By Regina Agana Akanteba
Have you watched the ever-popular Gruusi war Dance called Deeya from the Northern parts of Ghana being performed? Deeya is a war dance because it depicts mourning and solemnity, and it is mostly performed during funeral ceremonies with a special costume to bid farewell to departed souls. In the following feature, Regina Agana Akanteba has details of this mesmerizing dance performed by people of the Tongo Balungu Community in the Upper East Region.
The Deeya Dance is performed to bid farewell to departed Chiefs, Clan Heads, elderly women or family heads during their final funeral rites. This is meant to usher them to their ancestors. To some, the colourful energetic dance is enchanting and intriguing, while others see it as a bit scary because of the costume the performers or warriors wear. The traditional war dance is mostly performed by people of the Grunne speaking tribe from the Upper East Region.
At first, the dance was believed to be performed by men who have undergone some form of spiritual empowerment but this belief does not hold anymore, as modernity and development have proven otherwise. They use gestures either to defend or attack their opponent during the dance display. George Adongo is a former Assemblymember for Tongo-Balungu Electoral Area and leader of the Deeya Dance Group, who sheds more light on the dance.
It is just a dance just like any normal dance and people feel when you are into that, you are into fetish or sacrifice or worshipping idols. That is not the case. For I have always involved myself in anything that promotes our tradition that is good.
One cannot take part in the Deeya Dance without the special costume that consists of a bow and arrow, special hats made with horns of animals, the skin of wild animals such as lion, tiger as well as domestic ones including cows and sheep. Special sandals are worn to protect the feet. Weapons like guns.
, knives, cutlasses, axes as well as specially designed wooden sticks, and tails of some animals are also part of the colorful display. Also, the costume for the Deeya dance is incomplete without the dancers painting their faces. Traditional war songs are beautifully played using flutes to motivate the performers.
Tindaana Maxwell Nwonya Alega is the Chief custodian of lands in the Tongo -BalunguTraditional Area and he says the beautiful Deeya is a cultural heritage of the North that must be preserved.
It shows cultural identity. As we move on we want to preserve it for the next generation. And any part that is negative we remove it and we will able to promote it.
Gamel Ayine is of Northern extraction based in Accra and he expressed excitement about the new adventure he embarked on when he performed the dance for the first time.
It’s a kind of dance that if you are there and they are performing, you will feel some kind of excitement because it entertains you. So I decided wore my grandfather’s smock and then I picked up a bow and arrow and joined them to perform. For the first time I felt a bit scared but I enjoyed it.
Apart from the beautiful dance display, are there any benefits derived? Benjamin Oduro Arhin is a music lecturer at the University of Education, Winneba and a member of MUSIGA.
If you look at the impact, one it’s an exercise to the human body, it’s a way of relieving stress and it’s a means of social cohesion. Every tradition needs to be preserved and promoted.
So, there you have all to know about the popular Deeya Dance from the Northern parts of the country. An energetic display that gets every part of the body worked out to keep you healthy and strong. Whenever you visit the Upper East Region for the funeral of any prominent personality, do not forget to participate in the beautiful Deeya dance and I bet you, you will never regret you did.
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Below is the video;
