THE PEOPLE OF BANDA (LIGBI & NAFAANA PEOPLE)

 

The Banda are located in the present day Brong-Ahafo region of Ghana. They are a group of Senufo speakers who originally descended from the Mande of Senegal and Mali. According to Banda history, they were once part of the Songhai Empire in Mali which attests to the languages they speak. The Banda comprises two main groups of people: Nafaana and the Ligbi (Ndwera) people. Their languages are of the same route but due to the different histories they have; their languages might have diverged in the course of time hence they are not closely related. The ancient Guans, especially those of the Shuoyi clan were in contact with the Mandes before they came to Ghana hence a link could be established among them.

NAFAANA:

Nafaanra is a Senufo language spoken in the Bono Region by the Nafaana people. Nafaana is the name of their tribe and the community but Nafaanra is the name of the language they speak. Badu is also a Senufo language and it is also related to Nafaanra; but then there are languages that are more closely related to Nafaanra and they are in the Ivory Coast. The Nafaana tribe is also known as Mfantera by the Bono and Ahafo people. Like other Senufo languages, Nafaanra is a tonal language.

The Nafaana people live in the north-west corner of the Bono Region of Ghana concentrated mainly in Sampa (capital of the Jaman North district) and Banda. There are two dialectal variants of Nafaanra: Pantera of Banda, and Fantera of Sampa. The Nafaana celebrate the Sungbee festival.

The Nafaana people believe to have migrated from a village called Kakala in the Ivory Coast. They arrived in the Banda area after the Ligbi people, who came from Begho to the area in the early 17th century. Many Nafaana are bilingual in Bono-Twi and in Nafaanra.

The Nafaana extend from Duadaso, Sampa, Debibi, Bandakile, Bofe, Banda, Fula, Nsuhunu, Gyansokrom and Brodi. Sampa is their traditional capital.

LIGBI (NDWERA):

The other tribe also known as the Banda are the Ndwera people (also spelt Jwila). The Ndwera speaks the Ligbi or Sodan which is also a Senufo language that descended from the Mande language originally spoken in Senegal and in Mali. According to Ibrahim Guru from Kokoa, they moved from Mali to Burkina Faso where they later separated as they moved in clans. One clan got to Guinea-Connakry and the other clan got to the Ivory Coast and later continued to Ghana under the leadership of the Nafaana.

The Senufo languages are spoken in the Ivory Coast thus, Ligbi is related to the Jula (Dyula), Vai and Kono languages all of the Ivory Coast. Although it may not be much related to Nafaanra and Kulango, they have close affinities with each other. The Ligbi like the other tribes in the Senufo ethnic group mainly practice Islam. Ligbi is known generally among the Bono and Nafaana as Ntore or Ndwera (Jwila).

The Ligbi are believed to have also migrated from Begho whereas the Nafaana migrated from Kakala all within the Bonsouku vicinity in the Ivory Coast. Ligbi oral tradition continues that they were led by the Nafaana to migrate from Begho to Kakala in the Bonsouku areas in the Ivory Coast to Ghana. So the Ligbi people settled to the south of the Nafaana traditional area which is why they are both referred to as Banda. It is also said that they were mainly traders and that they engaged in trade activities with indigenes of the Ivory Coast and Ghana thus, the name “Ndwera” meaning “traders” became their name. Ndwera is a corruption of the name Jula (Dyula) in the Akan language.

The Ligbi (Ndwera) language varies from one Ligbi community to the next however, Nafaanra has only two dialects Mpantera and Fantera. The communities under the Ligbi traditional area are Brawhani, Kwametintini, Namasa, Manji and Hani. Hani speaks Bono more than the Ligbi. Due to the variation in spoken Ligbi from one community to the next, communities have different names for the same language. In order not to overwhelm you with information, I would keep them ordered for easy reference:

1. Manji calls it Jogo Kpla (Kpla means language);

2. Namasa calls it Wela or Ligbi

3. Hani also calls it Ndwera ( Dyula) or Ligbi.

4. Bono calls it Banda or Ntore

5. Kwametintini calls it Atumfuor-Kasa

Ligbi or Sodan is closely related to Jula (also spelt Dyula). The Ligbi people are known to be black smiths hence the Kwametintini people call the Ndwera or Ligbi language as Atumfuor-Kasa which means “the blacksmiths’ language”

Among some Ligbi communities, they do also refer to themselves as Numu. Numu means blacksmith in the Dyula dialect. The Ligbi people live within the areas of the Tain district. They are bordered to the west by Sampa or the Nafaana.

The Ndwera people engaged in trade activities with the Gonjas and the Dagombas likewise other Guan communities. They also contributed a lot to the Gonja culture and vice-versa. Their language could have also contributed to perhaps Ntsumburun maintaining its vowel-toned accent as they also use the vowel-toned accent in speaking.

The Banda or Ntore are bilingual Bono and Ligbi speakers. Multilingualism occurs among some of them as they are able to speak Nafaanra and other Senufo languages like the Jula. There are two Ligbi varieties, the Sodan of Ivory Coast and the Ndwera of Ghana. They celebrate the Fordjour or Sun festival.

COMMON COURTESY IN NAFAANRA

HALA	MMUAYꜪ	WORD	RESPONSE
Minkiɛ?	Niyɛ fafa!	How are you?	I am fine!
Ameni mu ɛ?	Kenyɛ!	How is it?	It is fine!
Yehyiari!	Meena (female)! Meeno (male)!	Good afternoon!	Good afternoon!
Yela fuo!	Meena (female)! Meeno (male)!	Good evening!	Good evening!
Yela kɔ	Meena (female)! Meeno (male)!	Did you sleep well?	Of course!
Muka pie!		Well done!
Muja suo!	Yoo!	Thank you!	Do not mention!
Nɛɛ mu dali!		I beg you!
Muli fuo!	Meena/Meeno!	Welcome!	Thank you!

COMMON COURTESY IN NDWERA (LIGBI)

KOOMA	KUOSEGYI	WORD	RESPONSE
Abe di?	Achaa ni!	How are you?	I am fine!
Yaa kɛnɛ?	Achaa ni!	How is it?	It is fine!
Ansuma!	Maa (male)/ Nzɛɛ (female)!	Good morning!	Good morning!
Antre!	Maa (male)/ Nzɛɛ (female)!	Good afternoon!	Good afternoon!
Anuwula!	Maa (male)/ Nzɛɛ (female)!	Good evening!	Good evening!
Mefu ora!	Maa (male)/ Nzɛɛ (female)!	Greetings!	I respond!
Ani kyie!	Fuori ki ara!	Thank you!	Do not mention!
Me dari la!		I beg you!
Ani sɛ!	Maa (male)/ Nzɛɛ (female)!	Welcome!	Thank you!

Credit: Guru Ibrahim, Kokoa

ANUFO VS NDWERA:

It is quite interesting to note the striking similarities between Anufo (Guan) and Ndwera (Senufo). According to Chakosi history, they broke out from the Ndenye and followed the Mande people who gradually islamised them. When you compare the Ndwera language and the common courtesy in Ndwera to Chakosi, a pattern is established making history very realistic and factual.