EXPOSING THE FALLACIES IN THE KUSASIS’ ACCOUNT OF THE HISTORY OF BAWKU.

                              I will be using references from J.K.G Syme’s book (1932) “The Kusasis-A Short History”, T.E Hilton’s book (1962) “Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana, Vol.VI”,  Captain R.S Rattray’s book (1932) “The Tribes of the Ashanti Hinterland” and the Mamprusis perspective.

Before I continue, let me give you these three quotes by J.K.G Syme, Cpt. R.S Rattray and T.E Hilton which shows that the Bawku East area including the Bawku town weren’t founded by the Kusasis and certainly not Kusasi land.

 

Syme in his book “The Kusasis-A Short History” wrote on page 13-14 thus “When we come to consider the Agolle half of the District (Bawku East) it gradually becomes evident that it is not Kusasi country at all. Certainly in the old days a few Gbingbinga–Kusasis spread over to Sinnebaga (which was founded by Mamprusis) from Zongoiri (which was also founded by the Mamprusis) and in the North round Bawku (also founded by the Mamprusis) there were some Kusasis who had come from Yuiga.”

T.E Hilton in his book “Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana, Vol.VI” on page 82 wrote thus “The concentration of true Kusasis in Toende (Bawku West) was much more marked in the earlier years of this century than it is today. Apart from more recent Bimoba, Busanga, and Moshi immigrants, Agolle (Bawku East) was largely originally inhabited by followers of Mamprusi chiefs coming in from Gambaga, of whom the most numerous where Narambas, of Mamprusi origin but of the Dagbondurisi group rather less advanced than the other Mamprusis and great eaters of dog meat, Namnams (Nabnambas, Nabdam) tracing their origin to Frafra.”

Capt. R.S Rattray in his book “The Tribes of the Ashanti Hinterland” on page 374-375, where he was talking about the Clans of the Kusasis in the Bawku area wrote “The towns of Bindur, Bugur, Zabuk, Timpan, and Bawk also contain a number of Zuos Clansmen. Bawk (Bawku) are really Mampruse, not Kusase, being founded by the ruling class.” As you can see he categorically said Bawku was founded by the Mamprusis, no ambiguity at all.

This is by way of introduction, now let’s delve in, the first fallacy is the Kusasis trying to create the impression that, they have always being in Bawku originally and did not migrate from anywhere in to Bawku. This is a quote of what Aninchema Abugrago said, when the Chaka Orleans Foundation visited him in 2012, in the article “According to Naba Azoko II his people the Kusasis did not migrate from anywhere but belong to this area from the Red Volta to Sapelga in the North, the tributaries of the White Volta and along the Togo border.”

 

This is a fallacy because, the Kusasis migrated in to the Bawku traditional area from their ancestral homes in BIENGU, ZAWGA and YUIGA which are in present day Burkina Faso. J.K.G Syme in his book (1932) ‘The Kusasis- A Short History’ wrote “The District is bisected by the White Volta, and as already mentioned, the Red Volta forms the west boundary. The land between the two rivers is known locally as TOENDEMA (Bawku West), while that to the East of the White Volta is termed AGOLLE (Bawku East) after a local fetish hill near Bawku. TOENDEMA (Bawku West) is the part where we find the real Kusasis in greatest numbers. Before migrating southwards, they had been concentrated for many years round Yuiga, Zawga and Biengu, which places are just north of the present Anglo-French boundary. They are still thickly populated by Kusasis. It is mostly the Zawga and Biengu people whom we know in TOENDEMA (Bawku West), the few real Kusasis of longstanding in AGOLLE (Bawku East) having come from Yuiga.” As clearly stated here, the Kusasis in narrating their own history to Syme in the early 1900s even before he Aninchema Abugrago was born, said they migrated into the Bawku traditional area from their ancestral homes of BIENGU, ZAWGA & YUIGA.                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 More importantly to note here is that, when the Kusasis started to migrate from their Ancestral homes of BIENGU, ZAWGA & YUIGA in to the Bawku traditional area, there were already people of different tribes who were already living there. Notably among them was the Gumbo people who were mainly Mamprusis and were the first Mamprusis who came back from Gambaga to settle in the Bawku traditional area after their ancestor Na Tosugu the heir to Na Gbewaa left Pusiga to Gambaga after the mysterious demise of his father. 

Syme wrote in his book ‘The Kusasis-A Short History’ page 88 “The Bimba-Kusasis who inhabit Binaba, came from Biengu, near Zawgo, and are much the same as the Zawga people. They came fairly recently and settled at a place called Dagbaganga which was then inhabited by some Mamprusis.” Again in page 99 he wrote “Long before the Mamprusi chiefs we know now in Agolle (Bawku East) came, and before the Bimbas (Kusasis), and even perhaps before the other Kusasi clans came down from Widinaba, there were living at Boiya in Binaba some Mamprusis who had come from Gambaga. Boiya was then known as Gumbo and the leader of these Mamprusis was Gumbonaba.” Also, in page 87 of his book he wrote “The people of Tili are Gballi-Kusasis and therefore the same as the inhabitants of Widinaba and the Lamboya section of Zebilla. They do not own their land, however, for this belongs to the remnants of the Gumbo people (Mamprusis), most of whom migrated to Agolle (Bawku East) after family quarrels more than a hundred years ago.” The people Syme called as Gballi-Kusasis are actually Mossis who came to settle with the Kusasis at Zawga and then later crossed the hills in to Widinaba which is part of the Bawku traditional area. The name Widinaba means owner of Calvary of horses, Widi in the Mossi language means horses. On page 82 of the same book, he wrote about Zongoiri, another community in Bawku West thus “The Zongoiri people are Gbingbinga-Kusasis and as mentioned already were found by the Gballi-Kusasis on the lands of Korobaga under Widinaba, and from which they were promptly driven out. The story goes that when the Gbingbingas got down to Zongoiri the country was practically all bush except for a small settlement of Mamprusis.” So again the Mamprusis founded Zongoiri before they were later joined by the Kusasis.

Zebilla which is considered more or less the capital of Kusasis in the Bawku traditional area, was actually founded by the Talensis before the Kusasis came later from Biengu and Zawga to settle with them there. In page 81 of Syme’s book “The Kusasis-A Short History” he wrote “Mention has already been made of how the original settlers in Zebilla were two brothers named Aputoba and Abiongo from Detokko in the Talansi country (Frafra).” Also, Sapelliga which he Aninchema Abugrago mentioned has having been indigenous Kusasis is not also true because the people of Sapelliga are Bissas, some Kusasis came to stay with them there. In page 13 of Syme’s book, he wrote “The Sapelliga people are mostly of Busanga descent.”

Teshie and Tanga have always being Mamprusis till date. As I have illustrated above, these towns in the Bawku West area, where most true Kusasis can be found were founded by different tribes who were living there before the Kusasis crossed over from their ancestral homes of mainly Zawga and Biengu, and it’s afterwards that they started to move in to the Bawku East area were Bawku town itself is located.

                                 Now, we move to the Bawku East area to expose the fallacies in Aninchema Abugrago’s assertion that they the Kusasis are the indigenous people of the Bawku traditional area which comprises of Bawku East and West. I’ve already debunked that assertion within the Bawku West area, it’s now the turn of Bawku East where Bawku town itself is located, the Centre of all the chieftaincy and land dispute. Here, I’ll concentrate on the five Districts in the area, that’s Bawku central, Binduri, Garu, Tempane and Pusiga.

Syme wrote in chapter one of his book, “The Kusasis-A Short History” thus “When writing of the Kusasis one has to remember the name Kusasi is very vague when referring to the people of Agolle (Bawku East), and not always correct even in the case of Toendema (Bawku West). For it is constantly used to include people who are not true Kusasis at all. The tribe was originally quite small, and it is only in comparatively recent years that a large population has grown consisting of people known as Kusasis. Actually, a very large proportion of these people are the descendants of unions between Kusasis and imported slaves, male and female. Others are the descendants of Moshies, Grunshis, and Bimoba immagrants (to mention a few only) who have come in at different times in search of better lands than their own, and who for generations have intermarried with the Kusasis.” He added that “At the time great caravans of Hausa and Moshi traders used to make their way down to Salaga, and they were in the habit of staying a month or so at Tenkudugu to break the journey. From there horses and fine gowns used to be sent over to the Bazaberimie leader under a strong escort by the Busanga chief of Tenkudugu. Slaves would be given in exchange and brought back to Tenkudugu. The caravan owning them used them to proceed on down to Bawku, where Kusasis living under the protection of Mamprussi chief of Bawku used to come in and buy many of the slaves for cattle and cowries.” He continued “The children of the slaves bought by the Kusasis were invariably absorbed in to the tribe and known as Kusasis, and by the third generation they would all bear Kusasi facial markings.” One significant observation here is that, the Kusasis were living under the protection of the Mamprusis who hosted them when they migrated in to Bawku from their ancestral homes of Biengu, Yuiga and Zawga. The Mamprusis never maltreated them, abused them or sold them out as slaves, these are things the Mamprusis could do to them but they did not. Instead, the Mamprusis gave their daughters (Princesses) out to the Kusasis to marry and in turn married Kusasi women. This shows that the Mamprusis as a whole never looked down on their Kusasi guests but rather treated them with dignity.

Let’s start with Binduri, Tempane, Kugri and Garu, because these towns are linked together historically. Syme wrote concerning Binduri “The first chief of Binduri (Mamprusi) was Yesya, son of Na Tampouri, and he lived at Malaga a village that is now at Wokambo. Yesya brought people with him named Bamshis, who, like the Narambas who followed the first Chief of Bawku, are of Dagbondurisi descent. Now-a-days, they too have all the Kusasi characteristics, in those days Nabnambas occupied the Lands which are now divided up in to Binduri, Kugri, Wokambo and Tempane. The greatest number were to be found in parts of Tempane and in the sections of Malaga and Agiseri in the North of Wokambo.” He added “Tempane was then known as Garu and there was a Nabnamba Kpamberi in charge who was under Binduri.” Again, he wrote “Before the country we now know as Wokambo was inhabited by Bimobas the southern half of which was all bush, belonged nominally to Sinnebaga (Mamprusis), while the Northern half was occupied by chief of Binduri (Mamprusi) and his Nabnambas.” So the Nabdams who occupy Tempane came with the Mamprusi chief of Binduri. Probably later, some of their Kins joined them from Nangode area. 

Kugri and Garu which also belonged to the Binduri Mamprusis just as Tempane where first inhabited by the Mossi, majority of whom were traders from Kugpella in Burkina Faso. Syme wrote that Kugri was founded by the Nabdams but historically it was rather the Mossis mainly from Kugpella in Burkina Faso. The Nabdams were rather founders of Tempane and both the Mossis and Nabdams founded Kugri/Garu and Tempane respectively on uninhabited lands belonging to the Mamprusis of Binduri as has been illustrated above. The Mossis after settling in that area, named it Kugri which means stone in Mossi language and it was an abbreviated form of Kugpella which means white stones, the name of a town in Burkina Faso where most of the Mossis who decided to settle in Kugri came from. The Binduri chief chose one of them to collect taxes from traders passing through on his behalf. So the man chosing by the Binduri chief among the Mossis of Kugri to collect the tax was given the title “Ferragonaba”. Ferrago means tax in Mossi, hence chief tax collector. After his death, his son Agure took over and founded the Garu Township by establishing a market after the known market which was next door Tempane was now part of the German territories.

Later Tempane, Kugri and Garu became independent of Binduri and stood on their own. So, from the above facts, the first group of people to settle in the Binduri, Tempane and Garu districts/constituencies were the Mamprusis, Nabdams and Mossis respectively. The Kusasis moved in later to stay with these tribes.

                      

Now, let’s go to the Pusiga District/constituency where again we will establish that the Kusasis were not the first to settle there as a tribe, Pusiga in history was populated by the Gurma tribe. Na Gbewaa left Fada Ngurma and came to Sanga and conquered the Yangas at Sanga then chose one of them to be the Chief. He then moved towards Pusiga where he conquered the Gurmas then established his Dagbamba Kingdom. His Kingdom was made up of himself as the king, his immediate family, the Hausas, Yangas and the Gurmas. After he disappeared in to the soil, his children moved out of Pusiga to found their own Kingdoms. Before they moved, the eldest son then Tosugu (the founder of Mamprugu Kingdom) chose one of their fellow Dagbamba to stay and take care of his father’s shrine and Pusiga, he was given the title Tingurnaba which means care taker of the land. He Tosugu went on to Gambaga and found the Mamprugu Kingdom, his brother Sitobu found the Dagomba Kingdom, their younger brother Mantambo found the Nanumba Kingdom and their sister Princess Yinnega married a man of the Mande tribe and gave birth to a son named Wedrago, who later founded the Mossi kingdom all this while, the Kusasi tribe wasn’t birthed yet. In page 48 of his book, “The Kusasi-A Short History” Syme wrote “Bungwa (Na Gbewaa shrine) is always placated by a semi-divine person, appointed by the Na of Mamprugu (Na Yiri) and known as Pusiganaba. He always has to be a very old man, never touch the ground with his uncovered feet and never have anything to do with women.” Syme added that “When the chief (Mamprusi) of Bawku was established (1721), he was made partly responsible for the welfare of the fetish. On the death of Pusiganaba the Pusiga people come and inform him at once and he is required to proceed to Pusiga immediately and take charge.” The founder of the Mamprusi Kingdom, Tosugu lived in Pusiga (14km from Bawku town) as a royal of Pusiga and was the heir to his father’s (Na Gbewaa) Kingdom as he was the eldest son during the mysterious demise of his father but had to leave Pusiga with his siblings to found their own Kingdoms which are an extension of their father’s Dagbamba Kingdom due to circumstances surrounding his demise and subsequent calamities befalling the land. So the land Pusiga was inhabited by Gurmas, Yangas, some Bissas and the Dagbamba tribe of Na Gbewaa, the Kusasis came there in later years not as a conquering army like the Dagbambas of Na Gbewaa, and they were not also traders like the Hausas and the Mossis and some of the Dagbambas but rather, their interest was farming. 

                          

 Now we delve in to Bawku town itself which is the source of all this controversy, and needless conflict on chieftaincy and land ownership. On page 53 of his book “The Kusasi-A Short History”, Syme wrote “The first chief of Bawku was Ali son of Na Atabia of Mamprussi who was probably one of the most outstanding figures who ever ruled at Nalerigu. The chiefs of Sinnebaga and Binduri had been established a short time before Ali, but all three were quite independent of each other.” These Mamprusi settlements/towns were established on uninhabited lands on the trade routes between Gambaga which was the capital of Mamprugu and Tenkudugu in present day Burkina Faso. They started as garrisons/military camps before growing in to big settlements or towns as migrants and people of other tribes came to join the Mamprusis. These Mamprusi towns (Sinnebaga, Binduri and Bawku) were set there by the Na Yiri to secure, protect and escort the traders/travelers who ply those routes from bandits/robbers. 

The Kusasis told Syme in page 53 of his book that [when the Mamprusis were coming to Bawku, they spent the night at a village called Sapelliga near Bawku, next day, they advanced to Bawku via Zorse and were opposed by people (Kusasis) from the section of Bawkzua. The people (Kusasis) of Tusungu section, however, came to the help of the Mamprusis and the men (Kusasis) of Bawkzua were overthrown.] This assertion of theirs is not true because it’s a mixture of events that took place long after the Mamprusis first came to Bawku, in fact, during the time of the 5th Bawkunaba, Na Sateem Mahama.

FACT 1: The three Mamprusi garrisons (SINNEBAGA, BINDURI and Bawku) were established/founded by Na Atabea the 10th Na Yiri, King of Mamprugu, to secure the trade routes between Gambaga and Tenkudugu in Burkina Faso. These three Military garrisons were set up on uninhabited lands, to escort and protect travelers along those routes from Bandits and robbers. So they taxed and took road tolls from these travelers in exchange for their security. All three towns can be found in the Bawku East area.

FACT 2: Some of the Bissas in Bitou and Yarigungu used to raid and rob travelers plying the route of the once uninhabited land called Bawku. So they couldn’t have been any Kusasi settlement there because it’ll hinder the operations of the Bissa raiders and they won’t allow such a thing to happen without a fight. It had to take three Mamprusi army/warrior groups (Gumbo, Sinnebaga and Binduri) to serve as an advance party to provide cover for Na Ali and his warriors from the Bissa warriors to enter the area now called Bawku. The Kusasis in history where never warriors or fighters and could never fight or defeat the Bissas who were known fighters/warriors and there is nowhere in history that the Kusasis ever fought the Bissas in the area now called Bawku. It was later on that some Kusasis came to Bawku and they were welcomed and giving a place to stay which included the suburb of Tensungu and therefore came under the protection of the Mamprusis. Syme wrote in chapter one of his book “The caravan owning them (the slaves) used to proceed on down to Bawku, where Kusasis were living under the protection of Mamprussi chief of Bawku used to come in and buy many of the slaves for cattle and cowries.” Not only the Kusasis but the Hausas and Mossis who came to settle in Bawku after they were attacked by the Bissas at Yarigungu also came under the protection of the Mamprusis.

FACT 3: The incident that the Kusasis narrated to J.K.G Syme about the first coming of the Mamprusis, saying that the Mamprusis spent the night at Zorse and when they proceeded to Bawku the next day, they were opposed by the Kusasis at Bawkuzua and it had to take the intervention of the Kusasis at Tensungu a surburb of Bawku to come to the aid of the Mamprusis actually happened during the time of Na Sateem the 5th Bawkunaba and it wasn’t the Kusasis of Bawkzua who opposed his coming back to Bawku after his enskinment at Nalerigu but rather the Bissas who he was hard on during his time as the regent after his Father Na Mahamadu was killed by his fellow Mamprusi brother because of the chieftaincy. Na Sateem had information that the Bissas where planning an attack on him on his arrival at Bawku, so he detoured to Zorse and spent the night with his Kusasi allies there, the following day, he marched to Bawku with his warriors and defeated the Bissas with the help of his Kusasi allies. And this incident happened almost a 100yrs after the Mamprusis came to Bawku. When the Mamprusi first came to Bawku in the early 1700s as stated above, the land was uninhabited, there was nothing like Tensungu or Bawkzua, actually, the Bawkzua lands were all controlled by the Mamprusis who founded Binduri before Bawku itself was founded later.

FACT 4: T.E Hilton in his book, “Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana, Notes on the History of the Kusasi” wrote on page 82 “The concentration of true Kusasis in Toende (Bawku West) was much more marked in the earlier years of this century than it is today. Apart from recent Bimoba, Busanga and Moshi immigrants, Agolle (Bawku East) was largely originally inhabited by followers of Mamprusi chiefs coming in from Gambaga, of whom the most numerous were Narambas, of Mamprusi origin but of the Dagbondurisi group, rather less advanced than the other Mamprusis and great eaters of dog meat, and Namnams (Nabnambas, Nabdams) tracing their origin to Frafra. Only in the nineteen-twenties and after was the name Kusasi applied to the mixture of slaves, immigrants and true Kusasis making up the population.” He continued on page 83 about the Mamprusis “About 1820 Bawku had about five compounds with also a few followers in Zawse, Yaragungu, Tampielim, Palagu, Palawegga, Sapelliga, Nyokko and Bawkuzua sections.”

J.K.G Syme also wrote on page 4 of his book “The Kusasis-A Short History” that “Before the time of the Bazaberimies in the Grunshi country, when Mahama (Sateem) was chief of Bawku (about 1820) the town of Bawku had about five large compounds. Certainly he had a few followers in the sections of Zorse, Yaragungu, Tampielim, Pwalugu, Palweyga, Sapelliga, Nyokko, Bawkzua and perhaps one or two others, but the rest of the present day section were bush.” As can be seen from the write-up of these two historians, around the early 1800s, Bawku town had only five large compounds and all these compounds belonged to the Mamprusis who settled there first and named the place Bawku.

As you can clearly see, in mentioning the other settlements around Bawku which were not Mamprusis, in the late 1700s, both T.E Hilton and J.K.G Syme mentioned Zorse and Bawkzua sections but did not mention the Tensungu section, this is because, by then the Tensungu was still uninhabited. It was later that the Asuma family who were living in between Gozeesi and Zabugu where giving that place by the Bawkunaba then to stay, they liked the place and called it Teng Sung in Kusaal which means good land. So if Tensungu didn’t exists in the late 1700s, how then Kusasis can say that, when the Mamprusis first came back to Bawku in between the late 1600s and early 1700s, it was the Tensungu people (Kusasis) who told the Bawkzua people (Kusasis) to allow the Mamprusi through in to their present settlement.?

                      

Another false claim that is being bundled around by the Kusasis is that, they the Kusasis were being persecuted and captured to be sold as slaves in Bawku by the Bissas, so they send a delegation to the Na Yiri, the Mamprugu king at Gambaga for help against the Bissa banditry. So that was how Mamprusis came to settle in Bawku, this again is twisting of historical facts to suit their false agenda of being the owners of Bawku. The facts are that, after Na Mahama Sateem, the 5th Bawkunaba was killed by the Bissas in the early 1800, that’s almost a 100yrs after the Mamprusi came to Bawku, the Bissas started molesting, and taxing the Kusasis living around Bawku and selling some of them as slaves, so they regretted for conspiring with the Bissas to Kill the Bawkunaba because he levied them a yearly tax for offering them land to live. Syme wrote in his book on page 58 thus “The eldest son of the dead Sateem, Bako, had taken to travelling about with Hausa traders, and one day many years later, his journeying’s brought him back to Bawku where he was recognized in the market by some Kusasis. At first, Bako refused to admit his identity, but when they persisted, saying how they were oppressed by the Busangas, and how glad they should be if he returned to be their chief, he gave in and said he will return to Nalerigu and see the Na about it. He did so and was made chief. On his return to Bawku, the Busangas attacked again but a good crowd rallied round Bako and he drove them off with heavy losses since which they have never again attacked Agolle.” As you can see, this happened after Bissas killed the Na Sateem, the 5th Bawkunaba and not when Mamprusis first came to settle on the uninhabited land and named it Bawku. Also, the Mamprusis were already preparing to take back Bawku but it happened faster and earlier due to the support of the Kusasis staying around Bawku. After the Mamprusis were driving out of Bawku by the Bissas, their dwellings and land were left unoccupied till they came back and defeated the Bissas once and for all.

                      

 Another bigger false claim being bundled by the Kusasis is that, it was the British colonialist who brought the Mamprusis to Bawku to become Chiefs because they the Kusasis didn’t have chiefs like the Mamprusis did in Gambaga and so it would’ve been difficult for the British to rule them due to lack of them having a central figure like a Chief. The facts are that, on page 60 of Syme’s book “The Kusasis-A Short History” he wrote “Mahama (the 8th Bawkunaba) and his young brother Zongbweogo (the 9th Bawkunaba) accompanied Mamboda (the 7th Bawkunaba) from Bulkwere as children. Mahama only ruled a few years and was succeeded by his brother Zongbweogo. It was in Mahama’s time, however, that the British first settled at Gambaga, and it was at Mahama’s house that the Union Jack was first hoisted.” As clearly stated, it was during the 8th Bawkunaba’s reign, Na Mahama II that the British came to Bawku in 1907 and hoisted the Union Jack which is the British flag at his palace. The British therefore arrived in Bawku about two centuries (200yrs) after it was founded and ruled by the Mamprusis. 

Last but not the least, Captain R.S. Rattray in his book, “The Tribes of the Ashanti Hinterland” on page 374-375 when talking about Kusasi clans in the Bawku area, wrote “The towns of Bindur, Bugur, Zabuk, Timpan, and Bawk’ also contain a number of Zuos clansmen. Bawk (Bawku) are really Mampruse, not Kusase, being founded by the ruling class.” So here the historian, Captain R.S Rattray categorically stated without any ambiguity that Bawku was founded by the Mamprusis.

T.E. Hilton in his book, “Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana Vol. VI” on page 85-86 wrote “Immigration, especially of Busangas and Bimobas in to Border cantons, continued and still does so, whilst Bawku continued to grow. It has preserved its mixed and stranger character throughout. In 1935-36, its list of 662 taxable males included only 20 Kusasis and 114 Mamprusis. 60 percent were Moshi and Hausa, and these in 1940 formed a majority of elected members on the town council.” The number of taxable Mamprusi males would’ve being greater than 114 had it not being for the exodus of some Mamprusi families from Bawku to Gumyoko due to Chieftaincy disputes during the reign of Na Mahamaduee, the 4th Bawkunaba, also some of the Mamprusis who fled Bawku to Bulkwere after the Bissas attacked and killed Na Sateem, the 5th Bawkunaba did not return back.

As has been clearly demonstrated above, the Kusasi mantra that Bawku town and the Bawku traditional area belongs to them, claiming they’re the majority in the area and there by coining a new word recently, Kusaug Kingdom/Kusaug traditional area to mean the six administrative districts in the Bawku traditional area is nothing but a mirage, an absurdity and a deliberate effort to re write and twist the history of the Bawku traditional area to their benefit. 

These are the incontrovertible facts of the history of the Bawku traditional area that was narrated to the British Colonial District Commissioner, J.K.G Syme by the Kusasis themselves in the early 1900s when the British came to Bawku;

1. The Bawku West District where the Kusasis first came to from their ancestral homes of Biengu, Zawga and Yuiga at the other side of the French territory and where currently most true blooded Kusasis can be found was already being inhabited by the Mamprusis, Talensis, Bissas and the Mossis. E.g. Binaba was inhabited and founded by the Gumbo Mamprusis

                     Zebilla founded by the two Talansi brothers Aputoba and Abiongo

                     Tanga founded and inhabited by the Mamprusis

                     Teshie founded and inhabited by the Mamprusis

                     Zongoiri founded by the Mamprusis

                     Tilli founded by the Mamprusis

                     Widinaba founded by the Mossis

                     Sapelliga founded by the Bissas

Some of these tribes at this particular towns now regard themselves as Kusasis, hence the false majority that the Kusasis have been touting for so long.

2. The Binduri town and Gumyoko in the Binduri District were founded by Mamprusis. Mamprusis are the owners of those lands. The Gumyoko Mamprusis moved from Bawku to settle there due to chieftaincy succession disputes among the Mamprusis themselves during the reign of Na Mahamadu, the 4th Bawkunaba. As for the Binduri Mamprusis, they came earlier and founded that place before the Bawku Mamprusis came and founded Bawku.

3. Kugri and Garu in the Garu District were founded by Mossis from Kugpella on uninhabited lands that belonged to the Mamprusis of Binduri. So the Kugri and Garu people are mainly Mossis and not Kusasis. It was Agure the son of the first ‘Ferragonaba’, the chief tax collector of Kugri who founded the Garu town. The Kugri chief reported and took taxes from travelers on behalf of the Mamprusi Binduri chief until he later became independent of him.

4. Tempane in the Tempane district was founded by the Nabdams on uninhabited land that also belonged to the Mamprusis of Binduri. So their leader, Nabdam Kpamberi reported and was under the Mamprusi Binduri chief until they became independent of Binduri. Worikambo also in the Tempane District was founded and inhabited by Mamprusis, they own the lands of Worikambo, and they were later joined by the Bimobas.

5. Pusiga in the Pusiga District was inhabited by the Gurma people with some few Bissas around before Na Gbewaa came and conquered them then established his powerful ancient Kingdom known as the Dagbamba Kingdom, which later disintegrated into the Mamprusi, Dagomba, Nanumba and Mossi Kingdoms. So the Pusiga people are not Kusasis, it was later years that Kusasis migrated there in search of farmlands.

6. Lastly, the Bawku Municipality was also founded and inhabited by the Mamprusis in the late 1600 to the early 1700. The land was uninhabited when the Mamprusis arrived to secure it for the traders and travelers who ply that route from Gambaga to Tenkudugu in Burkina Faso. The Mamprusis named the place Bawku, meaning a valley or depression. Later on the Kusasis, Hausas, Mossis and the other tribes came to settle with the Mamprusis there, and therefore came under the protection of the Mamprusi Chief and his people. That’s why the area in which the Mamprusis stay in Bawku is called Natinga meaning the Chiefs suburb and also the numbering of houses in Bawku started at Natinga.

As I have illustrated above, there is nothing like Kusaug or Kusaug Kingdom in the Bawku traditional area. If Kusaug means an association of Kusasis in the Bawku traditional area, fair enough but to call the Bawku traditional area Kusaug Kingdom or the Bawku land Kussaug will be an absurdity and a colossal fallacy at that.  Because, the Bawku traditional area was already inhabited by the Mamprusis, Talansis, Nabdams, Mossis, Bissas, Gurmas and Yangas before the Kusasis migrated in to the area, and again most of the known big towns in the area as illustrated above were founded by tribes other than the Kusasis.

It is just sad how the Kusasis are trying to the claim ownership of the Bawku traditional area by calling it Kusaug Kingdom or Kusaug land. The simple definition of Kingdom is a country, state, or territory ruled by a King or queen. 

Firstly, the Bawkunaba position is a Paramountcy and not a Kingship, the Bawkunaba plus some Mamprusi Chiefdoms in the Bawku area e.g Binduri, Worikambo, Pusiga, Sinnebaga, Gumbo, Tanga and Teshie have always being enskined by the King of Mamprugu, the Na Yiri before the British came to the North, they were all canton chiefs. It was in 1932 through a vote by the other Chiefs that the Bawkunaba was elevated to a paramountcy, meaning he was the only one the Na Yiri will enskin and he will then enskin the other canton Chiefs.

Secondly, there is nowhere in history that the Kusasis had a Kingdom, they didn’t have chiefs let alone a central figure of authority as a King. It was the British colonialist who came and made them Chiefs in their few settlements in the Bawku traditional area. The Kusasis are an acephalous tribe meaning they don’t have a central head hence nothing like a Kingdom.

Thirdly, the Kingdoms that are there today were not just formed recently but are ancient Kingdoms mostly born out of strife, invasions, wars and conquest. The Kusasis in their history were never a warring people or warriors, their main focus was agriculture.

The Mamprugu Kingdom is one of the powerful ancient Kingdoms, it was founded by Na Tosugu the eldest son of Na Gbewaa after his mysterious demise. The Kingdom is the biggest in Northern Ghana and expands in to Togo and Burkina Faso. Any land that the Na Yiri has traditional authority over and enkins a Chief, that land or town or locality is under Mamprugu. So most of the lands in the Upper East Region are under the Mamprugu Kingdom, Bawku included. The Na Yiri has always being the one who enskins the Bawkunaba since 1721, so any Bawkunaba who hasn’t being enskined by the Na Yiri according to customs and traditions that have been established since 1721 is not Bawkunaba and is occupying the throne illegally.

Apart from Bawku, these are the other towns in the Upper East Region that the Na Yiri has traditional control over and enskins the chief for the people of that area;

The Chief of Bolga is always enskined by the King of Mamprugu

The Chief of Tongo is always enskined by the King of Mamprugu

The Chief of Bongo is always enskined by the King Mamprugu

The Chief of Nangode is always enskined by the King of Mamprugu

The Chief of Sakote is always enskined by King of Mamprugu

And so is the paramount Chief of the Bawku traditional area, all these Chiefs are traditionally part of Mamprugu, it has been so up till today and will be so forever because these are established traditions and customs.

In Burkina Faso, the Na Yiri enskins the paramount chief of Sanga.

In Togo, the Na Yiri enskins the paramount chief of Timbu.

Both Sanga and Timbu in Burkina Faso and Togo respectively are traditionally under Mamprugu Kingdom.

Long before the white man came to Northern Ghana, the Na Yiri was enskining Chiefs in the Bawku traditional area which was called Zotinga. The settlements/towns in which the King of Mamprugu, the Na Yiri enskined Chiefs before the arrival of the white colonialist included Bawkunaba, Bindurnaba, Worikambonaba, Tanganaba, Teshienaba and of course the care taker of Pusiga.

Also, the Bimba Kusasis of Biengu also had Tindana who took his Tindanship from the Na Yiri by way of spiritual fortifications and giving the title Kalensinaba to see to the well-being of his Kusasi kin. His name was Agbida his father called Araam was a Biengu Kusasi whiles his mother was a Mamprusi, daughter of a relative of the Gumbonaa who used to occupy the Binaba area which was called Dagbanga.

Again when some Zawga Kusasis (Agilbiss) migrated with their fetish called Kusanaba, in to the Bawku traditional area, they came to Dagbanga which was founded by the Gumbo Mamprusis, they were giving a land around Kameaga to settle and they named it Kusanaba, the name of their fetish leader. After which Kusanaba went to the Na Yiri to establish his Tindanship with spiritual fortifications and recognition as the Tindana of Kusanaba. After the British came and needed chiefs in the area for their business, Kusanaba went to the Na Yiri to be enskined as a Chief, he went from being a Tindana to a Chief and it was the Na Yiri who enskined him as a Chief just as he made him the Tindana of that area in the past.

Also, some of the Biengu Kusasis (Bimbas) moved in to the Bawku traditional area and settled at Boiya (Gumbo) with the remnants of the Mamprusis who stayed back whiles their other kinsmen moved to the Bawku East area. The leader of these Kusasis also went to Nalerigu for the Na Yiri to recognize him as the Tindana of Gumbo and was subsequently given the title Gumbonaba. He also later went to the Na Yiri to be enskined as a Chief of Gumbo which later became known as Binaba (Bieng-Naba). He also went from being a Tindana to a Chief by the Na Yiri who first made him a Tindana.

Syme wrote in his book on page 18 and 19, about the Kusasis thus, “Chiefs as we know them now did not exist, and what authority there was, was vested in the head of each family. The priestly class known as Tindanas (Landmasters) had authority in so far as the welfare of the land and the crops were concerned, but they had no judicial functions whatsoever. Three at least of these Tindanas were very important people in the old days. They were Gumbonaba, Kusanaba and Kalensinaba.” He continued in another sentence “That apparently is what Gumbonaba, Kusanaba and Kalensinaba did. Each had powerful fetishes, and at some time the soothsayers had indicated that, their fetishes required recognition by the Na of Mamprusi (Na Yiri).” 

So the question now is why is it that these three Kusasi Chief priests went to the Na Yiri to be recognized and made Tindanas of their fellow Kusasis? The answer is simple, as I stated earlier, the first Kalensinaba of Biengu was Agbida a Bimba Kusasi whose mother was a Mamprusi princess of Gumbo. So he went to the Na Yiri for spiritual fortifications as a Tindana and giving the title Kalensinaba. With regards to Kusanaba who was an Algilbiss Kusasi from Zawga, he migrated with some of his fellow Kusasis in to the Gumbo (Mamprusi) lands and settled at an uninhabited land near Kameaga which belonged to the Gumbo Mamprusis and by extension the authority of the Na Yiri. So he needed the recognition and blessing of the Na Yiri to become Tindana there, it is the same situation with the Gumbonaba who moved with some of his fellow Bimba Kusasis from Biengu in to Boiya (Gumbo) and settled with the remnants of the Gumbo Mamprusis who stayed back. So he also needed the recognition of the Na Yiri to establish his Tindanship in the land of the Na Yiri. 

So, it is clear that, even before the Kusasis migrated from their ancestral homes of Biengu, Zawga and Yuiga in to the Bawku traditional area, they had some relationship with the Mamprusis and accorded respect to the Na Yiri, that’s why they later moved in to the Mamprusi lands to settle without any problems and went to the Na Yiri to be recognized as Tindanas and later as Chiefs.

Abdul-Aziz Imoro

Grandson of Na Saa Wuni, 12th Bawkunaba (1951-1956)