THE ORIGIN AND MIGRATION OF THE MOLE-DAGBANI PEOPLE

 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐋𝐄-𝐃𝐀𝐆𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐈

The Mole-Dagbani state is made up of four sub-distinct but related groups that occupy the Northern and the Savanna zones in the Northern part of modern Ghana and part of Burkina Faso.  

The Mole-Dagbani is made up of the 𝑴𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒊, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒂𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒂, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒎𝒃𝒂 and the 𝑴𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊 𝒐𝒇 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝑭𝒂𝒔𝒐who consider themselves brothers. 

According to the oral history of the people which is well preserved and recited by state drummers during the Damba festival, the Mole-Dagbani migrated from the East of Lake of Lake Chad. They made a brief stop at Zamfara in modern Nigeria and moved southwards to Mali where they assisted the king of Mali in his wars of conquest before they arrived in their present home. 

The Mole-Dagbani were led by a brave warrior called 𝑻𝒐𝒉𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒆 “𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒅 𝑯𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓” who died in Mali. In Ghana, under their leader, 𝑵𝒂𝒂 𝑮𝒃𝒆𝒘𝒂/𝑩𝒂𝒘𝒂,  the grandson of Tohazie, they settled at Pusiga and waged wars of expansion against the early settlers. They conquered Fada N’gurma to the North, Gambaga to the South and Sansane Mango to the East. Bawa gave birth to eight (8) children. Per the traditions of the Mole-Dagbani, the oldest child, 𝒀𝒂𝒎𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊 should have succeeded the Bawa but could not because she was a woman. The throne was thus passed on to 𝒁𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒆, the second born who ruled for a brief period before he died. 

After the death of Zirile, 𝐓𝐨𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐮 was supposed to have been the rightful heir to the Zirile but his authority was challenged by his two younger brothers; 𝑺𝒊𝒕𝒐𝒃𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒖. Civil war broke out between Tohugu on one side and Sitobu and Mantambu on the other side. Tohugu was defeated and fled southwards to Gambaga and then eastwards to Mamprugu. Tohugu later returned to Gambaga and founded the Mamprugu kingdom. His people took the name Mamprusi with “𝑵𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒓𝒊” as the title of the paramount king. 

Meanwhile, after the civil war had ended and Tohugu chased out, Sitobu and his supporters fled southwards and founded the Dagomba kingdom. He assumed the title “𝐘𝐚 𝐧𝐚”meaning ‘power chief’. Mantambu also went further south and founded the Nanumba kingdom. All the kingdoms regard Mamprugu as the parent kingdom and Gambaga as the spiritual home.  

Picture: 𝐍𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐫𝐢 𝐁𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐮 𝐌𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐢 𝐀𝐛𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐢 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐚, the Overlord of the mamprusi