27/06/2025
In 1589, after Naa Zagli became the Yaa Naa (King of Dagbon), he declared that he was not going to go the way of his ancestors but rather he was going to live his life after the gods. So he made his elders go into the forest to cut some special trees and carved them into two gods which he personally worshipped. One of the gods was placed inside his palace and the other outside his palace. It is said that, whatever he requested of these two gods, he got it. Now, in those days and even today, there are some birds in Dagbon called “divine birds”. Whenever they descend near your compound and make some sounds, it is believed to be a sign that you should go see a soothsayer because either the ancestors are sending you a message or the gods need pacification.
So these birds started descending with messages and little by little, the gods started asking for fowls, then they asked for goats, then they asked for cattle and then one day they asked for the horse-keeper of the Ya Naa. So he had his horse-keeper sacrificed to the gods.
But the gods were never satisfied. So they eventually asked for his first wife. Think about it. The first wife of the Yaa Naa is not just any woman. She is the mother of future Yaa Naas, and she also holds the title of Gbanzalung. So this is where Naa Zagli drew the line. He said, “It is men who go into the wild and bring home things to make gods for themselves. So men can definitely destroy them”. With this declaration, the Yaa Naa ordered his elders to get the gods destroyed. But his elders were having none of it because they were afraid of these gods who have demonstrated their power time and time again. So the elders devised a plan. They said, “it is children who don’t know what to fear. So let us let children destroy the gods”. So they handed out tools to young boys and told them to go and destroy those gods. The children did and the gods were destroyed. Naa Zagli was free and his wife was spared. He ruled till 1609 when he joined the ancestors.
Moral of the story: As men, many of our problems are self-created. We create our own problems. And it is also within our power to destroy those problems. Now go out and destroy those problems you created for yourself today. 😂😂
Photo: Yaa Naa surrounded by his elders, 1971
Photo credit: Sanatu Zambang
