Dagbon was founded in 1409. This kingdom had a long line of rulers. Several tribes lived in Dagbon. Music and dance are popular; and there are festivals in Dagbon.
Dagbon was created by the Dagomba. The government was an absolute monarchy. They were culturally similar to kingdoms in the Sahel. It is a Islamic kingdom. Dagbon made a lot of $ from trading.
Dagbon had to pay tribute to the Ashanti Kingdom and then it became a part of the British Empire. Now it is a part of Ghana.
Naa Sitobu: Founder of Dagbon. Title for king is Ya Naa.
Naa Nyagse: He defeated different villages and made the kingdom bigger. His sons became the chiefs of those villages. He had a strong military with a powerful cavalry.
Naa Zangina: There were several men that could have became Ya Naa. To become Ya Naa they had to choose the correct proverb. Naa Zangina chose the right one. B4 he became Ya Naa he made a lot of $ from trading. He amended the constitution, so there would be be an easier select the next Ya Naa.
Naa Gariba: He was captured by the Ashanti. They gave him back in exchange for tribute. Dagbon gave the Ashanti 'sheep, clothes, cattle, and slaves' until 1874. An representative of the Ashanti lived in Dagbon after that. The Dagbon military got a upgrade. They got a platoon of musketeers.
There were many other Ya Naa as well.
There were at least 2 other tribes in Dagbon besides the Dagomba. There was probably more.
Mamprusi: They speak Mamprusi. They have there own kingdom called Mamprugu.
Culture of Dagbon
Stories are told by dancing in Dagbon. People dance to express their emotions and interact socially. They love the drums, so do I. Most music in Dagbon is made for dancing. Contemporary music is also popular in Dagbon. Sometimes musicians mix traditional and contemporary music together. Bugum Chugu is the fire festival which is the first of the year. People do a dance called ziem during this festival. It is the oldest dance in Dagbon. The Damba festival celebrates the chieftaincy and the birth of Muhammad.
This kingdom is over 600 years old! It had a lot of rulers and several tribes. I like its culture. I give it a B+.
References
http://www.raceandhistory.com/cgi-bin/forum/webbbs_config.pl?md=read;id=527
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagomba_people#Kingdom_of_Dagbon
http://www.dagbon.net/history.php
http://moledagbon.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-mole-dagombas-mole-dagbani.html
https://www.modernghana.com/news/116403/1/dagbon-recalling-history-the-battle-of-adibo.html
http://www.ama.africatoday.com/dagomba.htm
https://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2015/01/11/dagbon-tradition-is-citadel-of-culture-mahama/
http://ethnomusicologyreview.ucla.edu/journal/volume/13/piece/496
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanumba_people
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagbon_music_and_dance
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugum_Chugu
Sweet Dance
Damba
Drums of Dagbon
Dagbani Movie
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