A Drummer's Testament:  chapter outlines and links

Volume III:  IN OUR LIVING

Part 5:  OLD AGE

• 25.  Widows
• 26.  The Life of Old People

Part 6:  CONCLUSION

• 27.  Alhaji Ibrahim's Reflections on the Work

Chapter titles above go to chapter outlines on this page.
Chapter title links in the outline sections below go to chapter portals.
Outline section links go to web chapter sections.

Volume III Part 5:  Old Age

Chapter III-25:  Widows

Customs regarding the remarriage of widows; chiefs' widows: public bathing and beating; passing through the broken wall

Widows are different from other unmarried women

• 1.    widows present issues; some people see them as bad luck; others search for them
• 2.    people fear widows; many people will not marry a widow
• 3.    if a woman is widowed twice, only someone with medicine will marry her
• 4.    some people search for widows; different reasons

How widows marry again

• 5.    widow's dress:  white cloth and scarf; at family house, many men together trying to find her
• 6.    to search for a widow, stay with friend to send money to widow's elder; need soothsaying stone
• 7.    soothsaying stone is ten-pesewa coin; how the soothsayer and family head hold walking stick over all the stones
• 8.    when they choose one stone, family head goes and tells the widow
• 9.    the suitor's householder sometimes collects the widow at night
• 10.  other suitors may use vua or paɣali to steal the widow
• 11.  sometimes fight with chosen husband; widow's family intervenes
• 12.  arguments and trickery to send the widow without trouble
• 13.  the other suitors collect their money back from the widow's housepeople
• 14.  the new husband and the widow will eat karga before sleeping together
• 15.  customs regarding sleeping with the widow; white cola; if widow gives birth to a boy

Chiefs' widows are beaten

• 16.  dead chief's housechildren beat the widows; not the chief's actual children; mistreated by the chief's wives
• 17.  can be protected from beating if have children in the house or family in the town
• 18.  widows stay in houses near the chief's house until the funeral

Bathing the widows and how they pass through the broken wall

• 19.  on the funeral day, Mba Naa comes from Yendi to bathe the widows
• 20.  the bathing attracts many spectators
• 21.  how they bathe the widows and dress them
• 22.  faithful wives take spears and pass through the broken wall to the grave; drummers beat Baŋgumaŋa
• 23.  those who don't pass the broken wall are whipped by Mba Naa; some pay bribes to pass
• 24.  how drummers praise widows who pass the wall; family will slaughter an animal
• 25.  jealousy and medicine against such widows
• 26.  how the widows greet in the town the morning after the funeral and then go to their family houses

Conclusion

• 27.  widows talk is different from other women

Chapter III-26:  The Life of Old People

Old age and respect; status of old people; responsibilities of old age; the family head; how old people live; types of old age; lives of three old people compared and contrasted

The respect and works of old age

• 1.    old age come from God; many talks; respect for old person, rich person, chief, maalam
• 2.    comparison to chief, to rich person, to maalam with intelligence
• 3.    old age is not simply age or white hair; it is how one holds oneself
• 4.    old person holds himself; tried to repair things, whether succeed or fail
• 5.    old people consult and repair quarrels or problems that spoil people's way of living
• 6.    in a quarrel, give the right to the elder person
• 7.    an old person holds people; acts as if blind and dumb and deaf, acts with patience
• 8.    an old person without people is not old; cannot hold his children; not a family head
• 9.    an old person is family head; old age is in the heart and will come into the open
• 10.  all family events and work require the presence of an elder; sacrifices
• 11.  old person also holds the area around a house; helps anyone in the area
• 12.  an old person's presence reduces consequences at the chief's court
• 13.  people put the old person's name in front without informing him, and he accepts
• 14.  people do not argue with an old person who lies
• 15.  old age comes to someone who feeds and takes care of his housepeople
• 16.  an old person holds people in a house; housepeople farm and help him; give him leadership

The old age of women

• 17.  an old woman will get the same respect; has taken care of the children in the house
• 18.  respect an old woman who is a mother; fear of the mother's house; can swear a curse
• 19.  people who are feared in a household:  mother, mother's brother, father
• 20.  old woman without children also gets respect from housepeople
• 21.  an old woman with bad character does not get respect
• 22.  men have eldership more than women
• 23.  a woman whose old age would make her the family head will give the eldership to a man
• 24.  people will accuse the woman family head of witchcraft
• 25.  women know the family talks and teach the children; they get respect in old age; example:  Alhaji Iddi and his mother

Taking care of old people

• 26.  Dagbamba take care of their elders; food, clothing, gifts; God repays the good
• 27.  a good old person without children:  people take good care; it appears he has children
• 28.  if people let an old person suffer, their things will spoil
• 29.  if children neglect their old person, their mother or father can curse them
• 30.  old person's talks stand and do work in a family; continuing presence

Old age and drumming

• 31.  transition to examples of old age among some drumming elders
• 32.  a drummer is an old person; knows the talks of yesterday; addressed as “grandfather”
• 33.  Alhaji Ibrahim is an old person in drumming because of his leadership; did not choose it
• 34.  Alhaji Ibrahim has shared money among drummers for thirty years, even in other towns
• 35.  an old person can talk of yesterday, today, and tomorrow

Alhassan Lumbila's old age

• 36.  example:  the character of Alhassan Lumbila; how children followed him to the farm
• 37.  Alhassan's relation to Mangulana and Sheni; Alhassan's seniority in drumming
• 38.  Alhassan's wives and children
• 39.  the incident of Gukpe-Naa Iddi, Toombihi, and Alhassan Lumbila
• 40.  Alhassan received money from anyone who beat drumming in Tamale; his respect

Alhaji Adam's old age

• 41.  Alhaji Adam has the same personality as Alhassan Lumbila; does not get annoyed
• 42.  the age of Alhaji Adam; the oldest drummer but does not have Alhassan's old age
• 43.  Alhassan's talk; Alhaji Adam does not get money like Alhassan; only Alhaji Ibrahim gives him his share
• 44.  proverb about white matter from the eye
• 45.  Alhaji Adam's acknowledgment to Alhaji Ibrahim for helping him

Sheni's old age

• 46.  Sheni is like a chief; how Sheni suffered for Alhassan Lumbila
• 47.  Sheni also has Alhassan's character; white heart; his friendship with John
• 48.  why Sheni gives John money
• 49.  how Sheni greets Alhaji Ibrahim, despite being the elder
• 50.  Sheni knows many people; has more respect and more old age than Alhaji Adam

Comparing Alhaji Adam and Alhassan Lumbila

• 51.  Alhaji Adam has respect, but not up to his father's; entered chieftaincy talk; Andani side
• 52.  Alhassan did not choose among drummers; took all to be his children; Tamale drummers are Abudu side
• 53.  Alhassan told Alhaji Adam that one day he would not get benefit; an old man's talk happens

Conclusion

• 54.  the talk is relevant to all people, not just Dagbamba

Volume III Part 6:  Conclusion

Chapter III-27:  Alhaji Ibrahim's Reflections on the Work

The history of Alhaji Ibrahim's relationship with John; problems of the work; why Alhaji Ibrahim did the work; how he feels about it; final instructions to John

Introduction

• 1.    conclude with history and difficulties of how John and Alhaji Ibrahim did the work

John's initial training in drumming

• 2.    John's arrival in Dagbon; asks to learn drum beating
• 3.    John returns from travel to start drumming; arrangements for charges
• 4.    John begind lessons; encouraging start; Alhaji Ibrahim delegates two drummers to teach
• 5.    issues with the two drummers; Alhaji Ibrahim rejoins the lessons
• 6.    Alhaji Ibrahim observes John's character and dedication to learning
• 7.    John learns more than expected
• 8.    John accompanies drummers to performances; asks to add more knowledge
• 9.    further conflict with the other teachers; Alhaji Ibrahim blames them and not John
• 10.  Alhaji Ibrahim's advice to John to manage the lessons with patience
• 11.  Alhaji Ibrahim sends John to Alhaji Adam Mangulana for medicine
• 12.  John buys drums and guŋgɔŋ; demonstrates more commitment
• 13.  John's respectful demeanor

Development of the relationship

• 14.  John leaves on good terms; some people criticize the lessons
• 15.  Alhaji Ibrahim and John correspond; John responds to Alhaji Ibrahim's wife's death; the friendship continues
• 16.  resistance and arguments against the friendship; Alhaji Ibrahim and John disregard the criticism; John returns to continue lessons

Development of the lectures

• 17.  Alhaji Ibrahim begins teaching “hidden” talks; Baŋgumaŋa and Ʒɛm; John makes sacrifices; sign of respect
• 18.  Alhaji Ibrahim's instructions regarding the significance of the sacrifice
• 19.  the initial interviews on the hidden dances set format; John returns and asks for lectures on Dagbon
• 20.  Alhaji Ibrahim's doubts about how to lecture
• 21.  Alhaji Ibrahim decides to talk about what he knows to be true; trust in the truth
• 22.  from the start, the talks go well; confidence in their value
• 23.  criticism and arguments against the work
• 24.  the elders support the work; Alhaji Ibrahim refuses the criticism of young people and outsides
• 25.  naming the elders who encouraged the friendship of Alhaji Ibrahim and John
• 26.  John sends Alhaji Ibrahim on pilgrimage to Mecca; significance of the gift
• 27.  the work continues; the difficulties of organizing Alhaji Ibrahim's pilgrimage; the benefits of patience

Alhaji Ibrahim's intentions and motives

• 28.  happiness and shyness
• 29.  respect for differences and distance between John and Alhaji Ibrahim; not because of money but for all to benefit
• 30.  enhance the name and reputation of Dagbon
• 31.  extend the knowledge of elders and ancestors
• 32.  involve the group and associates for guidance
• 33.  John's sickness; the work continues over many trips; re-reading and repairing the talks to finish them

The benefits of the work

• 34.  Alhaji Ibrahim's confidence in the talks
• 35.  the work has its extent
• 36.  blessings and benefit of the friendship and the work
• 37.  the work should benefit all involved; good to conclude with a sacrifice
• 38.  comparison to the sacrifice for the old talks
• 39.  the suggestion of a sacrifice is a recommendation that John can choose to follow or not
• 40.  the sacrifice is to secure the benefit of the work
• 41.  John has no debt for the work; friendship
• 42.  John should respect the work and present it with respect