Kingdom of Dagbon (Dagomba)
The Kingdom of Dagbon (Dagbaŋ) is one of the oldest and most organised traditional kingdoms in Ghana founded by the Dagomba people (Dagbamba) in the 11th century. During its rise, it comprised, at various points, the Northern, Upper West, Upper East, Savannah Region and North East regions of present-day Ghana. It also covered portions of Burkina Faso, North East Ivory Coast and North West Togo. Since Ghana's independence in 1957, the Kingdom just like all of Ghana's kingdoms and ethnic states has assumed a traditional, customary role.
Oral histories of the Kingdom tell that it was founded by a warrior named Tohazie (c. 1250), who arrived in present-day northern Ghana in the 11th century with his cavalry men from east of Lake Chad, stopping in Zamfara, present-day northern Nigeria, and in the Mali Empire, before settling in northern Ghana. These histories tell of numerous engagements with neighbouring peoples throughout this early period until the early 18th century, when the capital of the kingdom was moved to the city of Yendi by a famous king Naa Luro. Around this time, Islam arrived to the kingdom, and a period of peace and increased trade with neighbouring kingdoms began.
In 1888, the Kingdom of Dagbon was partitioned between the German and British empires, and in 1899 this split became organised into the territories of German Togoland and the Gold Coast. Following World War I, eastern Dagbon became part of British Togoland. The Gold Coast achieved independence in 1957 as Ghana. The result of interference of British and German imperialism was a kingdom that was significantly robbed of its once invaluable traditional artifacts, beautiful way of life and a divided Kingdom whose wounds would not completely heal till the second decade of the 21st Century.
The Kingdom of Dagbon since around the 1920s has been characterised by repeated succession disputes and conflict mainly from British and German Imperial interference in Dagbon's succession. Several incidents have occurred, including in 2002 when the King of Dagbon Yakubu Andani II, of the Andani royal family, was murdered by the unknown people. As of January 2014, a regent (installed in 2006) has acted as sovereign of the kingdom until a new ruler is chosen. Today, the king of Dagbon's court remains at the city of Yendi. The kingdom is divided into territorial chiefdoms, categorised from divisional to village chieftaincies. The monarch of Dagbon is known as the Ya Naa (also spelt Ya Na, Ya-Na, Yaa Naa Yaan Naa).
On 18 January 2019, a new Yaa Naa, Abubakari Mahama [Naa Gariba II], was chosen in Yendi by the Dagbon state's kingmakers. This was after a peace initiative by the Committee of Eminent Chiefs, consisting of the Yaa Naa brother the Na Yiri, the Asante chief and the Yagbonwura. He was enskinned on 26 January 2019 in Yendi. The Yaa Naa and the Na Yiri are sons of Gbewaa and mediate issues in each other kingdoms from time to time.
The First Kingdom of Dagbon, from the mid 15th century to the late 17th century, is known to history almost entirely through oral tradition, especially drum chant. The Second Kingdom, from around 1700 to 1900, is better known, because, in addition to drum chant, there are other sources of information, some of them independent of events in Dagbon itself.
Oral histories of the Kingdom tell that it was founded by a warrior named Tohazie (c. 1250), who arrived in present-day northern Ghana in the 11th century with his cavalry men from east of Lake Chad, stopping in Zamfara, present-day northern Nigeria, and in the Mali Empire, before settling in northern Ghana. These histories tell of numerous engagements with neighbouring peoples throughout this early period until the early 18th century, when the capital of the kingdom was moved to the city of Yendi by a famous king Naa Luro. Around this time, Islam arrived to the kingdom, and a period of peace and increased trade with neighbouring kingdoms began.
In 1888, the Kingdom of Dagbon was partitioned between the German and British empires, and in 1899 this split became organised into the territories of German Togoland and the Gold Coast. Following World War I, eastern Dagbon became part of British Togoland. The Gold Coast achieved independence in 1957 as Ghana. The result of interference of British and German imperialism was a kingdom that was significantly robbed of its once invaluable traditional artifacts, beautiful way of life and a divided Kingdom whose wounds would not completely heal till the second decade of the 21st Century.
The Kingdom of Dagbon since around the 1920s has been characterised by repeated succession disputes and conflict mainly from British and German Imperial interference in Dagbon's succession. Several incidents have occurred, including in 2002 when the King of Dagbon Yakubu Andani II, of the Andani royal family, was murdered by the unknown people. As of January 2014, a regent (installed in 2006) has acted as sovereign of the kingdom until a new ruler is chosen. Today, the king of Dagbon's court remains at the city of Yendi. The kingdom is divided into territorial chiefdoms, categorised from divisional to village chieftaincies. The monarch of Dagbon is known as the Ya Naa (also spelt Ya Na, Ya-Na, Yaa Naa Yaan Naa).
On 18 January 2019, a new Yaa Naa, Abubakari Mahama [Naa Gariba II], was chosen in Yendi by the Dagbon state's kingmakers. This was after a peace initiative by the Committee of Eminent Chiefs, consisting of the Yaa Naa brother the Na Yiri, the Asante chief and the Yagbonwura. He was enskinned on 26 January 2019 in Yendi. The Yaa Naa and the Na Yiri are sons of Gbewaa and mediate issues in each other kingdoms from time to time.
The First Kingdom of Dagbon, from the mid 15th century to the late 17th century, is known to history almost entirely through oral tradition, especially drum chant. The Second Kingdom, from around 1700 to 1900, is better known, because, in addition to drum chant, there are other sources of information, some of them independent of events in Dagbon itself.
Map - Kingdom of Dagbon (Dagomba)
Map
Country - Ghana
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| Flag of Ghana | |
The Bono state existed in the area that is modern day Ghana during the 11th century. Kingdoms and empires such as Kingdom of Dagbon in the north and the Ashanti Empire in the south emerged over the centuries. Beginning in the 15th century, the Portuguese Empire, followed by other European powers, contested the area for trading rights, until the British ultimately established control of the coast by the 19th century. Following over a century of colonial resistance, the current borders of the country took shape, encompassing 4 separate British colonial territories: Gold Coast, Ashanti, the Northern Territories, and British Togoland. These were unified as an independent dominion within the Commonwealth of Nations. On 6th March 1957, Ghana became the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to achieve sovereignty. Ghana subsequently became influential in decolonisation efforts and the Pan-African movement.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| GHS | Ghanaian cedi | ₵ | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| AK | Akan language |
| EN | English language |
| EE | Ewe language |
| TW | Twi |