RESEARCH 

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A N A NA  SfiR

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The  A N A NA  shrine  is  one  of  $<-\erai  shriner.  located  at  Big
Ada,  capital  (own  of  ih«  Ado  T radii tonal  A era  of  Soul-hern  Ghana.
If  houses  what  is  claimed  in  i,e  c; *m  ;.|u<l doting  hock  to  the  founding
of  the  town-  Aifhougb  the-  kiripuaije  indigenous  to  the- area  is Adangrnef
devotees  ot  this  shrine  (nofob'y  i',e  women  devotees)  speak  a  special
A N A NA  language  which  they  claim  was  Imported  alongside  tho  shrine.
";}>  pbenomp-'on  for  study,  -^pc-ciaN)'
r*•"»*t- appeanH  n»i  intcrpst<»
since  there  appears  fu !ta--
r,o  -'onstant  renewal  v<f coniiection  with
i*he origlno!  'n,m--x ol' inc  shn
«nd  &ir\ct*  K-1'5  A N A NA  language  appears
to be spoken by  on!/  a sine.I1
up  ol  prooio  k-  none  of  whom  51 is  a  first
language,

The asm ->f t!-is  stucV,,  vvSiirh  <i iliii  Jn progress,  is to establish
ihe OfgaiiisorioN and  fLhetior.s  :..* the '.hrlne os a background  to a lingu~
''or,  ft-like  flic*  YEVc  cult  whose numerous
istic  study of  fhh groi'"?. 
devotees  in  many  focatics  spt-ok  a special  language  of  the  culr#  the
ANANA  language  is hi  fhc* norcre  " fa  linguistic  island^  surrounded
entirely  by an  Aant)f;.t(;.--!;t>oti!'.'iv-ii  community and, on a  preliminary
analysis,,  M..;orpot'ot>i..j  r
it  \YK i"iac.i  *'•=-!•>*<.r  for  the  io:'
w i ll  evet'irufjiiy  fp-vv.o "tro,i> *u
of  the orcc. „  7;u-  irivcst'gotiork
hactgrnvid  of" ih-:- sh»
has been colft-cred  os well  bur
this  ztaqe,

'':f5><istic  Sinks with  'in  environment  in which
i«iw  hundred years. 
It  is hoped that  facts
f  chicly to  il!i.;minate  the  rather dim history
has ^o far  covered  the  historical  and
ine;  some inforroafion  of a  iinguistic  nature

hi 

i-e extensively  reported on here af

Di ,  CO.

•a ;<\-->»-<!:.• *' 

:t-*l.:;w  In 

l i n g u i s t i c s.

RESEARCH  REPORTS

92.

The vhrme  has been claimed  to be the abode of a war  deity.

This deity  is said  to have gone  to all  the wars  In which  Adas hove
been  Involved,,  but  no precise  Information  could be elicited  on w^'.-.h
was i'-*-  • fiist  v'-'-ir on the  list,  or on how  many wars there were, 
in
(.:;;.,iirost,  iniormation was available  on who  imported  the war god.
It  was one  NATEKI  who bought  it  for  the protection  of  her  children
in  days when wars were very  rife.  There  is a male deity  called  SOVI
and a female deity  called  ANANA,  The two were originally  jointly
housed but,  during  the  time  of a  District  Commissioner  called  Caulley,
the government  decided  to  construct  a street  which  had to split  the
shrines and,  (in  their  words)  "since no one stands  in  the way of  Govern-
men;'",  'hey  had to  content  themselves with  the  performance  of various
customary  rites and they  let  the street  through.  ANANA  is now on the
western side of  the main straet  of  Big Ada and  SOVI  is on  the eastern
side.  ANANA,,  the  female deity,  possesses only women.

NATEKI,  the  first  priestess,  was succeeded by  her children.

The successors  included  ASUMlA,  ALORGBE,  KPENTEY and BORYOR.
Priestesses have  to be  trained  for a period  of seven years,  during which
they are  Instructed  in various  rites and customs, and also  in  the  ANANA
language.  There  Is matter  of  pedagogical  interest  here which will  later
be  Investigated  further;  how  instruction  in a  language with  such a
restricted  number of speakers and set  in  a wider  (foreign)  linguistic
community  gets  transmitted,  so that  a trainee  emerges with  full  control
of  its  linguistic  structures and systems. 
It  is alleged  that  the  training  is
quite  rigorous and that  Is why  if- has such high  efficacy.

The  incumbent  priestees  tended  to be reticent  when asked about

how  much  It  cost to  train  her,  what taboos and regulations she had to
observe and how old she was when sf^e first got  possessed.  On  costs she
said they  were borne by  her  parents who are both dead;  on  the other
issues,  she merely said she  "could not know  to  tell".  But she did say
she finished  her training  before  the great  earthquake  (of  1939).

RESEARCH  REPORTS 

93.

In  these  times  of  comparative  peace,  the  shrine  performs  many
beneficient  functions.  Fishermen,  farmers  and  members  of  other  occu-
pational  groups  come  and  ask  for  libations  to  be  poured  so that  their
work  may  prosper.  They  usually  promise  a  thanks-offering  in  a n t i c i-
pation  of  the  fulfilment  of  their  desires,  and  they  are  said  to  come
voluntarily  later  to  give  these  thanks-offerings.  Women  who  lose
successive  babies  are  also said  to  approach  the  shrine  for  help,  and
they  get  satisfaction.  The  priestess  insisted that  what  she did was
merely  to  pour  libation,  and  that  libation  was no cure.  She disowned
any  powers  for  curing  physical  ailments,  but was quite  emphatic  about
the  efficacy  of  ANANA  in  its  chosen  fields  of  activity.

There  Is an  ANANA  proverb  in  Eve which  proclaims  the
superiority  of  the  power  of  A N A NA  over  that  of  the  YEVE  cult:
E  dzo  A^bee  ( I . e.  YEVE),  se  me  dzo  Anana  o. 
of  this belief  and  in answer  to  the  question as to whether  ANANA  has
won any  converts  from  Christianity,  the  priestess maintained  that no
Christian  can  lay  claim  to a  spirit  as strong as that  of  ANANA  and
that  when  the  latter  set out  to  capture  a  Christian,  the  subject's
Christian  spirit  or  faith  would  desert  him at  once.

In  affirmation

Regular  rites are  performed at  the grove  every  Sunday morning.
These  involve  the  sweeping  and  fumigating  of  the grove,  and the  offer
of any  sacrifices  by any  devotees  so minded.  The ceremonies begin at
about  six  in  the  morning and  last  for about  four  hours.  Cloth  only  may
be  worn  on entering  the  grove,  and  the  shoulders must be bared.
Also,  no  footwear  may be worn  in  the  grove.  Women devotees
decorate  themselves  by  smearing a  brown  clay-like  substance  called
turn on their  shoulders,  arms and  feet,  with  little  white  clay  (ayHo)
circles  dotted  all  over  the  same parts of  the body.  The devotees sit
facing  interviewers,  with  the  men grouped on the  left  (of  the  Inter-
viewers)  and the  women on the  right.  The  latter  out-number  the men
and are  on  the  whole  more active  in the  proceedings.

<

'

RESEARCH  REPORTS 

94,

The demaods made on prospective  interviewers are  quite
elaborate.  The training  period  for  priestesses was stated  earlier
to  be seven years.  The number seven figures prominently  »n ih<t-
requirements  for granting  Interviews.  There  is a charge of  thirty"
six  shillings  (i.e.  three  new cedis and sixty  new  pesewas) times 
seven,,  seven white  fow!s?  seven kukus  (i.e.  double yards) of white 
calico,  seven pieces of white  clay  and seven pieces of  rum,n brown
clay-!Ike  substance. 
In addition  customary drinks have  to be provt<fed
as well,  and there  is an  insistence  that- these should be  imported drt.-ks
since  the  god  "does not know"  the newly  blended  Focal drinks.

Devotees were  InIt«c?f I-,' vet/  roue by about granting  fVrfi-er
interviews;  they  express**'.! fhe-r disappointment  at  not  seeing  v^c;
use was made of  oailier  interviews  ond of  pictures taken of them.
They singied  out  the  tafe  Mr.  Divine  Puplampu as one who ds-sappc*
them rnosty  and were anxious fa* an assurance  that  the  results of  f-ie
current  investigation  shou'd see the  light  of  day.

A  brief  word of  conclusion  or> the  linguistic  a-ipe-rf  of  whet ^o»
been  elicited  so for.  M has been  noted that" women devotees were tWi
main  speakers of  the  tanauage. 
In  the  course of  three  Hteivisws o"e-"
0  period of  five  weeksr  only  once v/as a male devotee  (the cr.e  ',s,vj.~
dentally  acted as linguist  or  ©kyecme for  the proceedings)  beard to
speak  the  ANANA  language, "TKeother  male  devotee  con far? ^rJ  •'::%':
they  understood only  a  few v^ords, but  *ho\ they  had no fiuer c.j. '*>
either  production  or of  comprehension  of  this  lOngua^o.

Most of  the questiof 5 put were answered by  the ?r»cumbasnl
priestess, with occasional  Interruptions and additions  by one or  two
rfale  elders.  On  one occasion  the  priestess took  exception  to such
an  interruption  ond spontaneously  broke  Sn*-o the  ANANA  fanguoQ.?
with  considerable  feeling  and at quite a racy speed.  A  tronsiefion
of  this outburst ond of a few  libations and songs In ihm language Is
in  preparation  ond will  form the theme of  later  reports 00 this  project.
Some lexical  Items were  extracted,  though, and a selection  of  these
will  serve as a conclusion  to  this  report:

RESEARCH  REPORTS

Adangme

Eng 1 ish

Anana

ssnya
II
dido

bo

dsttsi

bonyu
< £
tiungrrME

home

door

firewood

water pot-

cloth

rubbish

soup

heed

nose

gbaa

n

gufigo

2 LIU

bnu