Gonja
Encyclopedia
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 both Akan people and Mande 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 interregnum
s. The current Yagbongwura, Bawah Abudu Doshie, has held his position since 2000.
Precolonial Gonja society was stratified into caste
s, 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 nut
s, 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
.
Ganja (disambiguation)
Ganja may refer to:*A term of Sanskrit origin for cannabis *Ghanjah, a large wooden trading dhow-Places:*Ganja, Azerbaijan , a city in Azerbaijan*Gəncə, Goygol, a village in Azerbaijan*Ganzak, an ancient city in Iran...
Gonja (also Ghanjawiyyu) was a kingdom in northern Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
; the word can also refer to the people of this kingdom. The Gonja are a Guan people who have been influenced by both Akan people and Mande people. With the fall of the Songhai Empire
Songhai Empire
The Songhai Empire, also known as the Songhay Empire, was a state located in western Africa. From the early 15th to the late 16th century, Songhai was one of the largest Islamic empires in history. This empire bore the same name as its leading ethnic group, the Songhai. Its capital was the city...
(c. 1600), the Mande
Mande
Mande may refer to:* Mandé peoples of western Africa* Mande languages* Manding, a term covering a subgroup of Mande peoples, and sometimes used for one of them, Mandinka* Garo people of northeastern India and northern Bangladesh...
Ngbanya clan moved south, crossing the Black Volta
Black Volta
Black Volta or Mouhoun is a river of western Africa rising in western Burkina Faso and flowing about 1,352 km to the White Volta in Ghana. The Black Volta forms a small part of the boundary between Ghana and Ivory Coast, and also a section of border between Ghana and Burkina Faso.-See also:*Deux...
and founding a city at Yagbum
Yagbum
Yagbum was a city in what is now northern Ghana, near the Black Volta. Founded by the Ngbanya clan of Mande horsemen , Yagbum became the capital of their new Gonja kingdom.-References:...
. Under the leadership of Naba'a, the Ngbanya expanded rapidly, conquering several neighbors in the White Volta
White Volta
The White Volta, also known as the Nakambe River, is the headstream of the Volta River in West Africa. It originates in Burkina Faso and it flows into Lake Volta in Ghana. Its main tributaries are the Black Volta and the Red Volta....
valley and beginning a profitable gold trade with the Akan states
Akan people
The Akan people are an ethnic group found predominately in Ghana and The Ivory Coast. Akans are the majority in both of these countries and overall have a population of over 20 million people.The Akan speak Kwa languages-Origin and ethnogenesis:...
through nearby Begho. By 1675, the Gonja established a paramount chief
Paramount chief
A paramount chief is the highest-level traditional chief or political leader in a regional or local polity or country typically administered politically with a chief-based system. This definition is used occasionally in anthropological and archaeological theory to refer to the rulers of multiple...
, 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 interregnum
Interregnum
An interregnum is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order...
s. The current Yagbongwura, Bawah Abudu Doshie, has held his position since 2000.
Precolonial Gonja society was stratified into caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
s, with a ruling class, a Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
trader class, an animist commoner class, and a slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
class. Its economy depended largely on trade in slaves
African slave trade
Systems of servitude and slavery were common in many parts of Africa, as they were in much of the ancient world. In some African societies, the enslaved people were also indentured servants and fully integrated; in others, they were treated much worse...
from Central Africa and kola nut
Kola nut
Kola Nut is the nut of the kola tree, a genus of trees native to the tropical rainforests of Africa, classified in the family Malvaceae, subfamily Sterculioideae . It is related to the South American genus Theobroma, or cocoa...
s, particularly through the market town of Salaga
Salaga
Salaga is a city in Ghana's Northern Region and the capital of its East Gonja District.In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Salaga served as a key market town of the Ashanti kingdom, particularly for the busy regional slave trade and kola trade controlling Salaga gave the Ashanti a monopoly...
, sometimes called the "Timbuktu
Timbuktu
Timbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...
of the South."
The Gonja language
Gonja language
The Gonja language is a Kwa language spoken by an estimated 230,000 people, almost all of whom are of the Gonja ethnic group of northern Ghana. Related to Guang languages in the south of Ghana, it is spoken by about a third of the population in the northern region...
is a Tano language within the Kwa languages
Kwa languages
The Kwa languages, often specified as New Kwa, are a proposed but as-yet-undemonstrated family of languages spoken in the south-eastern part of Côte d'Ivoire, across southern Ghana, and in central Togo...
family, closely related to Akan languages
Akan languages
The Central Tano or Akan languages are languages of the Kwa language family spoken in Ghana and Ivory Coast by the Akan people*Akan language *Bia**North Bia***Anyin***Baoulé***Chakosi ***Sefwi **South Bia***Nzema...
.