A history of Tamale, 1907-1957 and beyond

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Periodical article

Title:	A history of Tamale, 1907-1957 and beyond
Author:	MacGaffey, Wyatt
Year:	2006
Periodical:	Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana (ISSN 0855-3246)
Issue:	10
Pages:	109-124
Language:	English
Notes:	biblio. refs.
Geographic terms:	Ghana West Africa
Subjects:	indirect rule Dagomba polity urban history History, Archaeology Tamale (Ghana)--History
External link:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/41406735
Abstract:	The author traces the history of Tamale, capital of the present-day Northern Region of Ghana, from the establishment of the British headquarters there in 1907, through to the early 1960s. The expansion of the town in the 1920s and the policy shift towards greater reliance on indirect rule brought to light the fact that the Dakpema was not 'the king of Tamale' but merely a 'tendaana', a representative of the indigenous people. Ya Na, king of Dagbon, lived in Yendi, 60 miles to the east. To restore the authority of the Ya Na over Tamale, the British brought the Gulkpe Na, a court official, from Yendi and installed him in Tamale. The author goes on to describe Tamale's rapid expansion after World War II and the ensuing urban problems, including deplorable housing and uncertainty over title to land, the setting up of an Urban Council in 1952, the continuing tension between the Dakpema and the Gulkpe Na, the development of education, local religion, and Tamale's economic role, as the urban gateway to the north and capital of the Northern Territories. Bibliogr. [ASC Leiden abstract]