Amma Bio of Gbaŋmbɛ Katoo demonstrates the dance associated with sinyeele (balo or xylophone) music played at funerals. Male family head Nyua Kwadwo plays the sinyeele. Lying beneath the partially assembled instrument are calabashes that serve as resonators and produce the instrument's distinctive sound. A small wooden stool lies on its side nearby. Sanwa, 6 August, 1986.
Calabash drums accompany songs sung by Nafana women during the celebration of puberty (Manaa Ndiom) and marriage (Bijam) rites. These drums are played exclusively by women. The drums are made by filling a large hollowed-out calabash or gourd (chrɛ in Nafaanra) with water. A smaller calabash bowl (chrɛgbɔɔ in Nafaanra) floating upright in the water provides the surface on which the women drum. The small calabash ladles resting in the water are used to beat the up-turned floating calabash bowls and the rim of the large calabash. Visible at the bottom of the larger calabash drum are maize (bleju in Nafaanra) kernels tossed into the drum by passing dancers. Among the kernels are several pesewa coins also tossed in by dancers. Two views. Boase, 11 November, 2018.
At an event showcasing the songs and dances associated with puberty (Manaa Ndiom) and wedding (Bijam) rites, two Boase women sit on low wooden stools as they play drums made from hollowed-out calabashes or gourds (chrɛ in Nafaanra). The large lower calabashes are supported by another container (a large tomato paste tin on the left and a plastic bowl on the right). A smaller calabash bowl (chrɛgbɔɔ in Nafaanra) floats upright in water contained within the larger calabash. The women create a rhythm by tapping the calabash ladles held in their right hands on the surface of the floating calabash and the rim of the larger calabash bowl. The kernels of maize (corn, or bleju in Nafaanra) clustered at the base of the larger calabash in the foreground have been tossed into the drum by dancers as they pass by. Another woman, seated upper left, holds a small calabash bowl filled with maize kernels which dancers will use as offerings. Boase, 11 November, 2018.
At an event showcasing the songs and dances associated with puberty (Manaa Ndiom) and wedding (Bijam) rites, two Boase women play drums made from hollowed-out calabashes or gourds (chrɛ in Nafaanra). The large lower calabashes are supported by another container (a large tomato paste tin on the left and a plastic bowl on the right). A smaller calabash bowl (chrɛgbɔɔ in Nafaanra) floats upright in water contained within the larger calabash. The women create a rhythm by tapping the calabash ladles held in their right hands on the surface of the floating calabash and the rim of the larger calabash bowl. Women behind the drummers clap in accompaniment to the song. Boase, 11 November, 2018.
Members of Gbaŋmbɛ Katoo demonstrate the use of a (partially constructed) balo or xylophone (sinyeele in Nafaanra). The instrument is played at special funerals, including those of the paramount chief. A calabash with a small hole lies beneath the instrument. Together with other calabashes of graded size (small to large), it serves as the instrument's resonating chamber when fully assembled. By striking the sinyeele's wooden keys with a mallet, a range of musical notes are produced by the differently sized calabashes. Nyua Kwadwo (male family head) holds the mallets he uses to play the sinyeele. On each wrist he wears an iron bangle or bracelet with metal jangles. To the left, a family member plays a drum made from a clay pot. Sanwa, 6 August, 1986.
Calabash drums accompany songs sung by Nafana women during the celebration of puberty (Manaa Ndiom) and marriage (Bijam) rites. These drums are played exclusively by women. The drums are made by filling a large hollowed-out calabash or gourd (chrɛ in Nafaanra) with water. A smaller calabash bowl (chrɛgbɔɔ in Nafaanra) floating upright in the water provides the surface on which the women drum. This short video shows the technique by which women strike the floating calabash and the rim of the large calabash with small calabash ladles held in their right hands. Visible at the bottom of the larger calabash drum are maize (bleju in Nafaanra) kernels tossed into the drum by passing dancers. The women sing as they drum. Boase, 11 November, 2018. Length: .23 minutes.
Oral history of Habaa Katoo (house), Ahenkro, describes how the family came to live in the Banda area and their movements in relation to wars between Banda and Asante. Also described are negotiations to settle a dispute with Kulango people and the history of how the family acquired the Kete dance from Kulango people. A list of former male and female heads of family is provided. To cite: Stahl, Ann, and James Anane. 2011. Habaa Katoo, Banda-Ahenkro. In, "Family Histories from the Banda Traditional Area, Brong-Ahafo Region, Ghana, 1986," pg. 16. Brochure circulated 1989, reissued with photos and additional histories in 2011. 4 pages.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Kakala; Kete; Latolo; Bui ; Family history; Migration; Habaa Katoo
Subjects Facet:
Banda (Brong-Ahafo Region, Ghana); Music; Rites and ceremonies; Gold; Wars; Oral history; Ashanti; Gongs; Kulango (African people); Nafana (African people)
Creator:
Stahl, Ann B. ; Anane, James
Contributors:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl; Afua Kumah; Abraham Forjour; Adoa Tami; Enoch Mensah
Paramount chief Tolԑԑ Kofi Dwuru III (Omanhene) dances to the rhythms of fontomfrum and atumpan (in Twi) drums at the celebration of the New Yam Festival (Finyjie Lie in Nafaanra) in the Ahenkro palace. He wears a blue-and-white strip woven cloth of the type previously made from locally spun and dyed cotton thread. Two photos. Ahenkro, 28 July, 1986.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
New Yam Festival; Palace; Fontomfrom drums; Atumpan drums
Subjects Facet:
Drums (musical instrument); Chiefs; Dance; Music; Rites and ceremonies
Oral history of Gbaŋmbԑ [Gbangmbe] Katoo (house), Sanwa, describes how the family came to live in the Banda area and their role in providing xylophone (Balo) music at the funeral of the paramount chief. The history lists former male and female heads of household. To cite: Stahl, Ann, and James Anane. 2011. Gbaŋmbɛ Katoo, Samwa [Sanwa]. In, "Family Histories from the Banda Traditional Area, Brong-Ahafo Region, Ghana, 1986," pg. 10. Brochure circulated 1989, reissued with photos and additional histories in 2011. 2 pages.
This short video made from still images and video footage shows calabash processing and use in the Banda area, Ghana. Original images and footage are available in the Banda Through Time Repository. Banda, 1982-2019. Length: 5:02 minutes.
At a day-long celebration of the Banda area's rich cultural heritage at the Banda Cultural Centre in Banda-Ahenkro, men associated with the Kralɔngɔ Royal Palace performed a Nafana version of Kete. Known primarily as an Akan royal practice, Nafana oral histories characterize Kete as a genre they learned from Kulango people. In this performance, four men simultaneously use brass rattles and play flutes that oral accounts say were taken from the Kulango in their performance of five Kete songs. They are accompanied by two drummers and a man playing an iron gong. Ahenkro, 28 June, 2019. Length: 00:13:14 minutes.
At a day-long celebration of the Banda area's rich cultural heritage at the Banda Cultural Centre in Banda-Ahenkro, Ligbi community members from Bongase performed a masquerade dance which today they call "Bedu" but scholars term "Do." Two masks performed: Mbong (Baboon) and Gbanyamuso (Beautiful Gonja Woman). Their costumes include metal jangles worn around their ankles. The dancers are accompanied by women singing in Ligbi and drumming on conga and box drums, as well as by young men drumming and fanning the dancers. Ahenkro, 28 June, 2019. Length: 00:15:26 minutes.
At a day-long celebration of the Banda area's rich cultural heritage at the Banda Cultural Centre in Banda-Ahenkro, Kuulo people from Dompofie share customs associated with their wedding celebrations. A bride and groom accompanied by two girls sit as women sing songs of praise and dance in a circle around them. A pot containing pito (locally brewed grain beer) sits in front of them. The women wear strip-woven local cloth wraps around their waists. In an opening song, the women beat rhythms with calabash gourd drinking bowls as they dance. The gourds are placed in front of the newly married couple after the first dance. After the final dance, the calabash bowls are used to catch overflowing beer poured from the pito pot, signaling that the bride was a virgin when married. Ahenkro, 28 June, 2019. Length: 00:20:21 minutes.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Date:
2019-06-28
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Performance; Kuulo, Dompo (African people)
Subjects Facet:
Dance; Songs; Music; Rites and Ceremonies; Marriage customs and rites; Gourd, Calabash; West African strip weaving; Heritage
Part 4 of a four-part video, based on an interview with Adjua Tini of Habaa Katoo. Though the interview was concluded, Adjua Tini wanted to close the session with a song. One song led to another, and soon she was joined by Lelԑԑ Yahͻͻ, with whom she sang a number of songs associated with courtship, marriage and funerals. Several songs toward the end of the short film are not accompanied by video footage. Ahenkro. Length: 00:36.05 minutes.
At a day-long celebration of the Banda area's rich cultural heritage at the Banda Cultural Centre in Banda-Ahenkro, Nafana people from Boase share customs associated with their wedding celebrations (Bijam). Two young women dressed as brides wear local strip woven cloth and carry walking sticks as they approach the Banda Cultural Centre, accompanied by female relatives and young girls dressed in nubility attire. After circling the event grounds, the girls are seated and the women perform a series of songs and dances accompanied by calabash drums. Men and women well-wishers toss maize kernels in the water of the calabash drums as they dance. Afterwards, the brides, covered by cloth, dance behind an elder relative as other women prepare their path by pouring water from a bucket. Afterwards, locally made grain beer (pito) is poured into a calabash, overflowing to signal that the brides were virgins at the time of their marriage.In a final dance, female relatives dance with a bowl of food, after which gifts are presented to the bride's family. Many of the women wear locally made strip-woven blue-and-white textiles as wraps. Ahenkro, 28 June, 2019. Length: 00:22:01 minutes.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Date:
2019-06-28
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Performance; Nafana (African people)
Subjects Facet:
Dance; Songs; Music; Rites and Ceremonies; Marriage customs and rites; Gourd, Calabash; West African strip weaving; Drums (musical instrument); Heritage
At a day-long celebration of the Banda area's rich cultural heritage at the Banda Cultural Centre in Banda-Ahenkro, people from Ahenkro share Nafana songs and dances associated with with girls' puberty rites (Manaa Ndiom) and wedding celebrations (Bijam). The film opens with photos of girls dressed in Manaa Ndiom attire during the 1995 inauguration of the Banda Cultural Centre. A series of songs and dances performed at the 2019 event follows, accompanied by the rhythms of calabash drums, calabash rattles and, in some cases, a wooden drum. The group is joined in the first song by District Chief Executive Mary Konneh who plays calabash rattles and dances. Seated under the shade of the canopy, Afua Donkor demonstrates how to spin cotton while others sing and dance. Young people can be seen using their cell phones to record the action. Many of the Elder women who perform wear locally made strip-woven blue-and-white textiles as skirt wraps. Ahenkro, 28 June, 2019. Length: 00:15:57 minutes.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Date:
2019-06-28
Subjects:
Performance; Cell phones
Subjects Facet:
Nafana (African people); Dance; Songs; Music; Rites and Ceremonies; Marriage customs and rites; Gourd, Calabash; West African strip weaving; Drums (musical instrument); Rattles; Heritage
An elder dances to the rhythms of fɔntɔmfrɔm and atumpan (in Twi) drums at a funeral celebration held the day after an elderly woman died. The funeral is celebrated beneath the shade of the large kapok tree on the south side of Ahenkro at the market site. Two photos. Ahenkro, 15 October, 1982.
Men associated with the Kralɔngɔ Royal Palace perform a Nafana version of Kete during a heritage celebration organized by the Banda Heritage Initiative. Several men play flutes and brass rattles that oral histories say were captured from Kulango people. They are accompanied by men playing drums and (left) an iron gong. Ahenkro, 28 June, 2019.