University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 8-2005 The Impacts of Deforestation on Drum Making in Ghana, West Africa Erin Rae Eldridge University of Tennessee, Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Eldridge, Erin Rae, "The Impacts of Deforestation on Drum Making in Ghana, West Africa. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2005. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/4560 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Erin Rae Eldridge entitled "The Impacts of Deforestation on Drum Making in Ghana, West Africa." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in Anthropology. Michael H. Logan, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Leslie C. Gay, Jr., Hector N. Oirko Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Erin Rae Eldridge entitled ''The Impacts of Deforestation on Drum Making in Ghana, West Africa." I have examined the finalpaper copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements forthe degree of Master of Arts,with a major in Anthropology. We have read this thesis mend its acceptance: Accepted forthe Council: . .. The Impacts of Deforestation on Drum Making in Ghana, West Africa A Thesis Presented for the Master of Arts Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Erin Rae Eldridge August 2005 Copyright © 2005 by Erin Rae Eldridge All rights reserved. 11 Dedication This thesis is dedicated to ProfessorJoseph H. Rasmussen for his compassion, wisdom, and encouragement as a role model and mentor. I would also like to dedicate this to the late master musician Godwin Agbeli, whose words eventually became the spark that ignited this study. Godwin Agbeli and Joseph Rasmussen Ghana, 1997 111 Acknowledgements I would like to extend gratitude to the drum makers and musicians who shared their stories with me, and who made this research project possible. I want to especially thank Dolsi Naa and his family, Kobbi, Odartey, the Agbeli family, and the Dagbe Cultural Institute for all of their assistance during my fieldwork. Also, thanks to Peter Ekpe at the University of Ghana Herbarium. I am gratefulto my advisor, Dr. Michael Logan, and my committee, Dr. Hector Qirko and Dr. Leslie Gay Jr., fortheir support, intellectual expertise, and contributions to my work. In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Faye Harrison and Dr. Janice Harper for their guidance. I want to extend my appreciation to the Department of Anthropologyat the University of Tennessee forproviding assistantships throughout my studies and research endeavors. Additionally, I greatly appreciate the fundingprovided by the W.K. McClure Scholarship, which helped cover the expenses of my time in the field. I am indebted to ProfessorJoseph H. Rasmussen of Tennessee Technological University for introducing me to the musical world of Ghana and for being such a wonderful mentor. Thanks to the ABUSUA ensemble forall of the support and good vibes. I am sincerely grateful formy family, especially my parents, for all the love, encouragement, and support. Thanks to David R. Johnson for the guidance, proofreading, and editorial advice. Finally, I would like to thank all of my friends. V Abstract For decades, musicians from all over the world have been studying the music and rhythms of West Africa. Althoughsome literature exists on the construction of rhythmic instruments, very little research has examined the impacts of environmental change on instrument making processes. This thesis represents an ethnographic investigation of the impacts of deforestationon drum making in Ghana, West Africa. Research on this topic was conducted during the summer of 2003 in the Volta, Eastern, and the NorthernRegions of Ghana. The research methods included participant observation, formaland informalinterviews, botanical methods for plant identification, and literature searches. Informedconsent was obtained fromall participants in this project. The goal of this study was to interview drum makers throughout Ghana and obtain local perspectives on how changes in the environment, especially deforestation, have impacted the acquisition of resources, specificallyplant and animal species, used in the drum making process. In addition, the objective was to seek out information regarding the causes of deforestationand make connections among local, national, and international forcesand the struggles of drum makers. Thus, a political ecological lens was used to analyze the collected data and experiences. This investigation revealed that the destruction of forestsin Ghana has impacted drum making in Ghana and continues to pose threats to current drum technologies. The impacts vary, however, due to differencesin local geography,preferred plant and animal species used forconstruction, eco-histories, and drum technologies. Acquisition of resources is becoming increasingly difficult for drum makers, and in the lower Volta Region, environmentalchange is linked to the emergence of a new drum technology. Deforestationis a result of numerous factors,including agricultural expansion, timber exportation, population growth, fuel wood extraction, and mining. This study contributes to the anthropological, political ecological, and ethnomusicological literature, and provides insight into how broader political and economic forcesaffect life-ways and traditions at local levels. vii Preface In the spring of 1994, while I was still working on my undergraduate degree in conservation wildlifebiology at Tennessee Technological University, I signed up fora beginning West African drum class under the tutelage ofprofessorJoseph Rasmussen. I have been performing with Rasmussen's ensemble, ABUSUA, ever since. Within this past decade, I have had the privilege of learningtraditional musics of Ghana, performing with master musicians, and travelingto Ghana to experience these musical traditions within their cultural settings. While sitting in a Ghanaian drinking spot with ABUSUA members and local musicians during the summer of 1997, master drummer Godwin Agbeli briefly mentioned forestdecline and the associated hardships for drum makers in the lower Volta Region. Although Mr. Agbeli mentioned deforestation only in passing, his words became embedded in my memory. Years later, while assessing several potential topics for my thesis, Agbeli' s words re-emerged and became the seed that grewinto this thesis. As a result, I have been able to combine my interests in West African music, anthropology, ethnobotany, ethnomusicology, and political ecology into a project that I pursued with deep sincerity. The valuable lessons that I have learned through this research experience extend farbeyond my academic and career goals. While in the field, three months after the U.S. launched its attack on Iraq, I became increasingly aware of my privileged position in the world. I was able to contrast my privileges - such as those that allow me to easily move across the globe to study - with a world where children struggle to pay user feesfor school, where healthcareis largely unattainable, and where people are sufferingfrom easily curable diseases. With these lessons in mind, it is my hope that somehow and someday this research will benefitthe participants who shared their stories and concernswith me. As for Godwin Agbeli, whom I have called upon numerous times forguidance fromhis ancestral abode, I hope he is pleased with my effortsand intensions. IX Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction 1 2. History and Environment 11 3. The Cultural Significanceof Music in Ghana 25 4. The Growing Road to the Bush 37 5. Deforestationand Drums in the Lower Volta Region 67 6. Discussion and Concluding Remarks 91 References 99 Appendices 105 Vita 111 XI List of Figures Figure 1.1 Regional Map of Ghana with Research Sites 3 Figure 2.1 Map of West Africa 12 Figure 2.2 Linguistic Groups of Ghana 14 Figure 2.3 Environmental Institutions in Ghana 20 Figure 4.1 Luna Drums 41 Figure 4.2 Gungon and Luna Drums 41 Figure 4.3 Luna Shell with Rim of Raphia and Cane 43 Figure 4.4 Gungon and Luna Shells 43 Figure 4.5 Sketch of Luna and Gungon from Fieldnotes 45 Figure 4.6 Fiberglass Jembe 48 Figure 4.7 Kpanlogo Drum and Jembe Drum from Ghana 48 Figure 4.8 Drum Shops at Accra Art Center 49 Figure 4.9 Jembe Drums in Accra Art Center 49 Figure 4.10 Tweneboa Logs Near Kibi 53 Figure 4.11 Carving a Jembe Near Kibi 53 Figure 4.12 Okroase Roadside 56 Figure 4.13 Carvers on Okroase Roadside 56 Figure 4.14 Ewe Drum Shells 58 Figure 4.15 Akan Drum Shells 58 Figure 4.16 Tweneboa Logs 59 Figure 4.17 Jembe Shells in Okroase 59 Figure 4.18 Carvers in Peki 63 Figure 4.19 Drums Used in a Borborbor Ensemble 63 Figure 5.1 Farmland in the Anlo Area 69 Figure 5.2 Village