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
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.
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.
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.
The Banda Cultural Centre provides space for community gatherings and guest rooms for Banda Research Project and other community visitors. The Centre's motto/logo is "Nyu nunu," (Nafaanra) or "Unity." Commissioned in 1995, the main building was constructed in 1994-95 through a combination of Banda Research Project funding and communal labor supplied by Ahenkro's four Unit Committees. The free-standing annex (right in photo) was added in 2000. It houses additional guest rooms and storage and was also built through a combination of Banda Research Project funding and communal labor. The building is administered and maintained by the community. Ahenkro, July 2001.
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.
Kafͻnͻ Katoo, Ahenkro, has long provided swordbearers (Bͻͻnfiԑn Yiifun) to the Banda paramount stool. Yaw Fori, pictured here, held the position in 1986.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Two carved wooden masks which are worn during masquerade dances celebrating special occasions among Muslim Ligbi communities in the Banda area are displayed. The masks pictured here were photographed in 1967 by René A. Bravmann, then a doctoral student at Indiana University studying African art history. The mask pictured left (13.25 inches in length) represents a thrush (Kokogyinaka in Ligbi). The one on the right (9.75 inches in length) is a "beautiful Gonja woman" (Gbanyamuso in Ligbi). The masks are periodically renewed with pigments made from plants and earthen materials. This masking tradition is referred to by scholars as "Do" but it is referred to in Bongase as "Bedu." For additional details, see Bravmann, René A. (1974) "Islam and Tribal Art in West Africa" (Cambridge University Press), pp. 147-177. A 2019 performance of Gbanyamuso at a Banda Heritage Event can be viewed through a link below. Bongase, December, 1967.
Two carved wooden masks which are worn during masquerade dances celebrating special occasions among Muslim Ligbi communities in the Banda area are displayed. The masks pictured here were photographed in 1967 by René A. Bravmann, then a doctoral student at Indiana University studying African art history. The mask pictured left (10.5 inches in length) represents a sheep (Saragigi in Ligbi). The one on the right (12.25 inches in length) is a bush cow (Siginkuru-ayna in Ligbi). The masks are periodically renewed with pigments made from plants and earthen materials. This masking tradition is referred to by scholars as "Do" but it is referred to in Bongase as "Bedu."For additional details, see Bravmann, René A. (1974) "Islam and Tribal Art in West Africa" (Cambridge University Press), pp. 147-177. Bongase, December, 1967.
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.
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
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)
An educational poster with pictures and text focused on how and what we can learn from the past. The poster encourages young people to talk to their elders to learn more about life in the past. It is one of five posters prepared for a Banda community event held in 2014. Printed versions of the posters are housed in the Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro.
An educational poster with pictures and text which describes Banda-area village life from the 15th through the 17th centuries. It briefly summarizes what has been learned from archaeological excavations at Kuulo Kataa about metal working. It also outlines the use of wild and domestic animals and the new objects and practices that developed in this time when trade connections with the Niger River area were strong. It is one of five posters prepared for a Banda community event held in July, 2011. Printed versions of the posters are housed in the Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro.
An educational poster with pictures and text which describes Banda-area village life during the 13th to the 15th centuries. It briefly summarizes what has been learned from archaeological excavations about handicrafts at Ngre Kataa including metal working and pottery making. It is one of five posters prepared for a Banda community event held in July, 2011. Printed versions of the posters are available in the Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro.
An educational poster with pictures and text focused on histories of farming and drought in the Banda area. It describes how archaeologists learn about farming in the past and what has been learned about the foods which Banda peoples used in a period of severe drought several centuries ago. It is one of five posters prepared for a Banda community event held in 2014. Printed versions of the posters are available in the Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Banda
Subjects:
Farming; Community engagement; Poster
Subjects Facet:
Droughts; Agriculture; Foodways; Sorghum; Corn; Pearl millet; Heritage
An educational poster with pictures and text which describes Banda-area village life during the 18th and 19th centuries based on oral histories, written sources and archaeology. It describes early written references to Banda and briefly summarizes what has been learned about handicrafts like potting and cloth-making based on archaeological excavations at Makala Kataa. It is one of five posters prepared for a Banda community event held in July, 2011. Printed versions of the posters are housed in the Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro.
Two Ligbi men from Bongase appear in masquerade regalia prior to a "Do" or "Bedu" performance at the commissioning celebration of the Banda Cultural Centre in Ahenkro. Their carved wooden masks represent a male and female pair of baboons (Mbong in Ligbi). Their heads and shoulders are draped in scarves, they wear raffia skirts around their waist, and over top of socks covering their feet they wear metal jangles on a chain wrapped around their ankles. They are accompanied by a number of men from Bongase. Pictured L-R: Fariah Salah, Kwame Yirikro, Abau Yaya, Abuu Doctor (masked dancer), Adoma, Ansoma Sala (masked dancer), Dandu, Alhaji Moro Mahama. A performance of Mbong at a June 2019 Banda Heritage Event can be viewed through a link below. Ahenkro, 21 July, 1995.
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.
The Banda Cultural Centre provides space for community gatherings and guest rooms for Banda Research Project and other community visitors. The Centre's motto/logo is "Nyu nunu," (Nafaanra) or "Unity." Commissioned in 1995, the main building was constructed in 1994-95 through a combination of Banda Research Project funding and communal labor supplied by Ahenkro's four Unit Committees. The building is administered and maintained by the community. Ahenkro, July 1995.
An educational poster with pictures and text focused on how past people in the Banda area housed their families. It describes what has been learned from archaeological excavations about how people built houses in the past and recent changes in housing. It is one of five posters prepared for a Banda community event held in 2014. Printed versions of the posters are housed in the Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Banda
Subjects:
Atakpame; Community engagement; Poster
Subjects Facet:
Dwellings--Maintenance and repair; Housing; Heritage
An educational poster with pictures and text focused on how past people in the Banda area clothed their families. It describes how people dressed, how they made cotton cloth, and why cloth is no longer made in Banda. It is one of five posters prepared for a Banda community event held in 2014. Printed versions of the posters are housed in the Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro.
An educational poster with pictures and text focused on how past people in the Banda area fed their families. It describes foods eaten in the past, the changes in foods eaten today, and how people in the past coped with food shortages. It is one of five posters prepared for a Banda community event held in 2014. Printed versions of the posters are housed in the Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro.
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.
Ma Mnama had a reputation as a successful farmer in the Banda area. Here she uses a short-handled hoe (kagbaan in Nafaanra; pl. kagbɛɛn) to cultivate her intercropped field, located to the east of Banda-Ahenkro, 1982
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.
Family history interview with members of Tapanwolo Katoo, including Pԑ Yaw, family head (seated, second from left), Kwadwo Ladjaa (seated, third from left) and Alhaji Adama Abudulai, Sabiye, 15 August, 1986.
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.