Gonja people

Gonja

Regions with significant populations
Kingdom of Dagbon, Northern region, Ghana
Languages
Gonja
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
subgroup of the Guang people

This page discusses the Ghanaian kingdom of Gonja; for uses for the word Ganja, see Ganja (disambiguation)

Gonja (also Ghanjawiyyu) was a kingdom in northern Ghana; the word can also refer to the people of this kingdom. The Gonja are a Guan people who have been influenced by Akan, Mande and Hausa people. With the fall of the Songhai Empire (c. 1600), the Mande Ngbanya clan moved south, crossing the Black Volta and founding a city at Yagbum. Under the leadership of Naba'a, the Ngbanya expanded rapidly, conquering several neighbors in the White Volta valley and beginning a profitable gold trade with the Akan states through nearby Begho. By 1675, the Gonja established a paramount chief, called the Yagbongwura, to control the kingdom. The Ngbanya dynasty has controlled this position from its founding to the present day, with only two brief interregnums. The current Yagbongwura, Yagbongwura Tuntumba Sulemana Jakpa Bore Essa, has held his position since 2010.

File:The National Archives UK - CO 1069-43-87-1-001.jpg

Gonja chiefs and elders at the Volta River project travelling exhibition(1950)

Precolonial Gonja society was stratified into castes, with a ruling class, a Muslim trader class, an animist commoner class, and a slave class. Its economy depended largely on trade in slaves from Central Africa and kola nuts, particularly through the market town of Salaga, sometimes called the "Timbuktu of the South."

The Gonja language is a Tano language within the Kwa languages family, closely related to Akan languages.

Gonja Names

No	Common Usage	Full name	Meaning
1	Achaŋso	Achaŋso ni ba bi dari	Its because of something that one is being respected
2	Achulo	Achulo	a?
3	Afiso	Bomine ewo afiso	Man proposes and God disposes
4	Amabaŋye	Amabaŋye	You can't open one's heart to say what's inside
5	Amankwa	Amankwa	a?
6	Amate	Ebore b'agbembi matie	God's paths don't close
7	Amo elema	Amo elema	They make me OR that's who I am
8	Amoma OR Allela	Allela e-moma	Its goodness or kindness that killed me
9	Aso wura	Aso wura	Property owner
10	Ataawa	Ataawa	Female twins
11	Awale	Awale	Its good
12	Awaare	Awaare	a?
13	Awalekiye	Awalekiye	Praise when its good
14	Awo n'nchƐ	Awo nchƐ ni ba nyƐnye	a?
15	Awo n'nka nne	Awo n'nka nne	Everything is everywhere - both good and bad
16	Awo omoto OR Brakumu	Awo omoto OR Brakumu	Everyone has (or brings) their luck
17	Awoshe	Awoshe	Everything has a fault, good or bad
18	Awoshie	Awoshie	it's (become) cool, peaceful, under control, etc.
19	Badow	Badow	a?
20	Bakoaso	Bakoaso	a?
21	Banemu ƐyƐ	Banemu eye ne mbia nu	Elders have said and children have heard
22	Bangben	Bangben	They will be tired OR they'll try (but fail)
23	Benyepo ƐyƐ	Benyepo ƐyƐ	It is those who know you who have said (only your friend knows your secret)
24	Bi awur'bi	Bi awur'bi	Be careful with what u do
25	Bin'ka	Bi mon ka	Don't trust completely
26	Bonyaŋso	Bonyaŋso	Respectful
27	Booma	Boomaso nnana	a?
28	BorƐ	BorƐ	Rain
29	BorƐ chie	BorƐ chie	a?
30	BorƐ ena sa	BorƐ ena sa	Its God who gives
31	BorƐ enye	BorƐ enye	a?
32	BorƐ enyi-enchi	BorƐ enyi-enchi	a?
33	BorƐ esa	BorƐ esa	God's gift
34	BorƐ masa alowe	Ebore masa alowe	God doesn't give completely (no one is created perfect)
35	BorƐ walae	BorƐ walae	God is Good
36	BorƐ wƆ	BorƐ wƆ	God's own
37	BorƐ wu	BorƐ wu	God has seen
38	B'sha anye	B'sha anye	They like us
39	Chepura	Chepura	a?
40	Daa mato	Daa mato	Character cannot be changed / thrown away
41	Dambatu	K ful dey se na ne anye ba to	We came to meet the moon
42	Dari	Dari	Twins (unisex, i.e. can be used by females or males)
43	Dariche	Dariche	a?
44	Dokilebi	Dokilebi	Literally you've sown a bad seed; Figurative - you reap what you sow
45	Ebanyepo	Ebanyepo	a?
46	Ebo ƐyƐ	Ebo ƐyƐ	It’s the room that has said
47	EdonbonƐ	EdonbonƐ	What has the enemy done? (The enemy might think they are punishing you but God has blessed u already)
48	Edonkufo	Edonkufo	Your enemy is not far
49	Ekomato	E ko ma to	No one is useless
50	Ekone oto	Eko ne oto piye nba to fo	It's happened to someone before you
51	Ekoso	Eko-so ni ba nyeti e-ko	Because of someone that we have patience for another
52	Ekumpo	Ekumpo	The Protector
53	Ekunfo	Ebore ekunfo	God the Protector
54	Elempo	Elempo	God the Mighty / the Strong One
55	EsapƆ	EsapƆ	God the Giver
56	Esa ewƆ lanto / Esa ewoeboto	Esa ewƆ lanto / Esa ewoeboto	a?
57	Etimpo	Ebore e-na eten awura keshekama	God is able to do everything / God is able / The Able One
58	EwanyƐ	Esa nƐ nyƐ, mo e na wora	He who is blessed, much is expected
59	Ewale	Ebore wale	God is Good
60	EwonyƐ	Ewo nye ma wo	a?
61	Ewunio	Ewura mo nio	Chief's mother / Queen Mother
62	Ewuntomah	Ewura mo to mah	Chief's name sake
63	Ewura	Ewura	Chief
64	Eyri modon	Eyri modon ela kulƆ	The body's enemy is sickness; Man has no emeny except disease
65	Foto	Foto	Blessed
66	Gbeadese	Kashinteng desay ne efe la ekilti	The truth is always quite
67	Gyem che	Gyem che	a?
68	GyƐma alela	Gye maashen a le la	Talk well of me
69	Jinapor	Ji ne apor bomu so	Win, and overcome them
70	Gyeowo	Gyeowo	God's cobra aims far
71	Kakore	Ebore ben nkore, ban lan n'gben	God's drums; they'll drum until they get tired
72	Kanagboŋ	Kanagboŋ	Big family
73	Kanamo	Kanamo	Which family / clan?
74	Kananmaluwe	Kananmaluwe	The family doesn't end
75	Kasha	Kasha	Love
76	Keche e-basa	Keche e-basa	It pains to be a lady
77	Kenyiti	Kenyiti	Patience
78	Keshie eko	Men ki shie eko	I don't hate anyone
79	K'fantaŋ	Ebore be k'fantaŋ	God's Leaf
80	Kginginfra	K'gin gyan fra boƆ ebo fuloŋ	A wretched house is better than none
81	Koji	Bakra ko ne k'naŋ e sha fo	Be wealthy and family would like you
82	Kowuribi	Ko wuuri bi	small chief
83	Kramoase	Kramoase	?a
84	Kurabaso	Kurabaso	?a
85	Kurayerito	Kurayerito	Be energetic
86	Lempoche	Lempoche	Abled woman
87	Lomashie	Lowu ma shen ne ba sa be gye bo mo komo	Death doesn't allow us to enjoy ourselves
88	Longefiye	Longefiye	Make yours well / Mind your own business
89	Longesai	Longe nsa a-nye	Make it well for us
90	Maaman	Maaman	a?
91	Mankpa	Mankpa	Twins (females)
92	Mankre	Mankre	When a women gets pregnant before her menses (either before the first menses, or in between pregnancies)
93	Mantenso	Mantenso	I'll not forget
94	Mapoche	Mapoche	I don't boost
95	Masa-agben	Ebore masa agben	God doesn't tire giving
96	Masape	Ebore masa n k pe	God doesn't give completely (no one is created perfectly)
97	Matuamo	Matuamo	I wouldn't be bothered
98	Nefa	Nefa	Blessing
99	Njo amonchƐ	Njo amonchƐ	I'm waiting for that day
100	Nkpamafo	Nkpa ma fo ne an gye a mo	Life is not sufficient
101	Nndefeso	Ebore de feso	God is watching (protecting) you
102	Ntoba	Nn tutu ba	My father has come (reincarnation)
103	Obosu	Obosu	a?
104	Okonfo	Ebore/enemu be kum fo	God protects you
105	Owoshie	Owoshie	Its cool, calm, peaceful, over etc.
106	Pumaya	Edon pu fa ya to	Your enemy is not far, they are right "under your legs"
107	Safo	Ebore sa fo	God has given you (God has blessed you)
108	Samafon	Samafon	Don't worry
109	Shuŋ nkpa	Shuŋ nkpa	Cry (pray) for long life
110	Techira	Techira	a?
111	Titi aka	Fo bi titi e-ka	a?
112	YƆmba	YƆmba	Go and come (reincarnation)

See also

• Rulers of the Northern state of Gonja

References

• Goody, Esther and Jack Goody. "The Circulation of Women and Children in Northern Ghana." Man, New Series. 2.2 (1967): 226-248.
• Wilks, Ivor. "Wangara, Akan and Portuguese in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries II: The Struggle for Trade." Journal of African History 23:4 (1982): 463-472.

External links

• Ethnologue entry on Gonja language
• Gonja Association of North America
• Official website of the Gonja Association of Ghana