A Drummer's Testament

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Chapter II-5:  The Yaa-Naa and the Yendi Elders

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The paramount chief:  The Yaa-Naa of Yendi; how a Yaa-Naa dies and is buried; selection of a new Yaa-Naa; list of Yaa-Naas; types of elders; the work of elders; intermediaries for chiefs; Yendi area elders; origins of main elderships; castration of elders; ranking of elders; Kuɣa-Naa; Mba Duɣu; the elder chieftaincies:  Gushe-Naa, Tolon-Naa, Gukpe-Naa, Kumbun-Naa; the Kambonsi; the women chiefs and the chief's wives


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Supplementary material


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Contents outline and links by paragraph

Introduction

The Yaa-Naa

How a Yaa-Naa dies

Death and burial of a Yaa-Naa

The funeral of a Yaa-Naa

Role of Gushe-Naa and the elders in choosing the Yaa-Naa

Showing the riches day:  Gushe-Naa and Kumbun-Naa come to Yendi

Making a new Yaa-Naa

Understanding how the custom works in choosing a Yaa-Naa

The elders of Yendi

Elders in the chief's house

Other titled elders in Yendi

Chiefs who are women

Titles of The_Yaa-Naa's wives


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Proverbs and Sayings

I am going to talk to you what I have heard.

As for an old talk, no one has ever seen it:  it is our forefathers who spoke and put it down for us.

And our fathers talked and put it down for us, and so all of it is like property that we have inherited.

Every town has got a chief.

Dagbamba say, “‘I will eat and finish’ is in eating.”

In Dagbon here, we Dagbamba say that a chief does not die.

“Naa Zokuli went to buy gold, and he bought the gold and came and remained in the river.”

When a Yaa-Naa dies, Dagbamba say, “The earth has shaken.”

Long ago, when our forefathers were children, when they walked on the ground, they stepped lightly.

They say he is traveling, and as he is traveling, he will come back.

He will say, “War has beaten us,” and everyone will know that The_Yaa-Naa is dead.

“Your father did not sleep last night.”

And Namo-Naa will say that the road he is walking, too, it is the road of everybody.

And Namo-Naa will say that this road will reach everybody, and he will say, “As for this road you are walking, it is just ahead, and everybody is going to reach it.”

And Namo-Naa will say, “This road is a stake in the middle of a family, and everybody has to hold it.  You are not the only one who is going to hold it.  Your grandfather did this and left it for you.”

And the Dagbamba say, “Yes, it is true.  He has washed his hands and put them on his father.”

In Dagbon here, and how it was in the olden days, if The_Yaa-Naa dies, everything in Dagbon dies.

When a Yaa-Naa dies in a certain year, hunger falls.

Every town has got the way of its customs.

“Whom have you got to be locking the door of the hall?”

“Dasambila has drank and become drunk; if you shoot and miss him, throw a club at him.”

“Go and give this to so-and-so, that he should get it and burn firewood for dead people.”

“Your grandfather Gushe-Naa says I should bring this grass and give to you, and you should take it and be burning it and be preparing dead people's fire.”

“I cannot leave you and throw you away, and so I am going to follow you and sacrificing to the gods and be repairing the shrines for you.”

As for our Dagbamba custom, if you look at it, you will see that it doesn't stand at one place.

One bad yam can spoil fufu.

It is the custom that catches.

A child's mouth is more than the hard sorghum.

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Dagbani words and other search terms