The Partition of Dagbon and the Western Togoland history

The photograph depicts Ya Na, paramount chief of Dagomba, Northern Region, Ghana, on a state visit to the Asantehene Opoku Ware II. Ya Na wears prestige cloth made of leather and fur amulets containing writings of the Koran. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Westinghouse Film and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.

The photograph depicts Ya Na, paramount chief of Dagomba, Northern Region, Ghana, on a state visit to the Asantehene Opoku Ware II. Ya Na wears prestige cloth made of leather and fur amulets containing writings of the Koran. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Westinghouse Film and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.

Western Togoland is an area in the Republic of Ghana. The area is currently divided into five geographical regions; Volta, Oti, parts of Northern, North East, and Upper East Regions. The Western Togoland includes Ho, Kpando, Hohoe, Dambai, Zabzugu, Yendi, Gusiegu, Nankpaduri, and Bawku. In fact, the Volta lake (akosombo dam) and the Adome bridge was originally part of the Western Togoland. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah deliberately took that part of the land to the Eastern region, for a strategic region. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah knew at the time of independence that, there is the likelihood that the people can break away so he deliberately divided the Western Togoland into three (3) regions; Volta, Northern, and Upper East Regions.

Anonymous

Ya Naa Alasani (1899 to 1917) upon his ascension to Yani, Ya Naa Alasani enskinned his uncle Korli Naa Bukari Narkaw to the now vacant skin of Karaga. Ya Naa Alassani also appointed his brother Kalim to Mion, deskining Mion Lana Salifu, and his uncle Bukari to Savelugu. When Yo Naa Bukari died in early 1900, Ya Naa Alassani appointed his brother Mahama to Savelugu.

These appointments are important because at that point there was no one from Andani yili on a gate skin. Therefore Andani yili could not get to Yani as the rotation system demanded. It must be noted that the appointment of chiefs to the divisional chiefdoms is left at the sole discretion of the Ya Naa and his elders. Whoever he wills are appointed.

After the ascension of Ya Naa Alasani to the skins of Yani Dagbon was partitioned into Togoland Dagbon and British Dagbon. On November 14, 1899, the colonial powers of Britain and Germany signed a convention to establish boundaries to their colonial territories.

The British Dagbon mainly consisted of Western Dagbon, stretching from around Mion (Sambu) to Tamale. Whereas Yendi, Mion (Sambu), and most Eastern Dagbon made up Togoland Dagbon, under German administration.

The partition of Dagbon created intense friction between Ya Naa Alasani on the one hand and Yani gate skins in Western Dagbon on the other. Especially, his uncle Karaga Naa Bukari Narkaw.

According to historians Germany established the Togoland protectorate in 1884, which was the year the African continent was actually demarcated.
Under German administration, the protectorate was regarded as a model colony or Musterkolonie and experienced a golden age.

During the First World War in 1914, Britain and France invaded the protectorate. After the German defeat and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the western part of Togoland became a British mandate, British Togoland.

That is, after the defeat of German in the first world war, Britain and France divided the entire Togoland into two.
The western part became the western Togoland under British administration and the eastern part, now Togo became a French colony.

After the second world war in 1945, British Togoland became a United Nations Trust Territory that was still under British administration.
In 1957, the Western Togoland voted in a plebiscite to become part of what is now Ghana. The plebiscite had an inherent clause that says that the people can opt of Ghana and become an independent state after 50 years.

After the partition of Dagbon the British administration instructed all western dagbon chiefs to sever all links and communication with Yani. In fact, when Yo Naa Mahama (chief of Savelugu and brother of Ya Naa Alasani) was found to be communicating with Ya Naa Alasani he was removed as chief of Savelugu and thrown into British jail. Karaga Naa Bukari Narkaw heeded the instruction of the British and severed all communication with Yendi.

Karaga Naa Bukari was so cooperative with the British administration that he was described as one of the most loyal chiefs in Dagbon. The partition of Dagbon saw various chiefs in Western Dagbon take advantage of the situation to advance and grow their chiefdoms. Upon the death of Mion Lana Kalim in 1911, Karaga Naa Bukari Narkaw assumed the capacity of “British Dagbon Ya Naa” and enskinned son of Ya Naa Andani II as British Mion Lana. At the same time Ya Naa Alasani appointed his son Naa Abdulai as German Mion Lana. Thus there were two chiefs for Mion.

The British Mion Lana made Kpabia the seat of Mion whiles the German Mion Lana remained in Sambu which had fallen under Germany jurisdiction.
It is narrated that just before the partition of Dagbon Gulkpe Naa (chief of Tamale) was traveling in Yendi.

He could therefore not return to Tamale for the duration of the partition. Dakpema of Tamale thus made claim as the chief of Tamale. Under this claim, Dakpema was able to convince the British to move the capital of the Northern Territories to Tamale from Gambaga.

After the removal of Yo Naa Mahama, the second son of Ya Naa Andani II, Naa Bukari, was enskinned chief of Savelugu. Other son’s of Ya Naa Andani II had also taken the skins of Sagnarigu, Tampion, Zangbalun, and Kpatinga. Thus, the Andani gate grew very powerful in Western Dagbon under the British.Ya Naa Alasani died on January 17, 1917 during the First World War and the partition of Dagbon.

In 1917, however, Togoland Dagbon was under British control. Three years earlier, in 1914, the British invaded and took Yendi without much resistance from the Germans. There was, however, uncertainty regarding the outcome of the war. The British did not, therefore, allow the enskinment of a successor to Ya Naa Alasani. The Gbon Lana of Ya Naa Alasani, Mion Lana Abdulai, served in the role of Ya Naa

In 1920, after the defeat of Germany, the British administration allowed the reunification of Dagbon and the enskinment of a successor to Ya Naa Alasani. On November 20, 1920 the Chief Commissioner of the Northern Territories (CCNT), Captain C. A. Armitage, formally invited 35 Dagbon chiefs to Tamale to reunite Dagbon and request them to select a new Ya Naa.

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