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.
Kwasi Millah, Elder of Kuulo Katoo and caretaker of Kuulo shrines, stands in front of the baobab tree that sprang up at the spot where Lelɛɛ Wurache, the Kuulo ancestress, sank into the ground, as described in the family history of Kuulo Katoo. Outskirts of Dompofie, June, 1995.
Assisted by his son (Wayo Fordjour), a skilled builder (Akwasi Nyua Tonyaa) shapes balls of atakpame as he prepares to add another course to the walls of a house under construction. Each course must be allowed to dry gradually before the next is added in order to create a strong wall. Calabash bowls (chrԑgbͻͻ in Nafaanra) used by the builder sit nearby. Two photos. Dompofie, September, 1982.
The walls of an atakpame (coursed-earth) structure drying before the next course of earthen building material is added. Behind, to the left, a block constructed building in progress and houses with metal roofs. Dompofie, September, 1982.
A skilled builder (Akwasi Nyua Tonyaa) places atakpame balls on the previously laid and dried course of earthen wall. He carefully molds the moist earthen ball to the dry course to ensure a strong wall. Dompofie, September, 1982.
Kwasi Millah of Dompofie sits under the shade of a tree while processing calabash (gourd) bowls (chrԑgbͻͻ in Nafaanra). The interior is scraped clean and the calabash set aside to dry. While some are kept for household use, many are sold at market. Once dried, the calabash bowls are durable utensils used for cooking, bathing, and other household tasks. Dompofie, June, 1995.
Kwasi Millah, Elder of Kuulo Katoo and caretaker of Kuulo shrines, stands in front of the tree that sprang up at the spot where Lelɛɛ Wurache, the Kuulo ancestress, sank into the ground, as described in the family history of Kuulo Katoo. Outskirts of Dompofie, June, 1995.
Kwasi Millah (center, brown cloth) offers libations to Kuulo ancestors at the base of Lelɛɛ Wurache's tree. The occasion was prompted by the request of the Banda Research Project group to conduct archaeological excavations at Kuulo Kataa. Outskirts of Dompofie, June, 2000.
People gather to watch as offerings are made at the base of Lelɛɛ Wurache's tree on the outskirts of Dompofie. Kwasi Millah (seated, center) holds a glass as Daniel Kofi Nakpah pours drink in preparation for the offering of libations. Dompofie chief Tolɛɛ Emmanuel Dwiri stands far right (blue cloth). The occasion was prompted by the request of the Banda Research Project group to conduct archaeological excavations at Kuulo Kataa. Outskirts of Dompofie, June, 1995.
Villagers from Dompofie gather beneath Lelɛɛ Wurache's tree. People have come to witness libations and offerings to the shrine, prompted by the request by members of the Banda Research Project to conduct archaeological excavations at Kuulo Kataa. Standing center in the blue strip-woven cloth is Kwasi Millah. A member of the Banda Research Project team (Andy Black; bearded, on left) joins the group. Outskirts of Dompofie, June, 1995.
Kwasi Millah offers libations to Kuulo ancestors at the base of Lelɛɛ Wurache's tree. The occasion was prompted by the request of the Banda Research Project group to conduct archaeological excavations at Kuulo Kataa. Outskirts of Dompofie, June, 1995.
Kwasi Millah, seated right, makes offerings to Kuulo ancestors at the base of Lelɛɛ Wurache's tree. The occasion was prompted by the request of the Banda Research Project group to conduct arcaheological excavations at Kuulo Kataa. Outskirts of Dompofie, June, 1995.
As Daniel Kofi Nakpah holds a goat which will be offered to the shrine, Kwasi Millah (center, brown cloth) pours libations at the base of Lelɛɛ Wurache's tree while others look on. The occasion was prompted by the request of the Banda Research Project group to conduct archaeological excavations at Kuulo Kataa. Outskirts of Dompofie, June, 2000.
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.
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
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.
Oral history of Kuulo Katoo (house), Dompofie, describes how the ancestress Wurache came to the area from the sky. The history of how other groups came to live alongside Wurache and her family is summarized. The role of the family in the installation of the chief and their postion as earth priest is described. A list of former male and female heads of family is included. To cite: Stahl, Ann, and James Anane. 2011. Kuulo Katoo, Dumpofie [Dompofie]. In, "Family Histories from the Banda Traditional Area, Brong-Ahafo Region, Ghana, 1986," pp. 27-28. Brochure circulated 1989, reissued with photos and additional histories in 2011. 3 pages.
A man in Dompofie makes a basketry tray (gbrewa in Nafaanra). He uses a (metal?) tube as a frame. First the warp slats are placed at intervals on the frame. Then the weft slats are interwoven with the weft, starting from the center and working outward to the edges. Trays like this could be used in crop processing or for temporarily storing foodstuffs. A finished, well-worn basketry tray is visible, upper left, leaning against a pole. Dompofie, 1995.
Members of the Banda Research Project team walk from Kuulo Kataa to Dompofie along a narrow farm path. They carry in headpans bags of artifacts excavated during the work day along with soil samples for flotation. One man (Kwasi Ali) walks with his bicycle. The Banda hills appear in the background. Near Dompofie, July, 1995.
A video made from a photo and original cassette tape audio recording of a 1986 family history interview with Elders of Kuulo Katoo in Dompofie, Banda. Female head of family, Lelɛɛ Afua Fofie (age, c. 90 yrs), shared in the Nafaanra language the history of Wurache, female ancestress of Kuulo Katoo. The interview was conducted by Dr. Ann Stahl and James Anane as part of a 1986 research project on family histories of the Banda area. Also participating in the interview were: Dompofie Odikro and male head of family, Tolɛɛ Kwadwo Fordjour (age, c. 95 yrs), Kwame Broma (age, c. 80 yrs), Kwasi Donkor (age, c. 70 yrs), Kwasi Millah (age, 60 yrs), Kwabena Mensah (age, 60 yrs), Kwame Dɔmeabra (age, 55 yrs) and Emmanuel Dwira (age, 33 yrs). The original audio has been edited to exclude (poorly audible) translations of Nafaanra dialogue into English. The original cassette recording ended prior to the conclusion of the interview, and thus does not capture the full exchange in Nafaanra. An English translation of the interview and the still image of Dompofie elders are available in the Banda Through Time repository (links below). Dompofie, 6 August, 1986. Length: 15.38 minutes.