The Ethnography of Surrogate Speech in a Foreign Language: The Case of the Timpani Drum Language among the Dagomba of Ghana

ABSTRACT

This article presents a study of the timpani drum beats and the akarima drummer among the Dagomba of Ghana, using analysis of audio and video recordings of drumming sessions and interviews with the drummers. Borrowed from the Asantes in the eighteenth century, the timpani transmits limited, oft-repeated messages in Akan, a language that neither the drummer nor his Dagomba patrons understand. In spite of this, the timpani is an integral part of Dagomba culture and rituals. In addition to transmitting messages with the drum, the akarima guards the tradition and cultural heritage, and reinforces Dagomba values and cultural ethos. As a guardian of tradition, the akarima resists innovation of the practices associated with the use of the drum. As a constructor of realities, he creates knowledge and values from the praises of chiefs, imparts them to his patrons and actively moulds their lives to conform to these values. The article argues that, far from being a deficiency, the use of the drum to transmit messages in a language not comprehensible to the people contributes significantly to the success of the akarima, who functions as imparter of values to his listeners.

TUMA KOLIVAAI

Vihigu tuma ŋɔ wuhirila yεl’ shεŋa ŋan be timpani kumsi ni, nti pahi akarima tuma ni nyε shεli Dagbamba kali puuni. Tuma maa tumbu ni, ti daa yaai Dagbɔŋ akarimanima niŋ shinii puuni (video) saha shεli bε ni daa zuɣiri timpana maa, ka daa lahi ʒini akarimanima tooni n-deei baŋsim zaŋ kpa yεl’ gola ni kali yεl’ shεŋa ŋan be akarintali puuni. Vihigu maa wuhiya, ni akarintali yila Kambɔnsi sani n-kpe Dagbɔŋ na Naa Gariba zaamani. Dagbɔn timpani pala bε ni ŋmεri shεli diri alizama gbaai yihi akarimanima yaannim ni zaŋ shεli wuhi ba. Kambɔnsili zuliya ka timpan’ noli yεra. Di mi nyεla zuliya shεli Dagbɔŋ akarima mini o ni salindi shεba maa ni bε wumda. Di mini di tinzuntali maa zaa yoli, timpani nyεla ti kaya ni taada biŋkumdi kpeeni dama kali yεlli ku tooi niŋ nayili ka timpani bi kum. Akarima tuma n-nyε li ni o gu Dagbɔŋ kaya ni taada ka che bɔriginsim. O mini o baantaba nyεla ban wuhiri bilichini hala ni nyε shεŋa din yεn che ka bilichininima gbaai bε yaannima ni daa zaŋ hal’ suŋ shεŋa gbibi Dagbɔŋ. Vihigu ŋɔ wuhiya, ni timpani noli tinzuntali maa nyεla din tiri akarima jilima, dama Dagbamba ban bi wumdi Kambɔnsili ka bε ni yεn paai so ka o wuhi ba bε yaannima salima gbunni gbaai yihi akarima.

KEYWORDS:

• Drum language
• surrogate speech
• Dagomba
• Dagbani
• oral literature

KEYWORDS IN DAGBANI:

• Biŋkumda yεltɔɣa
• Dagbamba
• Dagbanli
• nolini baŋsim
• Akarima tuma

Acknowledgments

My sincere gratitude to Mr Karim Iddrisu and Mr Iddrisu Angulu Fusheini for their help in conducting the fieldwork and doing the recordings and all the Akarima talking drummers for the time and valuable information they provided me. All errors are mine.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 For a detailed discussion of aspects of the grammar of the speech produced by surrogate instruments, see the edited collection by Winter and McPherson (2022).

2 See DjeDje (2008) for an extensive study of the goonje in Dagbon, and Hudu (2021) for analysis of the surrogate language produced by the goonje and akarima. Asuro (2018) and Chernoff et al. (2023) include extensive narrations on the lunsi and drumming within the wider culture of Dagbon.

3 To avoid ambiguity, the use of “talking drums” and “talking drummers” will henceforth be avoided. The Dagbani words timpani, akarima, luŋa and their respective plural forms are used.

4 According to Akarima Awolu, during light-hearted arguments between the akarima and the lunsi or goongenima over who is a greater griot, they are teased as being a bunch of motionless silent griots who are incapable of talking or doing anything creative, allowing only the drum to do the talking. In response, they express their pride in their dedication to royalty. They serve only people of royalty, unlike the lunsi and goonjenima, who go about in the streets and marketplaces eulogising any commoner they meet.

5 All lengthy narrations from the akarimanima are translations of what they said in Dagbani.

Additional information

Funding

The research benefited from research funds awarded to the School of Languages, University of Ghana, by Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Grant Number: G-1804-05739.