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T H E O R I G I N S O F T H E M Q S S I - D A G O M B A S T A T E S
b y A . A . I l l as u *
In a r e c e n t a r t i c l e , F a g e a s c r i b e d s o m e o f t h e m i s i n t e r -
p r e t a t i o n s o f t h e e a r l y h i s t o r y o f t h e M o s s I - D ag o m ba s t a t e s t o
w h a t h e t e r m e d t h e " M o s s I - c e n t r e d a p p r o a c h " b y w h i c h c o n -
c l u s i o n s f o r t h e w h o l e g r o u p o f s t a t e s a r e d r a w n e x c l u s i v e l y
o n t h e b a s i s o f e v i d e n c e f r o m t h e M o s s i s t a t e s a l o n e . ' T h u s
d i d M a r c
( 1 9 0 9 ) ,
D e l a f o s s e
( 1 9 1 2 ) ,
T a u x i e r ( 1 9 1 7 ,
1 9 2 4 ) ,
a n d
D i m D e l o b s o n ( 1 9 3 2 ) ,
2
- ' a t t e m p t t o d a t e t h e f o u n d a t i o n s o f t h e
W h o l e g r o u p o f s t a t e s a l t h o u g h t h e y w e r e u n a b l e t o t a k e a c c o u n t
o f e v i d e n c e f r o m M a m p r u s i a n d D a g o m b a , t r a d i t i o n a l l y r e g a r d e d a s
" s e n i o r " t o t h e M o s s i s t a t e s o f O u a g a d o u g o u , Y a t o n g a , a n d F a d a
N ' G r u m a h . F a g e , a s d i d W e s t e r m a n n ( 1 9 5 2 ) a n d P r os t
( 1 9 5 3 ) ,
t o o k
a c c o u n t o f t h e M a m p r u s i a n d D a g o m b a e v i d e n c e p u b l i s h e d b y T a m a k l o e
( 1 9 3 1 ) ,
B l a i r a n d J o h n s o n ( 1 9 3 2 ) a n d R a t t r a y ( 1 9 3 2 ) . 3 H e a l s o
c o n s u l t e d a n u n p u b l i s h e d w o r k b y D . V . M a c ka y, * * a n o f f i c i a l o f t h e
C o l o n i a l A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f t h e G o l d C o a s t , w h i c h d e a l s e x c l u s i v e l y
w i t h M a m p r u s i . U n f o r t u n a t e l y t h e M a m p r u s i t r a d i t i o n s c o l l e c t e d
b y R a t t r a y a n d M a c k a y o n w h i c h h e r e l i e d , a r e , a s h e h i m s e l f
r e c o g n i s e d , b o t h f r a g m e n t a r y a n d d e m o n s t r a b l y u n r e l t a b l e .
C o n s e q u e n t l y , h e m a k e s a n u m b e r o f m i s l e a d i n g c o n c l u s i o n s In
h i s e x t r e m e l y u s e f u l o u t l i n e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f , t h e e a r l y h i s t o r y
o f t h e M o s s i - D a g o m b a s t a t e s . T h e a i m o f t h i s p a p e r i s t o r e -
a p p r a i s e t h i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n in t h e l i g h t o f a d d i t i o n s I h a v e
m a d e t o t h e f r a g m e n t a r y a c c o u n t s o f M a m p r u s i o r a l t r a d i t i o n s
c o l l e c t e d e a r l i e r b y R a t t r a y a n d M a c k a y . T h e p u b l i s h e d w o r k s
m e n t i o n e d e a r l i e r a s w e l l a s s o m e a r c h i v a l m a t e r i a l h a v e a l s o
b e e n c o n s u l t e d .
T h e e t h n i c a l l y - r e l a t e d M o s s i - D a g o m b a s t a t e s w e r e
f o u n d e d b y " s m a l l b a n d s o f s t r a n g e r s ' ^ w h o m i g r a t e d f r o m t h e
e a s t o r n o r t h e a s t o f L a k e C h ad t o t h e l a n d s s o u t h o f t h e N i g e r
b e n d . T h e s t r a n g e r s w e r e a c q u a i n t e d w i t h t h e i d e a o f c h i e f -
t a i n s h i p a s o p p o s e d t o t h e p o l i t i c o - r i t u a l o r g a n i s a t i o n o f t h e
a c e p h a l o u s p e o p l e s t h e y e n c o u n t e r e d . B e c a u s e o f t h e i r p o l i t i c a l
a n d m i l i t a r y s u p e r i o r i t y t h e y c o n s e q u e n t l y o v e r r a n t h o s e s c a t t e r e d
a n d i n d e p e n d e n t p e o p l e s a n d r e v o l u t i o n i z e d t h e i r p o l i t i c a l o r
t r i b a l p a t t e r n s b y w e l d i n g t h e m i n t o k i n g d o m s . T h e m o s t s a l i e n t
D r .
A . A
L e g o n .
I l ia s u I s a L e c t u r e r in t h e H i s t o r y D e p a r t m e n t ,
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feat ure of this spectacu lar change was the offic e of a terri-
torial and secular rule r, an unheard - of conc epti on , as
Rattr ay put It, whi ch replaced the Immemorial institution of
e ruler who wa s the high- pries t of a totemic clan and dealt only
in spiritual sanc tion s .6
T h e d e s c e n d a n t s o f t h o s e s t a t e - f o r m in g s t r a n g e r s w h o
still ru le over the Moss i-Oa gomb a s tates have almost the same
traditional ac coun ts about their ori gin s. Thus the lesser-known
Mampru si oral tradition tells much the same story as the more
acc ess ibl e and better known Dagomba oral traditi on. Both point
to a migr ati on from somewh ere east of Lake Chad; both recount
the adve ntur es of Toha zie (the red
h u n t e r ) ,
w h o s e s o n , K p o -
g o n u m b o , m a r r i e d S o h i y i n i , t h e d a u g h t e r o f A b du l R a h a m a n I , a
king of Gruma h; and both recognize Gb ewa , the most famous issue
o f t h i s m a r r i a g e , a s t h e g r e a t a n ce s t o r o f t h e M o s s l - D a g o m b a
p e o p l e s . T h e r e is h o w e v e r a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e be t w e e n th e
starti ng points of Dagom ba and Mamprusi oral traditi ons. The
former vers ion nearl y always opens with the migratio n from the
east as well as the Saga of Tohazie and his relations with the
earlie r estab lishe d Man de and Gur-spe aking peoples south of the
Niger bend. Mamprusi oral tradition on the other hand Invariably
o m i t s t h i s p r e f a t o r y c h a p t e r e n d s t a r t s w i t h G b e w a ' s m i g r a t i o n
from Grumah territ ory to Pusiga from whe re he subdued the
neig hbour ing people s and, as would be argued late r, founded
M a m p r u s i , t he o l d e s t of t h e M o s s i - D a g o m b a s t a t e s . T h i s d i f f e r -
ence probably accou nts for the mislead ing conclusion sometimes
mad e that the great Gbewa is the fons et ori go In Mamprusi oral
t r a d i t i o n .
The explana tion for wha t can be termed the abridged and
unabr idge d versio ns of their common oral tradition lies primarily
In the scale and quality of their res pectiv e machine ry for preser-
ving and recount ing their past . The Dagomba machin ery is elab orat e,
a c c e s s i b l e , a n d e f f i c i e n t . T h e s t a t e d r u m m e r s o r l u n s l , w h o
form the core of this mac hin ery , are a highly specialised segment
of Dagomba socie ty. They have a hierarchy of their own , at the
head of whic h Is the Namoo Na, wh o, like any other important chief
of the king dom, has his own titled offi cers. 7 They enjoy a fairly
high social sta tus partly becau se they are handsome ly rewafded
for their servi ces and partly becau se they claim direct descent
from a na bi a or princ e of royal blood, Bizun g, son of Na Nyag se,
the first Ya Na or Paramount chief of the Dagomba kingdom. As .
court his tori ans and drumm ers , they chant the genealogy and exploi ts
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of the privileged; as custodians of traditional beliefs and
constitutional practi ces, they mak e pronouncements of facts
during grave political disp utes . Theirs Is an arduous and
painst aking task whic h requires long hours of patient appl i-
cation and practice and for this reason, they have their own
time-honoured and efficient system of recruiting and training.
Given the nature of the Oagomba machinery, particularly Its
s i z e an d d i s t r i b u t i o n - f o r t h e re Is h a r d l y a O a g o mb a c h i e f ' s
village without Its drummer - It Is probably hot surprising
that there has been available for a long time now a fairly
detailed account of Dagomba oral traditions.
The Mamprusl kingdom on the other-hand has nothing
compar able e ither In grandeur or efficiency to the Dagomba
machi nery . There are, to be sure, some able drummers who
nr
as eagerly sought after as the Oagomba ones by connoisseurs
during the festivals of the Mamprusl and Dagomba peoples. But
these are the excep tion rather than the rule and In any case
they are either natives of Dagomba or have acquired their skills
at the feet of Oagomba drummers. Consequently the collector of
Mamprusi oral tradition has to rely largely upon the "Naylrt
K p a m b a y a " or state elders and counsel lors. And the danger from
this sou rce Is perhaps not so much as the likelihood of Its being
unrelia ble and Inaccurate, the elders being generally less we ll -
equip ped than the drumme rs to recollect past eve nts . It Is rather
that be cause of their estate within the kingdom, the elders seem
to think that the chie f func tion or ralson d'et re of the oral
tradition Is to explai n the existing political structure with
its differentia ted status between rulers and the ruled. They
therefore attach mor e Importance to the great political advance
which Gbewa made when after his migration to Puslga he changed
his career as a leader of mercenaries to that of a state-builder.
Only by this means which, In a sense, Is their charter, could
they account for the origins of chieftaincy as well as the
secular authority vested In their offi cers. Thus It was not
uncommon for the Mamprusl state elders, when asked of the origins
of their kingdom, to.start with Gbewa's exploits and the success
of his arms over the peoples he met around Puslga and absorbed
into his kingd om. 9 It Is possib le that both Rattray and Mack ay,
the pioneer collect ors of Mamprusl oral tradition, relied
exclusi vely upon the elders , hence their Incomplete and not
entirel y satisfac tory accounts of Mamprusl oral traditions.
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A R T I C L E S 9 8 .
T h e m u c h - s h o r t e r M a m p r u s i v e r s i o n , h o w e v e r , h a s a t l e a s t
o n e a d v a n t a g e o v e r t h e u n a b r i d g e d D a g o m b a o n e , n a m e l y , i t
d w e l l s a t l e n g t h u p o n G b e w a s c o n q u e s t s a n d e v e n a t t e m p t s t o
d e l i m i t t h e g e o g r a p h i c a l e x t e n t o f t h e s e c o n q u e s t s . A c c o r d i n g
t o t h i s v e r s i o n , G b e w a l e f t G r u m a h l a nd a f t e r a d i s p u t e d
s u c c e s s i o n f o l l o w i n g t h e d e a t h o f h i s m a t e r n a l g r a n d f a t h e r ,
A b d u l R a h a m a n i . A l t h o u g h h i s f a c t i o n c a r r i e d t h e d a y , h e
m i g r a t e d w i t h a l a r g e f o l l o w i n g t o S a n a o r S a n g a , s o u t h o f F a d a
N G r u m a h . F r o m t h e r e h e b e g a n t h e g r a d u a l c o n q u e s t o f t h e
t e r r i t o r i e s o f t h e B u s a n s i a n d K u s a s i f u r t h e r s o u t h , a n d In d u e
c o u r s e h e o v e r r a n p a r t o f t h e i r t e r r i t o r i e s . H e t h e n m o v e d h i s
b a s e o f o p e r a t i o n s f r o m S a n g a t o P u s i g a f r o m w h e r e h e c a m e t o
e x e r t p o w e r o v e r , a n d l e v y t r i b u t e o n , t h e l e s s p o w e r f u l p e o p l e s
a r o u n d h i m . A s w a s t h e c a s e w i t h m o s t o t h e r k i n g d o m s s i m i l a r l y
f o u n d e d , h i s a u t h o r i t y w a s m o r e or l e s s c o n s t a n t l y e f f e c t i v e
o n l y o v e r a r e l a t i v e l y s m a l l a r e a a r o u n d P u s i g a . H o w e v e r M a m p r u s i
o r a l t r a d i t i o n c l a i m s t h a t t h i s a u t h o r i t y e x t e n d e d a s fa r n o r t h a s
S a n g a , a s f a r s o u t h a s p r e s e n t - d a y e a s t e r n D a g o m b a , t h e n l a r g e l y
p o p u l a t e d b y t h e K o n k o m b a , a s f a r e a s t a s M a m p r u g u w h e r e t h e
m o t h e r o f T o h u g u , o n e o f G b e w a s i l l u s t r i o u s s o n s , c a m e f r o m ,
a n d a s f a r w e s t a s Z a n g u a n d N a b a r e , b o t h e a s t o f t h e W a l e w a l e -
B o l g a t a n g a r o a d . It is p o s s i b l e t h a t e v e n t h e O a b o y a d i s t r i c t ,
a l a t e r a c c r e t i o n t o t h e s t a t e o f G o n j a , f o r m e d p a r t o f G b e w a s
k i n g d o m . It w a s t h u s a n e x t e n s i v e d o m a i n , s t r e t c h i n g t o t h e
B l a c k a s w e l l a s t h e W h i t e V o l t a .
G b e w a r u l e d o v e r t h i s d o m a i n u n t i l h i s d e a t h . H e r e a g a i n ,
b o t h M a m p r u s i a n d D a g o m b a t r a d i t i o n s g i v e t h e s a m e a c c o u n t s a b o u t
t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s o f h i s d e a t h . A c c o r d i n g t o t h e s e a c c o u n t s
G b e w a h a d n i n e c h i l d r e n , t h e e l d e s t o f w h o m w a s K a c h i o g u . B u t
K a c h i o g u b e i n g a w o m a n c o u l d n o t s u c c e e d h e r f a t h e r , s o Z i r i l i ,
t h e e l d e s t s o n , b e c a m e t h e h e i r a p p a r e n t . B u t Z i r l l l s i m pa -
t i e n c e a n d l o v e o f a d v e n t u r e m a d e h i m a n u n s u i t a b l e s u c c e s s o r
t o a n e w l y - f o u n d e d k i n g d o m w h i c h r e q u i r e d a p e r i o d o f p e a c e t o
c o n s o l i d a t e . G b e w a t h e r e f o r e p r e f e r r e d a y o u n g e r s o n , K u f o g u ,
a s h i s s u c c e s s o r a n d m a d e h i s p r e f e r e n c e k n o w n . W h e n t h i s w a s
r e v e a l e d t o Z i r i l i , h e p l o t t e d arid k i l l e d K u f o g u a n d s o o v e r -
w h e l m e d w a s G b e w a o h r e c e i v i n g n e w s o f t h i s t r a g i c e v e n t t h a t
h e k e p t o n m o v i n g r e s t l e s s l y u p o n t h e s k i n s o n w h i c h h e s a t
u n t i l t h e g r o u n d a r o u n d h i m o p e n e d a n d s w a l l o w e d h i m , w h e r e u p o n
Z i r i l i s u c c e e d e d h i m .
T h e r e i s a m a t e r i a l d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t h e D a g o m b a a n d
M a m p r u s i a c c o u n t s r e g a r d i n g Z i r i l i s r e i g n . A c c o r d i n g t o t h e
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f o r m e r a c c o u n t , Z i r i l l r e i g n e d p e a c e f u l l y u n t i l h i s d e a t h ; t h e
M a m p r u s l v e r s i o n , w h i c h s e e m s t h e m o r e p l a u s i b l e o n e , c l a i m s
t h a t Z l r t l I ' s r e i g n e n d e d a b r u p t l y a n d I n t r a g i c c i r c u m s t a n c e s .
A c c o r d i n g t o t h i s v e r s i o n , s o o n a f t e r h e h a d s u c c e e d e d G b e w a ,
a c h i e f o f a G r u m a h v i l l a g e d i e d a n d Z f r I I I , t h r o u g h S o h t y f n f ,
h i s g r a n d m o t h e r , c l a i m e d t h e r i g h t o f s u c c e s s i o n . P a r t l y
b e c a u s e o f t h e a c c e p t e d p r a c t i c e a t t h a t t i m e a n d t r u e t o h i s
o w n c h a r a c t e r , Z i r l l l t o o k u p a r m s t o e n f o r c e h i s c l a i m s . T h e
e x p e d i t i o n a r y f o r c e h e l e d i n t o G r u m a h t e r r i t o r y w a s h o w e v e r
d e c i s i v e l y r o u t e d a n d a n u m b e r o f p r i s o n e r s , I n c l u d i n g h i m s e l f ,
w e r e t a k e n . T h i s d i s a s t e r w a s a s i g n a l f o r t h e I r r e c o n c i l a b l e
B u s a n s I a n d K u s a s i t o r e b e l a g a i n s t t h e i r r u f e r s . F a c e d a t o n c e
w i t h e x t e r n a l a n d i n t e r n a l d i s a s t e r , a n d w i t h o u t a l e a d e r , t h e
e l d e r s c o u l d a f f o r d n e i t h e r t h e l u x u r y o f a f u n e r a l f o r Z i r l l l
n o r t h e t i m e - c o n s u m i n g b u t c u s t o m a r y p r o c e s s o f e l e c t i n g a
s u c c e s s o r . T h e y t h e r e f o r e d r a f t e d T o h u g u , t h e e l d e s t s u r v i v i n g
s o n o f G b e w a t o s u c c e e d Z i r l l l . ' O B u t T o h u g u ' s b r o t h e r s , I n s p i r e d
a n d l e d b y S I t o b u , c h a l l e n g e d t h e c o n s t I t u t t o n a l i t y o f t h e s e
p r e c e d i n g * a n d a f r a t r i c i d a l s t r u g g l e t h e r e f o r e e n s u e d . W i t h t h e
B u s a n s i a n d K u s a s i u p In a r m s a n d u n c e r t a i n o f s u p p o r t f r o m h i s
s u b j e c t s In t h e c a p i t a l , T o h u g u , u p o n t h e a d v i c e o f t h e e l d e r s ,
f l e d t o M a m p r u g u t o s o l i c i t t h e s u p p o r t o f h i s u n c l e s . In t h i s
h e s e t a p r e c e d e n t , f o r In l a t e r y e a r s , p r i n c e s w h o e i t h e r f o u n d
t h e m s e l v e s in s i t u a t i o n s s i m i l a r t o T o h u g u ' s o r w e r e p a r t i e s t o
d i s p u t e d s u c c e s s i o n s i n v a r i a b l y a p p e a l e d f o r a s s i s t a n c e f r o m t h e i r
m a t e r n a l u n c l e s . S o c o m m o n w a s t h i s p r a c t i c e t h a t it b e c a m e a
c o n v e n t i o n a m o n g s t t h e p r i n c e s o f r o y a l b l o o d a n d t h e d i v i s i o n a l
c h i e f s , m u c h t o t h e b e n e f i t o f t h e k i n g d o m a s a w h o l e . B u t f o r
t h i s c o n v e n t i o n , c i v i l w a r s w o u l d n o t h a v e b e e n w h a t t h e y a c t u a l l y
w e r e in t h e h i s t o r y o f t h e M a m p r u s l k i n g d o m , n a m e l y , f r a t r i c i d a l
s t r u g g l e s i n v o l v i n g a h a n d f u l o f m e r c e n a r i e s ' ' a n d t h e v i l l a g e s
o f t h e p r i n c e s ' u n c l e s . A n d s i n c e ft w a s n o t u n c o m m o n t h a t m o s t
o f t h e s e v i l l a g e s w e r e o f n o c o n s e q u e n c e I n s i z e , t h e s e s t r u g g l e s
w e r e g e n e r a l l y c o n c l u d e d in a m a t t e r o f d a y s , s o t h a t t h e k i n g d o m
w a s s p a r e d a l l t h e u s u a l h o r r o r s o f c i v i l w a r s - r u i n e d v i l l a g e s ,
p l u n d e r e d h o m e s , d o w n t r o d d e n c r o p s a n d a t t e n d a n t f a m i n e .
T o h u g u ' s f l i g h t t o o k h i m f i r s t t o G a m b a g a In t h e s o u t h -
e a s t e r n p a r t o f t h e k i n g d o m a n d t h e n e a s t w a r d s t o M a m p r u g u .
S i t o b u a n d h i s f o l l o w e r s p u r s u e d h i m o n l y t o G a m b a g a a n d a f t e r
a b r i e f s t a y t h e r e , t h e y p r o c e e d e d w e s t w a r d s t o N a b a r e a n d t h e n
s o u t h w a r d s t o V e n d I D a b a r l . It w a s f r o m t h i s f o r m e r c a p i t a l o f
t h e D a g o m b a k i n g d o m t h a t N y a g s e , t h e e l d e s t s o n o f S l t o b u , s u b -
d u e d t h e n e i g h b o u r i n g " B l a c k " D a g o m b a a n d K o n k o m b a p e o p l e s t o
3,.
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1 0 0 .
extend and cons olid ate the Dagomba kingdom founded by his
f at he r J 2
Mean whil e Tohugu ruled over the kingdom founded by
Gbewa, with Mamprugu as his capital. The name of this little
village wa s later given to the wh ole of that kingdom. Tohugu's
suc ces sor , Na 2ob.z.laj how eve r, remov ed th e capital to Gamba ga
from whe re, accordi ng to Mamprusi oral tradition, Yampoga a
prince ss of royal blood, one day rode a stallion no rthwa rds,
whe re she met and married a hunter and their son became the
founder of the Mossi dynas ty. Moss Ioral traditions give
cred ence to this portion of Mamprusi trad ition. According to
the most widesp read version of their orig in, their pre genetrlx
was not Yampoga but Nyen nenga , the daughter of Naba Nedega or
Nedega a "Dagomba" chief wh o lived at Gambaga. He valued his
daugh ter's warri ng skill so highly that he would not grant her
permission to mar ry. She therefo re fled from Gambaga and rode
northwards whe re she met a man called Rta tle, who according to
some traditions was the son of the king of Mall, and according
to others was a Busanga hunter. They had a son whom they named
Ouedraogo ("stallion") in honour of the hors e that had carried
Nyenn enga In her flight to the nort h. A few years later,
Nyennenga sent Ouedraogo to Gambaga to visit his uncles. On his
departur e from Gambaga to his parents, Ouedraogo wa s accompanied
by several "Dag omba" horsemen with whose help he drove the
Busamsi from Tenko dogo ( TInkurugu In Mamprusi) an d m a d e it his
capital, With the assistance of more "Dagomba " horsemen from
Gambaga, Ouedraogo subsequently subdued the Grunsl, NIntsi,
Foulse and Klrplsi populations around him. His dynasty event-
ually proliferated in all directions : one of his sons, Rawa,
established the kingdom of Zandona to the north of Tenkodogo;
it later bec ame the kingdom of Yatenga under Rawa' s classI -
ficatory brother, Yadega. In the east, Rawa's brother Diaba
Lompo founded Fada N'Grumah whi le a nephew Oubrl founded
Ouagadougou in the west .13
Dagomba tradition d oes not recall these events and it
has been sugge sted that this wa s partly because Mamprusi being
"the de jure father-state /*o f the Moss -Dagomba states_ 7 needed
to retain a ritual relat ionship with the Mos s states, whereas
Dagomba did not " and partly b ecause "geographically Mamprust
Intervenes betwee n Dagomb a and the Mossi lands".'
1
* I find this
explanation unconvinc ing. The failure of Dagomba tradition to
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7/25/2019 Origins of Dagbon
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1 0 1 .
r e c a l l t h e M o s s b r e a k a w a y c a n b e e x p l a i n e d q u f t e s i m p l y o n
t h e g r o u n d s ( i ) t h a t t h e M o s s i s t a t e s d e r i v e d n o t f r o m D a g o m b a
b u t t h e M a m p r u s i l i n e a n d ( I I ) t h a t s i n c e t h e D a g o m b a s p l i t
f r o m M a m p r u s i h a d p r e c e d e d t h e M o s s i o n e , h e r t r a d i t i o n s c o u l d
n o t p o s s i b l y r e c a l l e v e n t s w h i c h c o n c e r n e d o n l y t h e M a m p r u s i
a n d t h e M o s s i . In o t h e r w o r d s , D a g o m b a t r a d i t i o n I s s i l e n t
o v e r t h e M o s s i b r e a k a w a y p r e c i s e l y f o r t h e s a m e r e a s o n t h a t
M a m p r u s i t r a d i t i o n m a k e s n o m e n t i o n o f t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s ,
r e t a i n e d in v i r t u a l l y i d e n t i c a l t e r m s In D a g o m b a a n d N a n u m b a
t r a d i t i o n s , t h a t l e d N m a n t a m b o , o n e o f S l t o b o ' s b r o t h e r s , t o
g o " a w a y f r o m h i m in a n g e r " a n d f o u n d t h e s t a t e o f N a n u m b a . 1 5
S e c o n d l y , N e d e g a o r N a b a N e d e g a i s r e f e r r e d t o I n M o s s i
t r a d i t i o n a s " a D a g o m b a c h i e f a t G a m b a g a " w h i l e t h e m e n w h o
a c c o m p a n i e d O u e d r a o g o a f t e r h i s v i s i t t o G a m b a g a a r e s a i d t o
h a v e b e e n " D a g o m b a h o r s e m e n " . It h a s b e e n s u g g e s t e d t h a t t h i s
a p p a r e n t c o n f u s i o n o f M a m p r u s i w i t h D a g o m b a a r i s e s f r o m t h e
f a c t t h a t D a g o m b a w a s t h e b e t t e r k n o w n k i n g d o m f o l l o w i n g " t h e
e a r l y w e a k n e s s o f M a m p r u s i v i s - a - v i s D a g o m b a " . ' 6 T h e r e I s a
l e s s i n t e r e s t i n g b u t m o r e a c c u r a t e e x p l a n a t i o n f o r t h i s
c o n f u s i o n . T h e M a m p r u s i c a l l t h e m s e l v e s D a g b a m b a , a n a m e
a n g l i c i z e d t o D a g o m b a ; " M a m p r u s i " , d e r i v e d n o d o u b t f r o m
M a m p r u g u t h e n a m e o f t h e i r k i n g d o m , i s t h e n a m e g i v e n t h e m
b y o u t s i d e r s . T h e y c a l l t h e i r n e i g h b o u r s t o t h e s o u t h , t h e
s o - c a l l e d D a g o m b a , t h e " Y o b a " f r o m t h e w o r d " Y o o b a " w h i c h m e a n s
f o r e s t p e o p l e . T h e n a m e D a g b a m b a w a s o n c e u s e d o f F a d a
N ' G r u m a h a l s o , a n d it i s s a i d t h a t it w a s o r i g i n a l l y t h e
G r u m a h n a m e f o r t h e p e o p l e s l i v i n g t o t h e s o u t h o f t h e i r
t e r r i t o r i e s w h i c h t h e a n c e s t o r s o f t h e M a m p r u s i a n d D a g o m b a
t o o k a f t e r t h e y h a d c o n q u e r e d t h e s e p e o p l e s . ' 7 T h i s p r o b a b l y
e x p l a i n s w h y t h e t w o p e o p l e s a r e s t i l l k n o w n b y o n e n a m e a m o n g
c e r t a i n t r i b e s ; t h u s in G o n j a ; the; t e r m " N w o n g " r e f e r s b o t h
t o t h e M a m p r u s i a n d t h e D a g o m b a a n d s i m i l a r l y , i n t h e H i s t o r y
o f W a Y e n d l , t h e c a p i t a l o f D a g o m b a a n d N a l e r i g u , t h e M a m p r u s i
c a p i t a l , a r e s p o k e n o f a s t h e c a p i t a l s o f t w o t r i b e s o f t h e
D a g o m b a . ' " ,
T h i r d l y a n d f i n a l l y , it s e e m s c o n c e i v a b l e t h a t N a
G b e w a ( D a g o m b a t r a d i t i o n ) is t h e s a m e a s N e d e g a o r N a b a
N e d e g a ( M o s s i t r a d i t i o n ^ a n d B a w a o r B w o n g w a ( M a m p r u s i t r a d i t i o n )
T h e M o s s i v a r i a n t s a r e p r o b a b l y d u e t o e u p h o n y a n d h a b i t s i n c e
N a G b e w a s o u n d s m u c h l i k e N e d e g a o r N a b a N e d e g a w h i l e t h e
M a m p r u s i o n e s a r e o b v i o u s l y t h e m i s - s p e l l i n g s o f t h e n a m e G b e w a
b y R a t t r a y a n d M a c k a y r e s p e c t i v e l y .
-
7/25/2019 Origins of Dagbon
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A R T I C L E S
1 0 2 .
It I s e v i d e n t f r o m t h e a b o v e c o m p a r i s o n o f o r a l t r a d i t i o n s
t h a t t h e e m e r g e n c e o f t h e M o s s l - D a g o m b a s t a t e s w a s b y n o m e a n s
c o n t e m p o r a n e o u s . T h e f i r s t o f t h e m t o e m e r g e w a s t h e M a m p r u s l
k i n g d o m : It w a s f o u n d e d b y G b e w a b u t It w a s n o t k n o w n b y t h a t
n a m e u n t i l T o h u g u m a d e M a m p r u g u I ts c a p i t a l . T h u s , u n l i k e S l t o b u
a n d p o s s i b l y N y a ' g s e , T o h u g u n e v e r f o u n d e d a k i n g d o m ; a l l t h a t h e
d i d o r , m o r e a c c u r a t e l y , w a s d j -I v e n t o d o , w a s t o r e m o v e t h e
c a p i t a l o f a n e s t a b l i s h e d k i n g d o m f r o m P u s l g a t o M a m p r u g u .
T h i s w a s n o t a n u n c o m m o n p r a c t i c e a n d , i n d e e d , T d h u g u ' s i m m e d i a t e
s u c c e s s o r , N a . Z o b z i a , - r e m o v e d t h e c a p i t a l f r o m M a m p r u g u t o
G a m b a g a w h i l e N a A t a b i a t o o k I t f i n a l l y t o N a l e r i g u . 1 9 Y e t
n e i t h e r N a . Z o b z ia n o r N a A t a b i a h a s e v e r b e e n c r e d i t e d w i t h
f o u n d i n g a k i n g d o m . It is t h u s m i s l e a d i n g t o c o n c l u d e t h a t
N y a g s e ' s k i n g d o m w a s f o u n d e d a b o u t t h e s a m e t i m e a s t h a t o v e r
w h i c h T o h u g u r u l e d . 2 0 It is e v e n d o u b t f u l , c o n s i d e r i n g t h a t
T o h u g u w a s a g e n e r a t i o n r e m o v e d f r o m N y a g s e , w h e t h e r t h e y e v e n
r u l e d c o n t e m p o r a n e o u s l y .
T h e i m m e d i a t e o f f - s h o o t s o f t h e M a m p r u s l k i n g d o m W e r e
D a g o m b a a n d T e n k o d o g o ; t h e l a t t e r in t u r n g a v e r i s e t o Y a t e n g a ,
F a d a N ' G r u m a h a n d O u a g a d o u g o u . T h e f l s s i o n a r y s e q u e n c e is n o t
c l e a r b u t it s e e m s t h a t N y a g s e ' s w a r s o f e x p a n s i o n o c c u r r e d m o r e
o r l e s s a b o u t t h e s a m e t i m e t h a t O u e d r a o g o d r o v e t h e B u s a n s l
'''' ''
f r o m , a n d e s t a b l i s h e d h i s d y n a s t y a t , T e n k o d o g o , f r o m w h e r e ,
a s m e n t i o n e d e a r l i e r , it p r o l i f e r a t e d In a ll d i r e c t i o n s . T h e
M o s s b a r d s r e l a t e t h a t w h i l e O u e d r a o g o s e n t o u t R e w a a n d 0 1 a b a
L o m p o t o c a r v e o u t k i n g d o m s f o r t h e m s e l v e s , h e d e t a i n e d t h e i r
y o u n g e r b r o t h e r , Z o u n g o u r a n a , a t T e n k o d o g o b e c a u s e H e d i d n o t
w i s h t h e y o u n g m a n t o l e a v e h i m . Z o u n g o u r a n a s u b s e q u e n t l y
m a r r i e d a N i m i s i w o m a n c a l l e d P o u g h t o e n g a a n d s h e g a v e b i r t h
t o O u b r f , w h o a l o n g w i t h O u e d r a o g o , b e c a m e k n o w n a s o n e o f t h e
t w o f o u n d e r s o f t h e O u a g a d o u g o u d y n a s t y . It s e e m s t h e n t h a t
w h i l e Y a t e n g a a n d F a d a N ' G r u m a h w e r e f o u n d e d a l m o s t c o n t e m p o r a -
n e o u s l y , t h e p a c i f i c a t i o n o f t h e k i n g d o m o f O u a g a d o u g o u t o o k a t
l e a s t a g e n e r a t i o n m o r e t o c o m p l e t e . T h i s , q u i t e a p a r t f r o m t h e
f a c t t h a t O u b r I w a s t h e n e p h e w o f b o t h R a w a a n d D i a b a L o m p d ,
e x p l a i n s w h y O u a g a d o u g o u h a s n e v e r b e e n a c c o r d e d t r a d i t i o n a l
p r i m a c y t h o u g h It c a m e t o e c l i p s e t h e o t h e r M o s s I s t a t e s , t h e
M a m p r u s l k i n g d o m o n t h e o t h e r h a n d n e v e r e s t a b l i s h e d I ts a s c e n -
d e n c y o v e r t h e o t h e r M o s s l - D a g o m b a s t a t e s ; o n t h e c o n t r a r y , it
a p p e a r s t h a t f r o m a b o u t t h e m i d d l e o f t h e 1 6 t h c e n t u r y o n w a r d s ,
It b e c a m e t h e l e a s t p o l i t i c a l f o r c e a m o n g s t t h e s e s t a t e s . Y e t
it h a s a l w a y s b e e n r e g a r d e d a s t h e " f a t h e r - s t a t e
1 1
b y b o t h t h e
D a g o m b a a n d M o s s
I
k i n g d o m s a n d i ts r o y a l t i n e a s t h e t e n I o r o f
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7/25/2019 Origins of Dagbon
9/19
A R T I C L E S
1 0 3 .
t h e M o s s i - D a g o m b a r o y a l l i n e s d e s c e n d i n g f r o m G b e w a . T h e
e x p l a n a t i o n f o r t h i s - a n d it i s a n e x p l a n a t i o n w h i c h i s
s u p p o r t e d b y oral t r a d i t i o n - i s t h a t t h e M a m p r u s i k i n g d o m
i s t h e o l d e s t a m o n g s t t h e M o s s i - D a g o m b a g r o u p of s t a t e s ,
h a v i n g b e e n f o u n d e d b y t h e g r e a t G b e w a h i m s e l f .
F i n a l l y , a w o r d a b o u t t h e t e n t a t i v e d a t e s f or G b e w a
a n d t h e e m e r g e n c e o f t h e M o s s i - D a g o m b a s t a t e s , t h e s e v a r y
w i d e l y , a s c a n b e j u d g e d e v e n f r o m t h e d a t e s f o r O u b r i a l o n e .
A c c o r d i n g t o M a r c , O u b r i a p p e a r s t o h a v e l i v e d a b o u t t h e m i d d l e
o f t h e 1 4 t h c e n t u r y . D e l a f o s s e p l a c e s h i m I n t h e 1 1 t h c e n t u r y .
T a u x l e r f i r s t o f a l l s u g g e s t s t h e 1 2 th c e n t u r y , b u t a f t e r
c o m p a r i n g t h e d a t e s o f s e v e r a l s c h o l a r s , h e r e v i s e d t h i s t o
t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e I 4tl> c e n t u r y . A n d f i n a l l y F a g e d a t e s h i m
t o c , 1 5 0 0 - o n h i s r e c k o n i n g t h at D a g o m b a e m e r g e d
c.1480.21
N e a r l y a l l t h e s e d a t e s - t h e p o s s i b l e e x c e p t i o n Is F a g e ' s -
a r e b a s e d l a r g e l y o n t h e s u m t o t a l o f t h e o r e t i c a l a v e r a g e r e l g n -
l e n g t h s a n d t h e n u m b e r o f r u l e r s o n t h e r e g n a l 1 I s t s o f t h e
v a r i o u s k i n g d o m s . T h e l i m i t a t i o n s o f t h i s t y p e o f a n a l y s i s a r e
a s w e i g h t y a s t h e y a r e o b v i o u s a n d o n e c a n n o t t h e r e f o r e s e l e c t
a m o n g t h e a l t e r n a t i v e d a t e s w i t h a n y d e g r e e o f c o n f i d e n c e . In
a n y c a s e , t h e e l e v e n t h o r f o u r t e e n t h c e n t u r y d a t e s f o r O u b r i
a r e ,
a s w i l l b e s h o w n l a t e r , u n s u b s t a n t i a t e d b y e v i d e n c e f r o m
M a m p r u s i a n d D a g o m b a . F a g e ' s d a t e s o n t h e o t h e r h a n d a r e q u i t e
s a t i s f a c t o r y * b u t a s w i l l b e s h o r t l y s h o w n , h i s m a i n e v i d e n c e
in a r r i v i n g a t t h e s e d a t e s is o p e n t o s e r i o u s o b j e c t i o n s . H e
p o s t u l a t e s a c l o s e l i n k b e t w e e n t h e e m e r g e n c e o f t h e M o s s i -
D a g o m b a s t a t e s a n d t h e r e - e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f i m pe r i a l p o w e r in
t h e N i g e r b e n d u n d e r t h e S o n g h a i k i n g s S o n n l A l l ( c . 1 4 6 5 - 9 2 )
a n d A s k I a M u h a m m a d
( c . 1 4 9 3 - 1 5 2 8 ) .
A c c o r d i n g t o t h i s t h e s i s ,
t h e i n v a d e r s , w h o s e d e s c e n d a n t s l a t e r f o u n d e d t h i s c o m p l e x o f
s t a t e s , e n t e r e d t h e l a n d s s o u t h o f t h e N i g e r b e n d a b o u t t h e
1 3 t h c e n t u r y ; t h at f o r t h e m o s t p a r t t h e y e i t h e r t o o k s e r v i c e
In t h e a r m i e s o f t h e M a l i e m p i r e o r o r g a n i z e d r a i d s a g a i n s t
e s t a b l i s h e d t o w n s o f t h e N i g e r v a l l e y ; a n d t h a t t h e s e r a i d s
c a m e t o a n e n d w h e n t h e y p r o v o k e d s e r i o u s r e t a l i a t i o n , s u c h a s
t h o s e o f c . 1 4 9 8 , 1 5 4 9 - 5 0 , 1 5 6 1 - 2 a n d c . 1 5 7 5 . I t s e e m s l i k e l y ,
o b s e r v e d F a g e , t h a t t h i s c h a n g e In t h e b a l a n c e o f p o w e r In t h e
N i g e r v a l l e y m a y h a v e p u s h e d t h e e a r l y M o s s i - D a g o m b a s o u t h w a r d s
a n d h a v e i n c l i n e d t h e m t o s e e k p r o f i t f r o m t h e l e v y i n g o f t r i b u t e
o n t h e k i n g s h i p g r o u p s o f t h e U p p e r V o i t a b a s i n r a t h e r t h a n f r o m
r a i d i n g n o r t h w a r d s . O n t h i s r e c k o n i n g , F a g e b a s e d t h e
e f f e c t i v e f o u n d a t i o n o f t h e D a g o m b a s t a t e In i ts p r e s e n t a r e a
t o C . 1 4 8 0 . T h i s c o n c l u s i o n a p p e a r s t o b e c o n f i r m e d b y T a m a k l o e ' s
-
7/25/2019 Origins of Dagbon
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RTI LES
\ 0 k
r e g n a l c h r o n o l o g y , a s r e v i s e d b y F a g e , In w h i c h N a N y a g s e , t h e
f i r s t Y a N a o f t h e D a g o m b a s t a t e p r o b a b l y r u l e d , n o t In l * t l 6- 3 2
a s T a m a k l o e s u g g e s t e d , b u t f r o m c . 1 ^ 7 6 - 1 ^ 9 2 . 2 3
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t r a d i t i o n s o f m i g r a t i o n s r e c o u n t e r e d e a r l i e r in t h i s p a p e r .
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g r o u p s m a i n t a i n e d l i n k s w i t h , a n d v o l u n t a r i l y r e c o g n i z e d t h e
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c a s e o f t h e M o s s f - D a g o m b a p e o p l e s , ft p r o b a b l y o f f e r s a m o r e
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b e t w e e n t h e n o r t h e r n a r e a s o f G h a n a a n d S e n e g a l , M a l l a n d t h e
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in t h e c a s e o f t h e I n t r o d u c t i o n o f c o w r i e s I n to H a u s a i a n d , t h e
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