Doing Chumburung songs—A taxonomy of styles Gillian Hansford ...

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Bassari near the River Daka. Gonja tradition 8 has it that in the mid 17 th century two sections of the Chumburung people, Banda and Chinkee, went east with them. Amo̱-a-daŋ seems to be relating this version (Example 22). She says categorically that it was not two sections, Banda and Chinkee, who fought the Ashanti, but just the one section, Banda. Also another section called Chachiai did not fight. Example 22 N se̱-ana ya kɔ-eee, (x3) Kyo̱ŋke̱e̱-rɔ mo̱ŋ kɔ-aaa. N se̱-ana ya kɔ, Kyaakya-aye̱-rɔ mo̱ŋ kɔ-eee. N se̱-ana ya kɔ, bamo̱ e̱ gye̱ awure-eee. Baŋdaa-rɔ ya kɔ, Kyaakyaa-aye̱ mo̱ŋ kɔ. Enee-e o ye-eee. My father’s people fought eee Chinkee didn’t fight aaa My father’s people fought, Chachiai didn’t fight eee My father’s people fought, they are chiefs eee. Banda fought, Chachiai didn’t fight. Later on, in response to questions by the audience, the old lady clarified what she had been saying, affirming that it was only the Banda section, and not even the Gonjas, who fought and drove away the Ashanti. As Nketia says (1974) of historical songs, what they “generally provide is not detailed narration of events, but brief allusions to significant incidents” (1974). She then sang another song in which she states the place at which the fight was. The old lady went on to tell of the tension in which the Chumburung people lived by being between the Gonjas and the Krachis. Later there were similar tensions owing to the attempts by the British and Germans to be first in 8 Lumsden (1973) quoting Goody (1954). 28
acquiring land. She tells an anecdote of the forceful behaviour of the Germans, and sings another song about the British beating them in the 1914–1918 war. Songs sung in history are called nkyoṟɔ iliŋ “praise songs”. Assuming the lady concerned was about 80, then she would have been born around 1920, so a song based on 1914 is certainly before her time. Some of the previous songs seem to be hundreds of years old. 10. National Anthem In the post-independence period of Ghana’s history, much Western music was retained, “even national anthems in Western musical idiom were accepted” (Nketia 1974). Example 23 (below) presents just one verse of the three-verse Ghana national anthem for which two Chumburung translations have been heard. Example 23 God bless our homeland Ghana, And make our nation great and strong, Bold to defend for ever, The cause of freedom and of right. Fill our hearts with true humility. Make us cherish fearless honesty, And help us to resist oppressor’s rule With all our will and might for evermore. The one Chumburung version which I cite (Example 24) was sung by a very good choir, that of the Presbyterian Church at Jamboai, during the ceremony of dedication of the Chumburung New Testament. In some ways it lacks things, for instance not having the name of Ghana included, but it is a coherent translation, even if a free one. 29
Page 1 and 2: Doing Chumburung songs—A taxonomy
Page 3 and 4: Abstract The author explores the wo
Page 5 and 6: 0. Introduction 0.1 Oral Poetry Man
Page 7 and 8: instruments, it is either “doing
Page 9 and 10: their children’s hands every morn
Page 11 and 12: on, Saturday, is Kwame̱e̱. He is
Page 13 and 14: Example 3 Ɔdo̱ŋ a nya mo̱ ̀ ka
Page 15 and 16: or war or hunting. Some are nkyo̱r
Page 17 and 18: Ane̱ tiikyaa awuye. Ane̱ a yɔwe
Page 19 and 20: smaller relations, known genericall
Page 21 and 22: Nketia (1966) says, but this is not
Page 23 and 24: town. The woman was Dogyi's elder s
Page 25 and 26: B Akwasi eee H --- I Akyuko̱ŋ mo
Page 27 and 28: Asewie said that two examples of mb
Page 29 and 30: Asɔre̱e̱ iliŋ are very popular,
Page 31: Example 21 Ase̱ŋ maa kpa se̱sɛ,
Page 35 and 36: Example 25 Kiŋŋi nare̱ pe̱ ya t
Page 37 and 38: Appendix palogo nkywi si mbɔɔfɔ

Doing Chumburung songs—A taxonomy of styles Gillian Hansford ...

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