Project History

Banda Research Project and the Banda Heritage Initiative

Family history interview with Kofi Asԑmpasa, Gbԑԑnlԑԑ [Gbeenlee] Katoo
Family history interview with Kofi Asԑmpasa, Gbԑԑnlԑԑ [Gbeenlee] Katoo

1986: Dr. Ann Stahl, then based at the Institute of Archaeology in London, worked with Mr. James Anane to record the oral histories of Banda area families with funding provided by the British Academy.

Archaeological team members, Makala Kataa, 1989
Archaeological team members, Makala Kataa, 1989

1989: Excavations at the 18th to 19th-century site of Makala Kataa, directed by Dr. Ann Stahl, then based at the State University of New York, Binghamton with funding provided by the Wenner Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research.

Archaeological team members, Makala Kataa, 1990
Archaeological team members, Makala Kataa, 1990

1990: Excavations at the 18th to 19th-century site of Makala Kataa, directed by Dr. Ann Stahl, SUNY Binghamton, with funding provided by the National Geographic Society.

1991: Study of contemporary hunting practices and excavations at 20th-century middens, undertaken by Andrew Black, then doctoral candidate at SUNY Binghamton with funding provided by the US National Science Foundation.

Archaeological team members, Makala Kataa, 1994
Archaeological team members, Makala Kataa, 1994

1994: Excavations at the 18th to 19th-century site of Makala Kataa, directed by Dr. Ann Stahl, SUNY Binghamton, with funding provided by the US National Science Foundation.

1994: Study of contemporary potting in Dorbour, Dumboli, Adadiem and Bondakile undertaken by M. Dores Cruz, then doctoral candidate at SUNY Binghamton with funding from the US National Science Foundation.

Scraping a clay pot, Dorbour, 1994
Scraping a clay pot, Dorbour, 1994
Shaping a clay pot, Adadiem, 1994
Shaping a clay pot, Adadiem, 1994
Clay bowls ready for firing, Adadiem, 1994
Clay bowls ready for firing, Adadiem, 1994
Archaeological team members, Kuulo Kataa, 1995
Archaeological team members, Kuulo Kataa, 1995

1995: Excavations at the 14th to 17th century site of Kuulo Kataa, directed by Dr. Ann Stahl, SUNY Binghamton, with funding from the US National Science Foundation.

1995: Study of bead use in contemporary contexts conducted by Alex Caton, then MA student at Binghamton University.

1995: Dedication of the Banda Cultural Centre, a joint effort of the Banda Research Project and the Banda Traditional Council.

Brong dance troupe, Banda Cultural Centre commissioning, 1995
Brong dance troupe, Banda Cultural Centre commissioning, 1995
Banda Research Project Team, July 1995
Banda Research Project Team, July 1995
Female elders assembled at the Banda Cultural Centre commissioning, Ahenkro, 1995
Female elders assembled at the Banda Cultural Centre commissioning, Ahenkro, 1995

1997, 1999: Regional Survey and site testing by Leith Smith, then doctoral candidate at Syracuse University in New York, with funding from the US National Science Foundation.

Libations, Kuulo Kataa, 2000
Libations, Kuulo Kataa, 2000

2000: Excavations at the 14th to 17th century site of Kuulo Kataa, directed by Dr. Ann Stahl, Binghamton University, with funding from the US National Science Foundation.

Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro, 2001
Banda Cultural Centre, Ahenkro, 2001

2001: Regional site testing project directed by Leith Smith, doctoral candidate at Syracuse University, Dr. Ann Stahl PI with funding from the US National Science Foundation.

2001: Expansion of the Banda Cultural Centre, a joint effort of the Banda Research Project and the Banda Traditional Council.

Archaeological team members, Ngre Kataa, 2008
Archaeological team members, Ngre Kataa, 2008
Archaeological team members, Ngre Kataa, 2009
Archaeological team members, Ngre Kataa, 2009

2008: Excavations at the 13th to 17th century site of Ngre Kataa, directed by Dr. Ann Stahl, Binghamton University with funding from the US National Science Foundation.

2009: Excavations at the 13th to 17th-century site of Ngre Kataa, directed by Dr. Ann Stahl, Binghamton University with funding from the US National Science Foundation.

UVic student Devin Tepleski with children in Bui, 2009
UVic student Devin Tepleski with children in Bui, 2009

2009: Video documentation of life in Bui Village prior to forced relocation of its residents due to construction of the Bui Hydroelectric Dam by Devin Tepleski, then undergraduate student at the University of Victoria, with funding from an internal SSHRC grant, University of Victoria, Canada. His short film, Mango Driftwood, is available on YouTube.

2011: Study of plant use and foodways by Amanda Logan, then doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA, with funding from the US National Science Foundation and the Wenner Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research. The work culminated in her 2020 open access book The Scarcity Slot. Excavating Histories of Food Security in Ghana.

2011: Re-dedication of the Banda Cultural Centre and Banda Heritage Celebration. Launching of heritage poster resources (Learning about Life in the Past; The British Colonial Period; Banda in the 18th and 19th Centuries; Banda in the 15th to 17th Centuries; Banda in the 13th to 15th Centuries), and reissuing of “Banda Family Histories” brochure, supported by an Internal Research Grant from the University of Victoria's Research division.

Banda Heritage Community Event, 2011
Banda Heritage Community Event, 2011
Banda Heritage Community Event, 2011
Banda Heritage Community Event, 2011
Banda Heritage Community Event, 2011
Banda Heritage Community Event, 2011

2014: Olden Times Food Fair, organized by Dr. Amanda Logan, based at Northwestern University's Department of Anthropology, and Banda Queen Mother Lelɛɛ Akosua Kepefu, with funding from the Wenner Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research. Launching of cultural heritage posters on Histories of Farming and Drought; Feeding the Family; Housing the Family; Clothing the Family; and Learning from the Past.

2015-2016: Participation of Dr. Ann Stahl in the "Institute on Digital Archaeology Method and Practice," at Michigan State University's MATRIX Digital Humanities Center. The Institute was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and in the period August 2015-August 2016, provided the context and infrastructure support for development of a pilot "Banda Thru Time" digital heritage repository, hosted by MATRIX.

Photo consultation, 2016
Photo consultation, 2016

2016: Community consultations lay the foundation for the Banda Heritage Initiative. With seed money from the University of Victoria's Research Services, Dr. Ann Stahl consulted with Banda Traditional Council members and Banda elders on the interest in and protocols around making heritage photos accessible through a digital repository.

2018: Banda Heritage Initiative launched through funding provided by the "Improving African Futures Using Lessons from the Past" (IAfF) Partnership Development Project funded by the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Community-engaged research activities centered on interviews, story-telling and performances sparked by photo archives.

Women preparing food, Sabiye, 1986
Women preparing food, Sabiye, 1986
Women viewing photos, Sabiye, 2018
Women viewing photos, Sabiye, 2018
Women of Brɛmawuo house, Sabiye, 2018
Women of Brɛmawuo house, Sabiye, 2018

2019: The Banda Heritage Initiative supported by the SSHRC IAfF project continued work in developing digital heritage resources and organized a week-long community workshop that included student and teacher focus groups to explore interest in and the potential for developing school learning resources based in local heritage knowledge.

Junior High School students learn about pottery making, 2019
Junior High School students learn about pottery making, 2019
Junior High School teachers participate in a heritage learning workshop
Junior High School teachers participate in a heritage learning workshop
Junior High School students learn about local archaeology, 2019
Junior High School students learn about local archaeology, 2019

28 June 2019: Banda Heritage Celebration. An event sponsored by the Banda Heritage Initiative at which Banda area people came together to celebrate the diverse heritage of surrounding communities, with performances of dance, music and crafting by people from Ahenkro, Boase, Bongase, Dompofie, Dorbour, Fawoman, and Sabiye.

2020: Launching of University of Victoria Libraries Banda Through Time digital heritage exhibit and repository.

2022: With funds provided by the British Museum's Endangered Material Knowledge Program (EMKP), members of the Banda Heritage Initiative and researchers from the University of Victoria worked with knowledge holders in Akanyakrom and Sabiye to document practices of fish trap making and raffia mat weaving.

Weaving a raffia palm mat, Sabiye, 2022
Weaving a raffia palm mat, Sabiye, 2022
Weaving a basketry fish trap, Akanyakrom, 2022
Weaving a basketry fish trap, Akanyakrom, 2022
Carrying a basketry fish trap, Akanyakrom, 2022
Carrying a basketry fish trap, Akanyakrom, 2022

2022: With funding provided by the SSHRC IAfF project, Allison Balabuch (Curriculum and Instruction PhD student in the University of Victoria's School of Education) works with Banda area teachers, students and parents to finalize a learning resource based on the Banda Through Time digital exhibit and repository.

Junior High School students learning to weave, 2022
Junior High School students learning to weave, 2022
Junior High School students with their weaving projects, 2022

2023: Members of the Banda Heritage Initiative and University of Victoria doctoral student Zonke Guddah worked with knowledge holders in Banda-Ahenkro and Nyire to document techniques used in building houses using locally available materials. They raised two buildings at the Banda Cultural Centre--one of coursed earth (atakpame) and one wattle-and-daub.

8 Dec 2023: Members of the Banda Heritage Initiative host a community launch of Learning From Our Past, Banda District, Ghana, providing 900 copies to Banda's District Education Offices for use in local Junior High Schools.