Looking northwest from the entrance to the Banda rockshelter, the view encompasses land that since 1971 has been part of Bui National Park, a Wildlife Protected Area covering more than 1800 km2. Prior to that, these lands west of the Banda hills were important to local people as a source of "bush meat." Archaeological evidence suggests that for centuries hunting provided an important food source for Banda peoples. Banda hills, 30 July, 1994.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Banda
Subjects:
Hunting; Rockshelter; Bui National Park; Savanna woodland; Vegetation
Looking west-northwest from inside the Banda rockshelter, the view encompasses land that has been part of Bui National Park since 1971. Banda oral histories refer to this rockshelter as the place where people ran for safety when Asante attacked the area in the 1700s. These stories may relate to Asantehene Osei Kwadwo's campaign against Banda during the dry season of 1773-74. After this, in February 1774, Dutch officials at Elmina Castle reported purchasing captives from Asante's war against "Benda." Banda hills, 30 July, 1994.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Banda
Subjects:
Rockshelter; Bui National Park; Savanna woodland; Vegetation
View towards the east from the Banda hills north of Ahenkro. In the foreground (right) are farm fields that have been clearcut and plowed for tobacco farming.The houses of Ahenkro are visible beyond the farm fields. The mountain ranges in the distance are those near Fawoman (left) and Boase (right). Banda hills, 30 July, 1994.
View from the Banda hills above Ahenkro toward the range of hills near Boase. The north end of Ahenkro is visible mid photo. Banda hills, 30 July, 1994.
View to the east-southeast, standing on the small hill west of Kabruno. The mountains in the distance (left) are those near Fawoman. To the right is the range that extends northward from Boase. The rooftops of Kabruno and Dompofie are visible, center. Banda area, June, 1995.
View of the Banda hills extending southward, standing on the small hill west of Kabruno. Two cleared fields are visible in the foreground. The rooftops of Makala are faintly visible to the left of center. Banda area, June, 1995.
Controlled fires burn in the hills behind Banda-Ahenkro, part of the Bui National Park. The remains of a small grass fire are visible in the foreground. The thatched stalls of the weekly marketplace are visible beneath the majestic kapok tree that once stood at the south edge of town. To the left, near the smaller tree, is the reddish iron roof of the first town clinic, home to a nurse stationed by the goverment in town. Ahenkro experienced several major fires in the 20th century, prompting people to opt for metal roofs when they could afford them. Ahenkro, December, 1982
View to the southeast, standing on the small hill west of Kabruno. The mountains in the distance are those near Boase. Center left are the rooftops of Kabruno. Center right is the village of Dompofie. Between the two in the distance is Gbao. Banda area, June, 1995.
The Banda hills viewed from the small hill west of Kabruno, looking northward. Center photo are tobacco fields that have been clear-cut and tractor-plowed. Tobacco began to be grown as a cash crop in the area during the mid 1980s. Banda hills, May, 1995
View to the southeast, standing on the small hill west of Kabruno. The mountains in the distance are those near Boase. Center left are the rooftops of Dompofie. Center right is the village of Samwa. Banda area, June, 1995.
View to the southeast, standing on the small hill west of Kabruno.The mountains in the distance are at the southern end of the Boase range. The village left of center is Gbao. Right of center is Samwa. Banda area, June, 1995.
The Banda hills viewed from the small hill west of Kabruno, looking southward. Two cleared but unplanted fields are visible in the foreground. Roofs of the small village of Makala are faintly visible in the distance (small patch of light color, left of center). The gap in the Banda hills through which the Tombԑ River flows is visible center photo. Banda area, May, 1995.
View across wooded savanna, looking northeast while standing atop a small hill west of Kabruno. The mountains, far right, are those near Fawoman. Far left is the northern end of the Banda hills near the Bui Dam site. The single mountain in the distance (center) lies on the north side of the Black Volta River. The village of Ahenkro can be seen, center, with the northern edge of Kabruno visible to the right. Banda area, June, 1995.
View to the southwest from the crest of the Banda hills, north of Ahenkro. The view encompasses land that since 1971 has been part of Bui National Park, a Wildlife Protected Area covering more than 1800 km2. Prior to that, these lands west of the Banda hills were important to local people as a source of "bush meat." Archaeological evidence suggests that for centuries hunting was provided an important food source for Banda peoples. Banda hills, June, 2001.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Banda
Subjects:
Hunting; Bui National Park; Savanna woodland; Vegetation
A tractor-plowed field close to the Banda hills on the outskirts of Ahenkro has been planted with tobacco. Tobacco farming began in the Banda area in the 1980s and was common by the 1990s as many farmers took up commercial tobacco production. After tobacco farming was banned by the Traditional Council, some open fields like these were planted in cashew, the cash crop in which many Banda farmers invested from the early 2000s. Others have been used for mono-cropping (fields used for a single crop type) cash crops that are annuals. Northwest of Ahenkro, May, 1995.
View from the mountain gap in the Banda hills west of Ahenkro, looking southeast toward the range of hills near Boase. A clear-cut tractor-plowed field (foreground) awaits planting of tobacco seedlings. Tobacco was grown as a cash crop in Banda from the mid-1980s through the 1990s until its cultivation was banned by the Banda Traditional Council. Beyond the field are houses in Gbao and savanna woodland extending to the Boase range. Outskirts of Ahenkro, 1994.
Enoch Mensah climbs down the steep slope below the Banda rockshelter, headed southward. He moves towards what elders described as the water source used by people who took refuge in the cave when Asante attacked Banda. Oral histories describe hardships in getting food and water while people hid in the cave. This attack may relate to Asantehene Osei Kwadwo's campaign against Banda during the dry season of 1773-74 when many Banda people were taken captive and sold by Asante to the Dutch at Elmina Castle. Banda hills, 30 July, 1994.
The cliff face of the of the Banda rockshelter (upper right) gives way to a rocky slope below which is partially covered in low-growing grass. View to the north. Banda hills, 30 July, 1994.
The Banda hills viewed from the small hill west of Kabruno, looking northward. To the right of the mountains (center photo) are tobacco fields. Tobacco began to be grown in the area as a cash crop in the mid 1980s. Banda hills, May, 1995
The steep rocky slope below the Banda rockshelter is covered in short grass. The dense cover of trees at the base of the mountain is visible below. Banda hills, 30 July, 1994.
Westward view from the mountain gap near Ahenkro. This area is part of the Bui National Park, a Wildlife Protection Area and forest preserve established in 1971. Banda area, June, 1995.
View to the northwest from the crest of the Banda hills, north of Ahenkro and towards Chuli. The view encompasses land that since 1971 has been part of Bui National Park, a Wildlife Protected Area covering more than 1800 km2. Prior to that, these lands west of the Banda hills were important to local people as a source of "bush meat." Archaeological evidence suggests that for centuries hunting was provided an important food source for Banda peoples. Banda hills, June, 2001.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Banda
Subjects:
Hunting; Bui National Park; Savanna woodland; Vegetation
View to the west from the crest of the Banda hills, north of Ahenkro and towards Chuli. The view encompasses land that since 1971 has been part of Bui National Park, a Wildlife Protected Area covering more than 1800 km2. Prior to that, these lands west of the Banda hills were important to local people as a source of "bush meat." Archaeological evidence suggests that for centuries hunting was provided an important food source for Banda peoples. Banda hills, June, 2001.
View of the Banda hills extending southward, standing on the small hill west of Kabruno. The rooftops of Samwa are visible left of center. Those of Makala are faintly visible to the right of center. Banda area, June, 1995.
Bridge spanning the Tombԑ River near Sabiye on the road from Menji to Ahenkro, view to the south. Loose planks had to be arranged to allow vehicles to pass. Kwasi Mensah and Mensah Listowell (white shirt) arrange loose planks to enable a vehicle to pass. Sabiye, August, 1982.
View from the small hill west of Kabruno, looking southeast towards the hills near Boase. The villages of Kabruno and Gbao are visible in the foreground. Banda area, 23 July, 1982.
View to the southeast from the Banda hills above Ahenkro and Kabruno. The villages of Kabruno, Sase, Gbao, Samwa and Dompofie are visible beyond the first range of hills. The road leading south to Sabiye appears as a thin white line. In the background are the hills near Boase. Hills west of Ahenkro, 31 August, 1982.
View from the mountain ridge above Ahenkro, looking west toward Côte d'Ivoire across Bui National Park, a wildlife protected area since 1971. Hills west of Ahenkro, 31 August, 1982.
Newly grated and guttered road leading northward from Ahenkro toward Bongase viewed from the north edge of Ahenkro. The Banda hills are visible in the background. July, 1994
View from the small hill west of Kabruno, looking east-southeast. Left, the range of hills near Fawoman. Right, the northern end of the Obase hills. Rooftops in Dompofie and Gbao are visible in the foreground. Banda area, 23 July, 1982.
By 1994, work on the 4th Republic Road (as it was then known) extended the grated motorable road from Kanka to Nyire. View to the west on the approach to Kanka, Banda mountain range visible in the distance. July, 1994.
View looking northwest to the small hills (left) on western outskirts of Kabruno. Main range of Banda hills is visible in the background (right), with savanna woodland vegetation in the foreground. Hills west of Ahenkro, 31 August, 1982.
View looking southeast from the Banda hills above Ahenkro. The grid of Banda-Ahenkro's streets and rooftops is visible in the distance. In the background (right) are the eastern range of hills near Boase. The south end of the hills near Fawoman is visible, upper left. Hills west of Ahenkro, 31 August, 1982.
The road to Bui Village was a rough track that ran west and north out of Bui Camp, headquarters of the Bui National Park. Bui Village is visible in the foreground of the mountain. The mountain lies to the north of the Black Volta River and formed part of the ridge used to construct the Bui Dam. The people of Bui Village were relocated beginning in 2010 and their former home flooded as Bui lake formed behind Bui Dam after 2013.
A new road (the "4th Republic Road") connecting Kanka directly to Ahenkro and bypassing Kabruno was built in about 1993. The newly grated road is seen here from the north side of Kanka, looking northward toward Ahenkro, visible in the distance. June, 1994.
By 1994, work on the 4th Republic Road (as it was then known) extended the grated motorable road from Kanka to Nyire. Westward view mid-way between Nyire and Kanka, June, 1994.
View to the southeast from the Banda hills above Ahenkro. In the foreground is the first range of the Banda hills near Ahenkro. In the distance (center) is the range of hills near Boase. Hills west of Ahenkro, 31 August, 1982.
View to the west of the mountains near Ahenkro, standing on the south edge of town. Foreground is the soccer field and its improvised goal. To the right of a large tree (center, right) is the iron-roofed clinic staffed by a government nurse. In the distance, to the right of the soccer goal, is a wooden shed that housed one of the first diesel-powered corn grinding mills established in Ahenkro. Ahenkro, July-August, 1986.
During the 20th century, potting took place primarily in villages west of the Banda hills (Dorbour, Dumboli, Bondakile). But based on oral histories and archaeological evidence we know that pottery was made more widely across the area in earlier centuries. Here Ann Stahl makes notes on an old clay pit located east of the Ahenkro-Bongase road a short distance south of Bongase. Chuli mountain is visible in the distance. Tall grass characteristic of the rainy season covers the area. South of Bongase, 1990.
A canoe belonging to an Ewe fishing community rests on the south bank of the Black Volta River near the Bui Dam site. Prior to the construction of Bui Dam, these canoes were used to ferry passengers between the north and south banks of the river and for fishing. Opposite, a path leads to the Ewe fishing community of Agbegikrom. The mountain behind formed part of the gorge where the Bui Dam was later built (from 2008). Dam Site settlement, 1990.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Dam Site
Subjects:
Dam Site
Subjects Facet:
Bui Dam (Ghana); Canoes; Black Volta River; Mountains; Ewe (African people)
View of the gap in the Banda hills near Ahenkro, standing on the south edge of town, looking southwest. To the right of the tree (center) is the iron-roofed clinic staffed by a government nurse. Blocking the view of the clinic is a wooden shed that housed one of the first diesel-powered corn grinding mills established in Ahenkro. Ahenkro, July-August, 1986.
View toward Côte d'Ivoire from the mountain ridge above Ahenkro, looking west across Bui National Park, a wildlife protected area since 1971. Hills west of Ahenkro, 31 August, 1982.
View of the Banda hills from the Boase road, close to the base of the Boase range of hills, looking northwest. Visible (center) is the gap in the hills midway between Ahenkro and Bongase. To the right (north) is the notch in the mountain in an area known as Chuli. The hills to the far right are those associated with the Bui Dam site. Boase area, 11 October, 1982.
View looking west to the gap in the Banda hills near Ahenkro, standing on the south side of town. To the far left stands the Banda Traditional Council building put up by the colonial government. To the right is the metal-roofed house assigned to the government nurse stationed in town to run the small clinic. Ahenkro, 1990.
The Black Volta River passes through a gorge in the Banda hills near Bui. This is the site where the Bui Dam was built with construction beginning in 2008. View from a canoe, mid river, looking west. Bui Dam site, 1990.