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Mamprusis are an ethnic group in northern
The Kingdom spans most of the North East, Northern, Upper East and the Upper West Regions of Ghana, portions of Northern
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
and Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
. Estimates are that there are about 200,000 Mamprusis living in the Northern Regions of Ghana as of 2013, They speak Mampruli, one of the Gur languages
The Gur languages, also known as Central Gur or Mabia, belong to the Niger–Congo languages. They are spoken in the Sahelian and savanna regions of West Africa, namely: in most areas of Burkina Faso, and in south-central Mali, northeastern Iv ...
. In Ghana, the Mamprusis live mainly in Nalerigu
Nalerigu is the largest town in the East Mamprusi Municipal Assembly in the North East Region of Ghana as well as the traditional capital of the Mamprusi people, the seat of the Paramount Chief
A paramount chief is the English-language desig ...
, Gambaga
Gambaga is the capital of the East Mamprusi Municipal Assembly in the North East Region of Ghana. Once a residence of Mamprusi-kings it is still the capital of East Mamprusi Municipal Assembly, a municipality in the North East Region of Ghana. ...
, Walewale
Walewale is a town and the capital oMamprusi West Municipalin the Northeast Region of Ghana. It lies on the main road from Bolgatanga to Tamale, at the junction of the road west to Nalerigu, the capital of the newly created Northeast Region. It wa ...
, and their surrounding towns and villages in the North East Region. Their origin is in the Upper East Region, principally, Bawku
Bawku is a town and is the capital of the Bawku Municipal District, district in the Upper East region of north Ghana, adjacent to the border with Burkina Faso. Bawku has a 2012 settlement
Settlement may refer to:
*Human settlement, a community ...
, and they also inhabit parts of the Upper West Region, too.
History
The Mamprugu Kingdom is the oldest Kingdom, pre dating all others by centuries, in the territory that would afterwards be named TheGold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
, and subsequently, Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
. The Kingdom was founded around the 13th century by the Great Naa Gbanwah/Gbewah at Pusiga, a village 14 kilometres from Bawku
Bawku is a town and is the capital of the Bawku Municipal District, district in the Upper East region of north Ghana, adjacent to the border with Burkina Faso. Bawku has a 2012 settlement
Settlement may refer to:
*Human settlement, a community ...
, which is why Mamprusis revere Bawku as their ancestral home. Naa Gbanwaah's tomb is in Pusiga.
The Kingdom spans most of the North East, Northern, Upper East and the Upper West Regions of Ghana, portions of Northern Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
, and into Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...
. As a consequence, the King of Mossi, Moronaba, of Burkina Faso, to this day, symbolically, is ''enskinned'' by the Nayiri
Nairi ( classical hy, Նայիրի, ''Nayiri'', reformed: Նաիրի, ''Nairi''; , also ''Na-'i-ru'') was the Akkadian name for a region inhabited by a particular group (possibly a confederation or league) of tribal principalities in the Arme ...
– the king of Mamprugu. Thus, establishing this kingdom as the preeminent of its kind. The only kingdom in present-day Ghana whose relevance and authority cuts across national boundaries on the weight of its humble supremacy.
The name of the kingdom is ''Mamprugu'', the ethnicity is ''Mamprusi'', and the language is ''Mampruli''. Succession to a skin is hereditary. Only male direct descendants of Naa Gbanwaah are eligible.
The story of the Mamprusi monarchy traces its origin to a great warrior named Tohazie. Tohazie, means the Red Hunter. He was called the Red Hunter by his people because he was fair in complexion. Tohazie's grandson Naa Gbanwaah settled in Pusiga and established Mamprugu.
Mamprusi is the eldest of the Mõõre-Gurma (Mole—Dagbamba) ethnic group: Mamprusi, Dagomba, Nanumba, and Moshie.
Rulers
Culture
Majority of the Mamprusi people are adherents of the Islamic Faith. The Mamprusi began converting to Islam in the 17th century as a result of the influence of Dyula merchants. Traditional occupations of the Mamprusi include farming and raising livestock.References
Further reading
* * * *External links
* https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Autobiography-of-Alhaji-Mumuni-Bawumia-Launched-66530 * https://live.worldbank.org/experts/mahamudu-bawumia * http://www.africanbookscollective.com/books/a-life-in-the-political-history-of-ghana Ethnic groups in Ghana Ethnic groups in Togo {{Togo-stub