls made from woven mats and a thatched roof supported by wooden poles around the shelter's perimeter. Pieces of firewood lay near the shelter's entrance with a small wooden double-ended pestle/grinder lying on its side in front of the wood. Several maize (corn) cobs (bledjukaan in Nafaanra) stripped of their kernels lay on the earthen floor of the shelter. Farm near Ahenkro, September, 1982.
Early in his career, art historian Roy Sieber toured Ghana studying the country's indigenous art forms (Interview with Roy Sieber, "African Arts", Vol. 25, no. 4, Oct. 1992, pg. 48). Several years later Sieber's student René Bravmann returned to west central Ghana to study the region's masking traditions. This photo of masks taken by Roy Sieber is Included in René Bravmann's photo archives with the label "Do masks at Banda, R. Sieber photo, 1960s." Masks like these are used in masquerade dances to celebrate special occasions including weddings and public festivals such as the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. In his 1974 book "Islam and Tribal Art in West Africa" (Cambridge University Press, pg. 166), René Bravmann notes that at the time of his 1967 fieldwork there were in the "Ligbi village of Bungazi [Bongase] six Do [masks]... Interestingly enough, only three years prior to my fieldwork [1964], Roy Sieber recorded twelve Do face masks at Bungazi. My inquiries in 1967 revealed that five of the masks had been stolen and a sixth had deteriorated to the point where it was no longer usable." The masks pictured here (1964) may be among the Bongase masks that were stolen or deteriorated by the time of Bravmann's 1967 visit. Bongase, 1964.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Bongase
Subjects:
Do
Subjects Facet:
Wood carvings; Rites and ceremonies; Dance; Islam; Masquerades; Marriage customs and rites; Regalia; Masks
Two men (left) stand on the edge of a deep pit previously mined by potters from around Bui Village as a source of potting clay. The deep clay pit was used before the mid-20th century when potters were still practicing their craft east of the Banda hills. The clay pit was located along a stream which drained into the Black Volta on its south bank, on the road leading west from Bui Village. The pit was located in an area later flooded by the rising waters of Bui Lake after construction of the Bui Dam. A red-and-white 2 meter photo scale stands upright in the pit to show the pit's depth. West of Bui, 1989.
A wooden spindle thickly wrapped with cotton thread rests in a large calabash bowl. The bowl sits on a wooden stool adjacent to the legs of blue plastic chairs on which elder women sit at a Banda Heritage Celebration held at the Banda Cultural Centre. One woman wears a strip-woven textile made with black, white, red and yellow threads. Bottom right is the basket in which she stores her spinning supplies. Ahenkro, 28 June, 2019.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution--NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Date:
2019-06-28
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Banda Cultural Centre; Cotton thread
Subjects Facet:
West African strip weaving; Gourd, Calabash; Textiles; Spinning
Three spindles with painted spindle whorls made in Kokua in 1994 rest on a black-and-white strip-woven cloth worn by a woman attending the Banda Heritage Celebration held at the Banda Cultural Centre. In the past Banda area women used spindles and whorls like these to spin cotton thread. Ahenkro, 28 June, 2019.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution--NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Date:
2019-06-28
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Banda Cultural Centre
Subjects Facet:
West African strip weaving; Textiles; Spinning; Spindle whorls
Members of Gbaŋmbɛ Katoo demonstrate the use of a (partially constructed) balo or xylophone (sinyeele in Nafaanra). The instrument is played at special funerals, including those of the paramount chief. A calabash with a small hole lies beneath the instrument. Together with other calabashes of graded size (small to large), it serves as the instrument's resonating chamber when fully assembled. By striking the sinyeele's wooden keys with a mallet, a range of musical notes are produced by the differently sized calabashes. Nyua Kwadwo (male family head) holds the mallets he uses to play the sinyeele. On each wrist he wears an iron bangle or bracelet with metal jangles. To the left, a family member plays a drum made from a clay pot. Sanwa, 6 August, 1986.
The first oral history interview conducted by the Banda Research Project was with Kofi Asԑmpasa of Gbԑԑnlԑԑ Katoo, Gbao, in November 1982. Asԑmpasa is pictured here with family member James Anane (holding the tape recorder), listening to the audio recording of his interview. His reaction upon hearing the tape: "That man knows his history!" Asԑmpasa was among the most remarkable oral historians encountered in the course of the Banda Research Project. Gbao, 16 Nov, 1982.
Elders of Gape Katoo with the sacred bronze basin, copper alloy vessel, iron knife and "chain" (copper alloy anklet) associated with ancestor Buari Kojo, Bofie, July, 1995.
Family history interview with members of Chorigbͻͻnͻ [Chorigboono] House, including Imam Lakaria (center, blue robe), Abakan Wͻye, Moro, Daudu, Sale Asomana, Alhaji Sefuyani, Adam Moro and Amadu Yaya, Sase, 20 July, 1986.