Nduo Wulo Kwadwo at farm, preparing calabash (gourd) bowls (chrԑgbͻͻ in Nafaanra) for market. After removing the pulp and seeds, he scrapes the gourd's interior surface with a metal blade to clean and thin its walls before drying. Farm on the outskirts of Banda-Ahenkro, August, 1982.
The New Yam Festival (Finjie Lie in Nafaanra) marks the day when people can begin to eat the new crop of yams (finyjie in Nafaanra). Here women gather round a wooden mortar to pound cooked yam tubers to make fufu. Women pound with heavy, round-ended pestles. Working together, they use their pestles to pound and turn the fufu. Pestles hit the mortar's edge as they pound, creating a rhythmic accompaniment to their work. The musical sound of women and their helpers pounding fufu or grain was an integral part of the soundscape of village life in the earlier times. To the rear (right) calabashes (gourds, chrԑ in Nafaanra) wrapped in netting are ready to be sent to market. To the front sits a pottery grinding bowl (left), a calabash (center) and metal cooking pots (right). Ahenkro, 30 August, 1982.
Young boys (Kofi and Isaac, sons of James Anane) pound calabash seeds in preparation for making calabash seed soup (fnumu chiin in Nafaanra). They use a deep wooden mortar and pestles rounded at the base. A metal roof shelters the hearth in the background. A chicken searches for food as the boys work. Ahenkro, July-August, 1986.
Gbԑԑnlԑԑ Katoo in Gbao celebrates the funeral of the caretaker of a shrine who was understood to have been killed by the 'fetish' because of harm he allegedly planned against family members. In this case, the funeral involves special forms of drumming, dancing and songs as part of a thanksgiving to the shrine. Here, (L-R) Abena Gyakari, Akua Bedu and Akua Asԑmpasa play calabash rattles as Ma Millah (left) and another woman (right) dance. Gbao, 8 August, 1986.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Gbao
Subjects:
Rattles; Gbԑԑnlԑԑ (Gbeenlee) Katoo
Subjects Facet:
Rites and ceremonies; Funeral customs and rites; Gourd, Calabash
Women in the central courtyard of a house compound in Ahenkro prepare the evening meal. A woman seated in the foreground readies dishes while women in the background cook over clustered hearths. A number of low stools are placed amidst a variety of metal, plastic and fired clay containers including buckets and pots. Calabash bowls (chrԑgbͻͻ in Nafaanra) are among the containers being used. A repurposed metal drum (center, back) holds water for household purposes. A raised platform is stacked with firewood brought by the women from farm and stored until needed. Thatch- and metal-roofed rooms surround the courtyard. Ahenkro, July-August, 1986.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Metal pots; Plastic containers; Water barrels; Women's work
Gbԑԑnlԑԑ Katoo in Gbao celebrates the funeral of the caretaker of a shrine who was understood to have been killed by the 'fetish' because of harm he allegedly planned against family members. In this case, the funeral involves special forms of drumming, dancing and songs as part of a thanksgiving to the shrine. On the left, Yaw Ble plays an antelope antler horn while holding an iron gong in his right hand. To the right of women playing calabash rattles (Akua Bedu Wo and Akua Asԑmpasa) Kwame Fnaso (standing) plays the special drums associated with the shrine. Ma Millah (right, blue top) looks on. Gbao, 8 August, 1986.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Gbao
Subjects:
Rattles; Horn; Gbԑԑnlԑԑ (Gbeenlee) Katoo
Subjects Facet:
Drums (musical instrument); Rites and ceremonies; Funeral customs and rites; Gourd, Calabash; Gongs
Gbԑԑnlԑԑ Katoo in Gbao celebrates the funeral of the caretaker of a shrine who was understood to have been killed by the 'fetish' because of harm he allegedly planned against family members. In this case, the funeral involves special forms of drumming, dancing and songs as part of a thanksgiving to the shrine. Here, (left) Yaw Ble wears a strip-woven smock as he plays an antelope antler horn. He holds an iron gong in his right hand. Next to him Kwabena Nika plays a double iron gong and women (L-R: Abena Gyakari, Akua Bedu Wo and Akua Asԑmpasa) play calabash rattles. Amma Num (black head scarf, back right) looks on. Gbao, 8 August, 1986.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Gbao
Subjects:
Gbԑԑnlԑԑ (Gbeenlee) Katoo
Subjects Facet:
Drums (musical instrument); Rites and ceremonies; Funeral customs and rites; Gourd, Calabash; Gongs
Hearths in a Dorbour household. One of three visible hearths is in use, a metal cooking pot suspended over a fire fueled by firewood. A wooden mortar and several pestles are at ready in the background. In the foreground (right) a clay cooking pot rests on top of a metal basin that has been re-purposed as a pot stand. A large metal pot, a calabash bowl (chrԑgbͻͻ in Nafaanra) and a plastic cup sit behind the clay pot. Dorbour, 1994.
Gbԑԑnlԑԑ Katoo in Gbao celebrates the funeral of the caretaker of a shrine who was understood to have been killed by the 'fetish' because of harm he allegedly planned against family members. In this case, the funeral involves special forms of drumming, dancing and songs as part of a thanksgiving to the shrine. Here, left, Kwabena Nika plays a double gong while to his right Abena Gyakari and Ma Millah sing and play calabash rattles. The drums being played are those specifically associated with the shrine. Gbao, 8 August, 1986.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Gbao
Subjects:
Rattles; Gbԑԑnlԑԑ (Gbeenlee) Katoo
Subjects Facet:
Drums (musical instrument); Rites and ceremonies; Funeral customs and rites; Gourd, Calabash; Gongs
A woman carries a load of calabashes (chrԑ in Nafaanra) en route to Kabruno from Ahenkro during the dry season. View looking south from the south edge of Ahenkro on the old road that led directly into Kabruno. December, 1982.
A cashew tree (Anacardium sp.) grows in an agricultural field planted (foreground) with calabash (Lagenaria siceraria). Sampson Attah stands near the tree. Calabash has long been grown as a cash crop for local and regional sale in the Banda area. When cashew trees were first planted in the area from the mid-1990s, they were grown singly or in small numbers. A growing shift to cashew farming in the area during the early 2000s was accompanied by the planting of large stands of cashew trees referred to locally as "plantations." Banda area, June, 1995.
Gbԑԑnlԑԑ Katoo in Gbao celebrates the funeral of the caretaker of a shrine. After falling ill and dying, the man was understood to have been killed by the 'fetish' because of harm he was alleged to be planning against family members. In this case, the funeral involves special forms of drumming, dancing and songs as part of a thanksgiving to the shrine. On the left, Yaw Ble plays an antelope antler horn while holding an iron gong in his right hand. Next (right), Kwabena Nika plays a double iron gong with a wooden hammer. Abena Gyakari, Akua Bedu Wo, and Akua Asԑmpasa (blue top) play calabash rattles. Standing, Kwame Fnaso plays the special drums associated with the shrine. Gbao, 8 August, 1986.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Gbao
Subjects:
Gbԑԑnlԑԑ (Gbeenlee) Katoo; Atumpan drums
Subjects Facet:
Rites and ceremonies; Funeral customs and rites; Gourd, Calabash; Gongs; Drums (musical instrument)
Gbԑԑnlԑԑ Katoo in Gbao celebrates the funeral of the caretaker of a shrine who was understood to have been killed by the 'fetish' because of harm he allegedly planned against family members. In this case, the funeral involves special forms of drumming, dancing and songs as part of a thanksgiving to the shrine. On the left, Yaw Ble plays an antelope antler horn while holding an iron gong in his right hand. Abena Gyakari, Akua Bedu Wo, and Akua Asԑmpasa (blue top) play calabash rattles. Standing, Kwame Fnaso plays the special drums associated with the shrine. Looking on, right, is James Anane. Two photos. Gbao, 8 August, 1986.
Gbԑԑnlԑԑ Katoo in Gbao celebrates the funeral of the caretaker of a shrine who was understood to have been killed by the 'fetish' because of harm he allegedly planned against family members. In this case, the funeral involves special forms of drumming, dancing and songs as part of a thanksgiving to the shrine. Here, Yaw Ble wears a strip-woven smock as he plays an antelope antler horn and dances. To the left, women play calabash rattles and Kwabena Nika plays a double iron gong. Drums that belong to the shrine are played as he dances. Four photos. Gbao, 8 August, 1986.