A Drummer's Testament
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Greetings and festivals; the importance of greetings; how Dagbamba greet; greetings and respect; greetings to different types of people: chiefs, rich people, maalams; gifts and gift-giving; messengers and greeting; greetings in the household; greetings to in-laws; greetings during the festival months; how Dagbamba greet their friends in different villages; how Dagbamba receive one another in greetings
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Supplementary material
Images
Squatting to greet an elder
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Contents outline and links by paragraph
Importance of greetings in Dagbon
- 1. talk of greetings fits into many different talks
- 2. greetings express good intentions and respect
Morning greetings in the house and neighborhood
- 3. morning greetings between husbands and wives
- 4. morning greetings to mother and wives
- 5. wives greet one another and elders; kneel to greet senior person; give respect
- 6. children in their own houses will come and greet their parents
- 7. lengthy greetings with senior people in the area: are we sleeping?
- 8. if sickness or a problem, the area people will also come and greet; send messengers if serious
Festival day greetings
- 9. happiness and good wishes; people go around and greet
- 10. send children to greet people in other towns; greet people you don't usually greet
- 11. giving gifts on festival day
- 12. eating better food and being satisfied also part of the festival day
- 13. send children to greet at all your in-laws' houses, with gifts
- 14. send children because the householder should remain to look after the house
Eldership and greetings
- 15. later, those you have greeted will also return greetings to you
- 16. greeting example: “leave you in front”; Alhaji Ibrahim's eldership from sharing drumming money
- 17. send the messenger back with a gift
- 18. as people go to live in different towns, send greetings to their elders in other towns
Greetings to friends
- 19. take a gift that the friend likes; the whole house will respond
- 20. the friend will take you to greet the people in his town; old people will bless the friendship
- 21. the people in your friend's house will be happy with your gifts
- 22. the townspeople you greeted will return the greetings with food
- 23. you will get gifts when you leave for home; greetings show that one lives with people
- 24. good to take someone along when going to greet; will see your respect
- 25. greetings are friendship; be careful about greeting someone who cannot receive you well
- 26. should greet the person who greets you; he will receive you well
- 27. how Alhaji Ibrahim gives and receives gifts like that when visits friends in other towns
- 28. good to visit and greet so that people meet and see the friendship
Greetings and respect
- 29. greetings show character; someone who does not greet is seen as selfish
- 30. should even greet people who do not greet you
- 31. watch greetings and see people; different intentions
- 32. greetings show respect; different greetings to chiefs, elders, money person
Greetings to money person
- 33. money man and the chief greet and respect one another
- 34. poor person who greets a money man shows happiness
- 35. people greet the money person because of his money
- 36. sometimes money person has more respect from friends than from family; shows how he treat them
Greetings to an old person
- 37. everybody respects an old person because of the blessing of long life
- 38. can greet any old person because of old age; squat when greetings
- 39. respect an old person you do not know; gifts
Greetings to maalams
- 40. every kinds of person respects maalams and Liman
- 41. typical Dagbamba who are not Muslims greet Liman for medicine and prayers for farming
- 42. money person also greets Liman for prayers and help
- 43. Kamo-Naa also greets Liman for medicine and talismans
- 44. the chiefs respects the Limam; helps the town to be cool
Respect to chief of drummers
- 45. Namo-Naa or Lun-Naa; commoners, princes, and chiefs all need drummers
Conclusion
- 46. people get respect because of what people want; different from greetings to family, friends, and festival greetings
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Proverbs and Sayings
Greetings are white heart.
Greetings are: you give trust to your friend.
Greetings are: you give respect to your friend.
If somebody gets pain and people also see his fault, it's not sweet.
The greeting of the festival day is the end or the last of all the greetings, because inside it, you greet one another and you beg God for blessings for one another.
The festival day stands that everyone should do good to one another.
A householder does not roam on the festival day.
If a child visits you, you must also visit the child.
God should let you come to wash your hands upon us.
It is good when you go to greet a friend, and you know of women.
Inside friendship is greeting.
When you have a friend, it is good he knows your house and you also know his house.
Come and greet me is better than I will be talking about you.
To be greeting people is like giving a gift. When you give a gift, your hand will stretch and be open. greetings do not end.
If your friend farts on you, and you say you will also fart on him, if you don't take time, you will shit on yourself.
“How is the market?” is not friendship.
Money people take their friends to show themselves to others; they don't use their family.
If a money person doesn't want to help people, we say that his money is not money; it is useless.
You should give a gift inside your house before you give outside.
In Dagbon here, we call an old man “everybody's old man.”
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Dagbani words and other search terms
- Titled persons and elders
- Kamo-Naa
- Limam
- Lun-Naa
- Namo-Naa
- Persons
- Alhassan (Ibrahim)
- Yakubu (Ibrahim)
- Miscellaneous terms
- cedis
- dawadawa
- fula
- gbogino (gbɔɣino)
- groundnuts
- guinea corn
- Holy Qur'an
- Kambonsis
- maalam, maalams
- pesewas
- townsperson
- Towns and places
- Dagbon
- Lungbunga
- Nanton
- Savelugu