The exterior wall of an atakpame (coursed earth) house. Atakpame is a technique for building durable earthen walls that can stand for many decades. The thatched roof is supported by interior and exterior posts and does not rest on the walls. When covered by well-maintained thatched roofs, the walls are protected from erosion by rain. A goat walks on the street outside. Makala, July, 1994.
A courtyard house on the north side of Makala's main street. The atakpame (coursed earth) walls of the street-facing porch are plastered. The house compound's roofs and those of neighboring houses are thatched. The broad street in front of the house is clear of vegetation. Makala, June-July, 1990.
The interior of a courtyard house surrounded by thatch-roofed rooms. Houses like this were often built over time, with rooms added as needed, gradually enclosing the interior courtyard. The compound in this photo is fully enclosed, with a doorway to the exterior visible in the center, back. Four hearths are visible in the courtyard, surrounded by a variety of metal vessels used in food preparation and other daily activities. Left, a pestle lies on the ground surrounded by groundnut (peanut, boŋgrɛ in Nafaanra) shells. Makala, July, 1994.
The exterior of a compound house made of adjoining rooms oriented around a rectangular courtyard. These were often built over time, with rooms added as needed, gradually enclosing the interior courtyard. The compound in this photo is open on one side, rooms surrounding the other three sides of the courtyard. Atakpame walls are visible as are the gabled thatched roofs that protect walls from erosion by rain. Makala, July, 1994.
Houses with metal roofs are interspersed with thatch-roofed dwellings. The house to the left has a partially constructed atakpame (coursed-earth) room in progress. To the right of this, a stand of maize (corn, bledju in Nafaanra) grows, protected from foraging goats by a hedge. The young boy, foreground, wears a school uniform. Makala, June-July, 1990.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Makala
Subjects:
Atakpame; Maize
Subjects Facet:
Gardens; Thatched roofs; Metal roofing; Corn; Housing; Building, Clay; Villages
A youngster helps a woman remove a loaded headpan as she approaches the thatch-roofed veranda of a room in a compound house. A variety of metal containers used to prepare food and for other household tasks are placed about, along with several calabash bowls and low stools used in this kitchen area. A headpan containing dishes rests on a cluster of hearth stones, lower right. Makala, July, 1994.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Makala
Subjects:
Headloading; Metal pots; Headpans
Subjects Facet:
Stools; Thatched roofs; Gourd, Calabash; Courtyards; Lifting and carrying
A group of children gather for a photo on Makala's main street. The contemporary village was established in the 1920s when a British colonial District Officer implemented a "village planning" scheme. New villages were laid out next to existing settlements, and old villages abandoned. The new villages were laid out on a grid pattern, as seen here in the wide main street. The old village (Makala Kataa) was located in the wooded area at the end of this street. Archaeological excavations (1989, 1990 and 1994) at Early and Late Makala Kataa have revealed much about daily life of Banda villagers in the late 18th and 19th centuries. See below for a link to a guiding 1902 Gold Coast Colony Ordinance, "Rules with Respect to Regulation of Towns and Villages." Makala, June-July, 1990.
A woman applies a fresh coat of plaster to the porch of her thatch-roofed house. The house's walls are made of atakpame (coursed earth). The plaster is an aesthetic finish that also protects the surfaces of the house. Makala, June-July, 1990
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Makala
Subjects:
Atakpame; Women's work
Subjects Facet:
Dwellings--Maintenance and repair; Thatched roofs; Building, Clay
A view of houses along the north side of Makala's wide main street, looking northwest toward the Banda hills. Visible are atakpame (coursed earthen-walled) houses with thatched roofs. The exterior walls of some buildings are plastered. The streets and areas around houses are kept clear of plants. Makala, June-July, 1990.
Kitchen area in the center of a courtyard house, with a large wooden mortar visible in the foreground. Women and youngsters are seated near hearths with a variety of serving and cooking vessels made of basketry, metal, calabash and plastic placed around the courtyard. The large metal drum in the background is used for water storage. Makala, June-July, 1990.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Makala
Subjects:
Metal pots; Water barrels; Plastic containers; Headpans
A view of Makala's wide main street, standing under a mango tree at the east end of town looking westward. Houses with thatched roofs line the main street, with a metal-roofed house visible to the right. Makala, June-July, 1990.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Makala
Subjects:
Mango tree
Subjects Facet:
Thatched roofs; Metal roofing; Streets; Housing; Villages
A view of Makala's wide main street, standing at the west edge of town, looking eastward. A mango tree grows in the street at the far end of the street. Atakpame (coursed earthen-walled) houses with thatched roofs line the street. The streets and areas around houses are kept clear of plants. Enoch Mensah (left) and Andy Black (right) stroll down the street after a day of work at Makala Kataa, the archaeological site located immediately west of Makala. Wide main streets like this one were was established in the 1920s when a British colonial District Officer implemented a "village planning" scheme. New villages were laid out next to existing settlements, and old villages abandoned as people relocated. The new villages were laid out on a grid pattern oriented by a wide main street. Archaeological excavations (1989, 1990 and 1994) at the old village site (Makala Kataa) have revealed much about daily life of Banda villagers in the late 18th and 19th centuries. See below for a link to a the 1902 Gold Coast Colony Ordinance that prompted these relocations: "Rules with Respect to Regulation of Towns and Villages." Makala, June-July, 1990. Makala, June-July, 1990.
Makala as viewed from the southwest edge of town, looking northwest. A metal-roofed atakpame (coursed earthen-walled) courtyard house is in the foreground, with thatched-roof buildings visible beyond. The Banda hills rise in the background. Paths cut through the plants that grow up to village's edge. Makala, June-July, 1990.
A woman sifts flour in the foreground as two women in the background pound maize (corn, bledju in Nafaanra) in wooden mortars. The women are sheltered from the sun by the thatched roof that covers this entrance to the house compound. View to the street beyond. Makala, July, 1994.
A view of Makala's wide main street, standing at the west edge of town, looking eastward. A mango tree grows in the street at the far end of the street. Atakpame (coursed earthen-walled) houses with thatched roofs line the street. A single house with a metal roof is visible to the right of the mango tree. The streets and areas around houses are kept clear of plants. Makala, July, 1994.
Exterior wall of a compound house covered by a thatched roof. The coursed earth (atakpame) wall was built in stages as rooms were added. An exterior roof support pole is visible to the left. A coconut palm, an unusual tree in this area of savanna woodland far from the coast, is visible in the background. Houses and surrounding streets are kept clear of grass and other plants. Makala, July 1994.
Large stones, some used as grindstones, are placed about the corner of this courtyard. Groundnut (peanut, boŋgrɛ in Nafaanra) shells lay on the ground at the feet of a child. A carved wooden stool appears alongside stools made from sawed boards, the latter typical of those taken to school by children each day and those used by women as they sit hearth-side while cooking. Two calabash bowls (chrԑgbͻͻ in Nafaanra) sit nearby. Makala, July, 1994.
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.
Oral history of Gbaha Katoo (house), Makala, describes how the family came from Kakala to live in the Banda area. The role of the hunter Gbahe is recounted and the history lists former chiefs of Makala. To cite: Stahl, Ann, and James Anane. 2011. Gbaha Katoo, Makala. In, "Family Histories from the Banda Traditional Area, Brong-Ahafo Region, Ghana, 1986," pg. 9. Brochure circulated 1989, reissued with photos and additional histories in 2011. 2 pages.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Makala
Subjects:
Kakala; Twafourhene; Family history; Gbaha Katoo; Migration