Tampulma Ethnic Group Re-installed Paramount Chief After 318 Years-the Kadichari-tina Or Kadichari-koora.

History of Tampulma Chieftaincy
The late Kadichari-tina, Dorka of blessed memory (1642-1697) was Tampulma Paramount chief in the 16th century. By tradition, the Paramountcy among Tampulmas was known in the Tampulma dialect as “Kadichari-tina”. He was the King or Overload of the Tampulma ethnic group in the Past. The title of the chieftaincy is named after a village Kadichari, where he resided. The ‘Tina’ attached to Kadichari means owner. Therefore, Kadichari-tina means the owner of Kadichari or more precisely, Kadichari-koora. This village is now a defunct village and currently inside the Mole National Park in the Northern Region. The village Kadichari is close to Kpariya, the traditional home of the Tampulmas under the newly created North Gonja District.

Tampulma similarities with other ethnic groups

Tampulmas speak Tamplim as their traditional dialect which belong to the Gur cluster of languages with lexical, phonetic and linguistic structures resembling that of Sisala, Mo, Vagala and Chakali languages.

Evidence of the late Kadichari-tina Dorka of blessed memory

The late Kadichari-tina known for his war prowess had assisted some major ethnic groups in fighting wars. No wonder that the chiefs in all the Tampulma communities are headed by a “Kankoora” which means a worrier or war chief. Tampulmas had the zeal to assist their neighbours or close allies whenever they were attacked to fight wars against their enemies they considered a threat to their thrones or chiefdoms. The evidence of his foot prints can be found at Kadichari on a rock where he resided after he sat and ate some food with remnants left behind before engaging in the war. He vanished soon after a fierce battle between him and Sumaila Ndewura Jakpa.

Ancient Tampulma under Paramount chief, Kadichari-tina or koora

The ancient Tampulma under the leadership of the late Kadichari-tina, the Overload of the Tampulmas included Kadichari, Denchedama, Yagbon-daha, Zakpani, Gbentelle, Belle, Fieleng, Bung-Yagbum, Gobeiga among others which were ruled by this powerful King. According to oral traditions, his encounter with Jakpa for short which was a fierce battle and his mysterious disappearance led to the relocation of some of these communities into the kingdoms of the Sisalas, the Mos, Vagalas their close allies. This was also because of the establishment of the Mole National Park or Game reserve in the 1960s.

Controversy with Kadichari-Tina’s Funeral

In preparation towards the performance of the late Kadichari-tina, Dorka funeral, the successor wrote to the Secretary/Registrar of House of Chiefs and copied the Regional coordinating director the Regional Police Command before his enthronement. In reference to a part of the letter he wrote after enthronement reads, ‘I, Musah Mahama of Salugu, who performed our late grandfather Kadichari-tina funeral, have now taken the title or seat of our Grandfather.” Soon after his enthronement, there were threats coming from all manner of persons especially the Wasipe traditional skin at Daboya since the Paramount, Kadichari-tina is located under the skin jurisdiction. The reply to one of his correspondence at the House chiefs, one could deduce that somebody or person (s) were not comfortable with the chief ship at Kadichari even though the chieftaincy title was not for the Gonja. One such reply reads, ‘Musah Mahama’s uncalled for behaviour as a self style chief poses tension and threat of violence in the Wasipe Divisional Area and if not checked will soon lead to bloodshed’. The question to ask is, ‘how can a person who takes a chieftaincy title which represent his tribe and long existed before chieftaincy at Daboya pose a threat and leads to bloodshed?

Since his mysterious disappearance (Kadichari-Tina, Dorka), the paramount remained vacant until the year 2000 when the late Kadichari-tina, Musah Mahama I performed the final funeral rites, his ancestral lineage and was enthroned the overlord of Tampulmas after 318 years.

He however died in 2007 (Musah Mahama I) after his enthronement on 18^th June, 2000 and his eldest son Musah Mahamadu II as the Paramount chief of Tampulmas who was enthroned on the 19^th February, 2012 till date.

Returned of Some Tampulmas to their ancestral home

The Paramountcy existed long before some group of Tampulmas was sent by the Paramount chief of the Tampulma ethnic group, Kadichari-tina Dorka of blessed memory to help the Overlord of Mamprugu, Yamusah Jeringa (1682-1697) to fight his enemies. This group of Tampulmas was led by Kankoora Ameyaw to help the overlord of Mamprugu. The worriers were taken throughout the land from worrier gates across the Tampulmas to help conquer the Mamprusis. The worriers went and never return until 1955/6/7 when they migrated in three batches back to their original home after some misunderstanding between the group of Tampulmas and the then Nayiri, Abdulai Mahami Sheriga (1947-1966). On their return home, they were led by their leader Kakoora Batik Tommy. The Tampulmas habitation shared boundary with Gonjas and Mamprusis since then Tampulmas and these ethnic groups had remained friends and inter-married.

Location of new Kadichari-Tina Paramountcy
Kadichari-tina Musah Mahamadu II, the Paramount chief is located at Salugu presently. As peasant farmers, most Tampulmas have migrated to the southern part of the country notably, Ejura, Afram Plains, Sisala East, Sawla areas whiles their original home is the North Gonja District spanning from Lingbinsi through the route of villages to Mankarigu.

Unfortunately, the non-existence of the Paramountcy for decades gave many writers, anthropologist and historians to perceive the ethnic group as ‘a cephalous society’. This piece is not intended to denigrate any writer or historian and for that matter any ethnic group but to bring to public domain some of the missing gaps that often misinform people and writers.

Education among Tampulmas
The Tampulma ethnic group were traditionally farmers with little or no formal education and did not engaged in any trading activity. This explains why majority of the people are still peasant farmers with just few of them receiving formal education. It is interesting to know that several factors accounted for the high illiteracy rate among Tampulmas. Some of these factors include hunting, serving as warlords to other ethnic groups, farming and the absence of western religions in the area and the absence of schools have affected the ethnic group.

The Tampulmas resided at the West bank of the White Volta Lake of the Dagomba territory till date before the migration of some group of Tampulmas to the Mamprugu traditional kingdom. Most the Tampulmas who left in the 16 century have since returned to their original home with some of them still with the Mamprusi kingdom at Lingbinsi and its surrounding villages in the North-East of the Northern Region along Walewale-Gambaga stretch of the road through to Nalerigu. The evidence of their presence at the Mamprugu Kingdom can be traced to Tan-gbini, Sagdugu, Lingbinsi-Mamprugu, Bogyini among a host of communities.

Chieftaincy at Daboya
For the purpose of the chieftaincy at Kadichari, I wish to discuss the close association of the Tampulmas and chieftaincy sects at Daboya. Before Wasipewura (Gonja chief of Daboya) move from Wasipe to Daboya in the 1930s, there was already a chief at Daboya. This traditional history is evidence of the fierce battle between Kadichari-tina and Ndewura Jakpa, the former who have absolute control of the whole area including Daboya at the time.

The chieftaincy at Daboya brought a lot of people who were friends or Imams to the chief to be stationed at the place up till now. The tribal groupings in Daboya comprises of the Bornu Imam of Banda, the Nkaracha family who Wasipewura gave his daughter in marriage, the ancestors of Uthman, a muslim from Larabanga who is also the ancestors of the Kamara family. There is also Imam Nuhu, a Wangara family who was also brought from Salaga by Adam Asei. There is a Safane Muslim family and some group of Zanbermas who came to Daboya and some Dyulas all are certainly not of Gonja origin.

Chieftaincy at Kadichari
Before the demised of the late Kadichari-tina, the communities in the previous conversation do not have chiefs of Gonja descent in the area. This was the status quo before the encounter between the two leaders. The well organised Tampulma communities at the time were forced to migrate for new settlements after the mystery associated with their leader. These resettlement patterns currently include Mankarigu, Kpariya, Donkoh, Wawa, and Gurubagu including those groups of Tampulmas who returned after their war at Mamprugu. The new settlement previously occupied by their forefathers. The communities include Lingbinsi, Tari No 1 and 2, Dissah, Singa, Shemisi, Gbasimpa-Banawa, Gbasimpa-somun, Tenbang, Nabiengu, Salugu, Tinsungu, Sakpage 1 and 2. The settler communities under the area also include, Koldani, Mampeasem, Lukuli, Chelmun, Sakpala, Zooyiri, Bugsa and Sagya who are Mamprusis. Based on the host of communities, the issue of chieftaincy among the people have often being characterised by power play between the Gonja traditional council and the Mamprugu traditional council over the ownership of these settler communities who are Mamprusis due the absence of the Paramountcy at Kadichari. It is hope that the chieftaincy at Kadichari will bring to rest the feud between the two traditional councils since the later have now come into the system with their chieftaincy status restored by their kingmakers.

Until today, modern day Tampulma is now made of not less than thirty-two (32) communities all in the North Gonja District of the Nothern Region south of Daboya while most migrant Tampulmas are in the southern parts of Ghana.

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