UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST A HISTORY OF WA, 1500 - 1900 BY IDDRISU MAHAMA Thesis submitted to the Department of History, Faculty of Arts, College of Humanities and Legal Studies, University of Cape Coast, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy degree in History CALL No. ACCESSION No. OOTi CAT. CHECKED FINAL CHECKED MARCH 2017 I OF CAPE COAST CAPF OCMSf DECLARATION Candidate’s Declaration I hereby declare that this thesis is the result of my own original research and that no part of it has been presented for another degree in this University or elsewhere Candidate's Signatured Date Name: ft 1^# Supervisor’s Declaration We hereby declare that the preparation and presentation of the thesis were supervised in accordance with the guidelines on supervision of thesis laid down by the University of Cape Coast. Co-Supervisor's Signature Date \~^~L Date Name: Principal Supervisor’s Signature Date Name: ii ABSTRACT Motivated by the works of scholars on the histories of ethnic groups like the Dagomba, Mamprusi, and Asante, the aim of this study is to delineate the origins of the Waala from the earliest period to the eve of British Colonial rule in 1898. Political, economic, and social developments between 1500 and 1900 led to the rise of Wa and the creation of the Waala Kingdom. Trans-Saharan trade routes passing through Wa exposed Wa to all participants in the trade and attracted some to settle in Wa. The mixing of different peoples in the area created socio-political institutions and blended various cultures, distinguishing the people of Wa from other peoples. To facilitate good governance, the Mamprusi ruling lineage involved the main social groups - autochthons and Muslims - in the administration of the Kingdom. Continuous developments in Wa soon caught the attention of external forces, both Africans and Europeans, who for diverse reasons struggled to capture and control Wa from the 1880s. In 1898, the British won the race for Wa. This study, therefore, chronologically examines the history of Wa from the earliest times critically looking at the various influences which transformed Wa for more than 400 years. iii KEY WORDS Agriculture British Colonial Rule Different ethnic groups Race for Wa Trading Waala iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My sincere thanks and appreciation goes to Dr. Marciana Kuusaana, Dr. George Miller, both at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and Prof. Kwame Osei Kwarteng of the University of Cape Coast, who immediately stepped in and supervised the study after the passing on of my first group of supervisors: Prof. Gordon Benedict Der and Dr. Kwabena Adu Boahen, both of the University of Cape Coast ( May they Rest in Peace). It seems not easy to agree to supervise a project under circumstances like that mentioned above and the payment for such a sacrifice cannot be quantified. So I thank all my second group of supervisors who sacrificed to get this study completed. I also want to express my gratitude to siblings and friends: Paulina Samba, Mary Adama, Priscilla Nubata, I. I. Shaibu, Tahiru Yakubu and Martha Fugluu, for their encouragement and contribution which resulted in the completion of this study. Finally, I thank the faculty of the Department of History, particularly, Dr. S. Y. Boadi-Siaw for his encouraging words any time we met, and to Margaret Essel of the School of Graduate Studies, University of Cape Coast, for her assistance. However, any omissions or errors, if found in this study are mine. Iddrisu Mahama Department of History, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, September, 2016 v DEDICATION To my daughters, Kudiratu, Huuda, and Ramziyah Songsoma vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DECLARATION ii ABSTRACT iii KEY WORDS iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v DEDICATION vi LIST OF FIGURES xii INTRODUCTION 1 Background to the Study 1 Statement of the Problem 1 Literature Review 3 Objectives of the Study 12 Methodology 13 Organization of the Study 15 CHAPTER ONE: THE GEOGRAPHY OF WA 17 Introduction 17 The Etymology of Wa 17 The Geographical Setting of Wa 20 The Founding of Wa 28 The Growth of Wa 32 The Waala Kingdom 35 Settlement Patterns of the Waala 44 vii Conclusion 49 CHAPTER TWO: PEOPLING OF WA 50 Introduction 50 The Early Settlers or Indigenes 51 The Lobi 52 The Chakalsc 57 The Balumee 61 The Mande 65 The Jabagihe 68 The Kantonsi 70 The Immigrant Groups in Wa 76 The Nabiihe (Royals) 77 The Tuomunee 80 The Gonja 81 Muslim Groups in Wa 89 The Tagrayiree 90 The Jengbeyiree 95 The Limanyiree 99 The Watariheyiree 102 The Nepayiree 104 The Sisielle 105 Conclusion 106 viii CHAPTER THREE: WA IN THE PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD, 1500-1898 107 Introduction 107 Political Developments of the Waala 107 The Tendaalong (Indigenous Administration) 108 The Naalong (The Royals Governing System) 115 Councils of Administration 124 Organs of Administration 130 Social Developments of the Waala 133 The Family in the context of the Waala 136 Marriage among the Waala 136 Bride Wealth among the Waala 145 Child Birth among the Waala 147 Death among the Waala 148 Inheritance among the Waala 154 'Tribal Marks' of the Waala 155 Festivals of the Waala 157 The Jinbente Festival 158 The Dumba Festival 159 The Kpiinichieu (Guinea Fowl) Festival 161 The Sunkari (The Fasting Month) 163 The Chieusong (Good Moon Festival) 165 The Donga (Month of Sacrifice) 164 ix Waala Days in the Week 165 Land Policy among the Waala 166 Economic Developments of the Waala 170 Conclusion 172 CHAPTER FOUR: THE STRUGGLE FOR WA 173 Introduction 173 Asante and Gonja Influence in Wa 174 The Zabarima 178 Babatu's Relations with the Grunshi 186 Europeans and Africans vie for Northwest Ghana 187 First British Mission to Northwest Ghana, 1892 188 Babatu Returns to Wa in 1892 192 The French Move to Wa 194 Second British Mission to Wa, 1894 196 The Second French Mission to Wa, 1895 199 Samori's Designs for Wa 201 Babatu and Samori's Joint Operation against the Waala and the Dagaaba 203 The Struggle for Wa 204 Conclusion 219 CHAPTER FIVE: BRITISH COLONIAL RULE, 1898-1900 220 Introduction 220 Preliminary Steps taken towards Establishing British Colonial Rule 220 x Introduction of British Colonial Administration 225 The Semi-Military Rule 226 The Civilian Administration 233 Social Developments under British Colonial Rule 237 Economic Developments under British Colonial Rule 240 Impact of British Colonial Rule on the Waala 242 Political Effects of British Control 243 Economic Effects of British Control 247 Social Effects of British Control 250 Conclusion 254 CHAPTER SIX: Conclusion 255 REFERENCES 260 APPENDICES 282 VITA 314 xi LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 The Position, Site and Pattern of Settlements in Wa 24 2 Wa District N. T. (Northern Territories) Showing Boundaries 37 3 The Extent of the Wala (Waala) Kingdom during the Pre-Colonial and Colonial times 39 4 Principal Wala (Waala) Villages, by Divsions 40 5 Waala Kingdom before 1897 43 6 A Typical Waala Building at Gbegeroo 46 7 A Typical Building of the Yipila People in the Northern Region of Ghana 48 8 Original Lobi Locations 53 9 Map showing Mande Locations in West Africa 67 xii INTRODUCTION This study is about the history of Wa from 1500 to 1900. The choice of the year AD 1500 as the starting point of the study is not arbitrary. The reason is that in any historical study one has to start from somewhere, particularly, from a point in time when one can obtain evidence from both written and unwritten sources. Background to the Study The period, 1500-1900, provides sufficient space of time to delve into the history of Wa, an ancient town which has "the longest history of chieftaincy in the Upper West Region and the Wa chieftaincy predated the British colonisation of the North."1 In other words, from the early sixteenth century (the time of its rise) until the end of the nineteenth century, Wa played significant roles in the political, economic and social developments in the Waala kingdom, however developments (human and material) within the kingdom during the period have not been studied in detail by historians. Statement of the Problem Brief references made to Wa by earlier authors such as Gabriel Tuurey, in An introduction to Mole-Speaking Community2, discussed the origins of Mole- Speakers which, he asserts, include the Waala. He remarks that they "had nothing like a political rallying point."3 Ivor Wilks, in his article 'The Mossi and the Akan *A. K. Awedoba, An Ethnographic Study of Northern Ghanaian Conflicts Towards a Sustainable Peace. Accra: Sub-Saharan Publishers, 2009, p.47 2Gabriel Tuurey, An Introduction to the Mole-Speaking Communities. Wa: Catholic Press, 1982. 3Ibid., p. 13. 1 states, 1500-1800',4 mentions the fact that "Mamprusi and Dagomba cavalrymen in the seventeenth century founded Wa."5 In West Africa and Islam, a Study of Religious Development from the 8 th to the 20 th Century, Peter B. Clarke indicates that "Wa was founded in about 1650."6 Carola Lentz, in the article, "A Dagara rebellion against Dagomba rule: Contested Stories of Origin in North-West Ghana,"7 made no reference to the Waala though they are close neighbours of the Dagaaba. It is J. J. Holden's article, 'The Zabarima Conquest of North-West Ghana',8 which mentions the Waala prominently but provides very little information about the Waala. Between the western and eastern sides of the Black and White Volta (rivers), Adu Boahen, in Topics in West African History, enumerates the inhabitants as, "the Vagala, Sissala, Dagarti, Tampolensi, Guan and Konkomba; Koma, Nafeba, Gbimba and Chamba,"9 but does not mention the Waala, who are also found in the area.