Houses along the main street of Wewa. Doorways lead to interior courtyards of these compounds. Walls are made primarily using an atakpame (coursed earth) technique, though the pillared verandah wall (far right) was made with sun-dried bricks. Part of the roof of the near compound has recently been re-thatched. The streets and houses are kept clear of grass and other plants. Wewa, December, 1982.
Unlike atakpame (coursed earth technique of building), wattle-and-daub structures can be built quickly. The structure has a frame of horizontal and vertical poles, into which molded earthen balls are pressed to create walls. Whereas atakpame must be allowed to dry thoroughly before the next course is added, the "wattle" framing allows the "daub" to be placed and the walls completed without waiting for lower levels to dry. Ahenkro, December, 1982.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Atakpame
Subjects Facet:
Thatched roofs; Wattle and daub; Building, Clay; Housing
A woman and two men in Wewa thresh dried cowpea pods in an open area in front of houses. Men relax under a nearby mango tree in the background. Cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata; chibi in Nafaanra)--also known as black-eyed peas--are a valued legume with a long history in West Africa. They are grown inter-cropped in fields with other foodstuffs where they aid soil fertility by fixing nitrogen. Early West African farmers domesticated cowpeas, and they are found at some of the earliest archaeological sites excavated in the Banda area. They are a valued and nutritious staple used in making stews and soups. Two photos. Wewa, September, 1982.
Until the late 1980s when boreholes were drilled in many villages, people in the Banda area relied on nearby springs, streams and rivers for daily water supplies. During the dry season, streams often dried up, while in drought years, even river beds became dry. Finding water was particularly difficult during the severe drought years of 1982-83. Here women from Wewa painstakingly collect water from a dry river bed west of the mountains in a process known as 'lawala' in Nafaanra. They scoop water with calabash bowls (chrԑgbͻͻ in Nafaanra). They have walked several kilometers to reach this place and were often faced with long waits before they could fill a headpan with water. Two photos. West of Wewa, December, 1982.
Banda Paramount Chief Tolԑԑ Kofi Dwuru III and elders pause as they process down Ahenkro's main street on the day of the New Yam Festival (Finyjie Lie in Nafaanra). They stand under the paramount chief's umbrella topped with a blackened carved wooden figure. L-R: Kwame Gyani; Kofi Gyase (Gyasehene); Kupo Aboateaa (Bamuhene); Tolԑԑ Kofi Dwuru III (Omanhene); Kwadwo Gbao; Senyono Kyeame; Fordjour Major. Ahenkro, 30 August, 1982.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Elders; Gyasehene; New Yam Festival; Umbrella; Omanhene
Subjects Facet:
Chiefs; Rites and ceremonies; Royal regalia; Wood carvings
Ma Fiԑn of Gbao (left) and Abena Wusu of Dompofie (right) spin cotton thread. Their spindles (gԑndԑ in Nafaanra) are weighted by fired clay spindle whorls (gԑndԑ kaan in Nafaanra) which help the spindle to maintain an even spin. Ma Fiԑn uses a calabash bowl as a spinning surface. Abena Wusu uses an enamel-ware bowl placed on a basket. They use their right hand to guide thread onto the spindle as it spins. In their left hand they hold the raw cotton from which the thread is being spun. They control the tension and flow of the cotton by alternately pulling back and easing their left hands. Thread forms as the spindle spins, with the finished product building up in layers toward the spindle's lower end, near the whorl. The baskets on top of which they spin used to store spinning equipment when not in use. Until recent decades, spinning was a routine household activity for women who then gave thread to men skilled in weaving to make cloth for the household. Spindle whorls found on archaeological sites dating to the late 18th and 19th centuries tell us that spinning was also a household activity during those centuries. In the photo's background harvested foods are drying (groundnut, cassava, chili pepper). A large basket and other containers (including a plastic tub) sit next to dried calabash ready to be sent to market. To the right, a clay water pot (chͻkoo in Nafaanra) rests on a metal basin and in the top right is a metal water barrel. Four photos. Gbao, September, 1982.
Hunters (bͻfͻ; pl. bͻfͻͻlͻ in Nafaanra) with firearms, Fawoman, August, 1982. In times past, "bush" meat was important to local life. Archaeological evidence shows that people relied on a wide range of wild animals--from grasscutters to large carnivores--as sources of meat and valued materials like skins. From 1971 hunting was banned within the newly established Bui National Park (a Wildlife Protected Area covering more than 1800 km2). From 1989, Ghana's Wildlife Conservation (Amendment) Regulations (L. I. 1452) banned unlicensed hunting outside of park lands. Oral histories describe hunters as individuals whose knowledge of the land was important to communities as they sought to establish settlements in new areas. Fawoman, September, 1982.
Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan, the ninth and most sacred month in the Islamic lunar calendar during which Muslims fast during daylight hours. As Ramadan ends, men and women come together to dance beneath the majestic kapok tree that formerly shaded the market site located on the south side of Ahenkro. July, 1982.
An Elder (Kwame Ble) pours libations on the day of the New Yam Festival (Finyjie Lie in Nafaanra) at the Ahenkro palace. Front, L-R: Senyono ; Kwame Ble; Kwabena Kuma. Ahenkro, 30 August, 1982.
Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan, the ninth and most sacred month in the Islamic lunar calendar during which Muslims fast during daylight hours. With Ramadan ended, women dressed in blue cloth socialize at the former market site located on the south side of Ahenkro. July, 1982.