ology oF MAŊNYƐ
Stoolology
Enstoolment: April 11, 2016
Stool Name: Klo Dodue Nana Korlekour Amanfu Totroku I
Coronation: April 5, 2018
Title: Dipo & Kusum Maŋnyɛ of GaDangme Land
Realm: Ghana, Togo and Benin
In GaDangme Land, a Stool is not only regarded as a symbol of status, authority and rulership, it is also a divinatory object, that reveals its own occupant; one who is chosen to guide, protect and serve the purpose of the Stool. The GaDangme believe that every stool is an ancestral blessing - one created and given by the ancestors - to honor our kroŋ (holiness) and elevate our wekui (family clans). In GaDangme kusum, Ancestral Stools are also invoked; as Stools ordained by the Highest Power, to serve as a unifying force - to exalt the entire tribe.
On April 11, 2016, Her Majesty Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue Nana Korlekour Amanfu Totroku I, was enstooled - a ceremony at which her Stool Name was proclaimed - and she was placed on her Stool by the dipotsɛmɛi and kusumtsɛmɛi; as they revealed the mission of Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue's Stool, the Elders are quoted by having said:
"We were informed, through kusum, that you are Dodue - the star that sees from afar - the shining star of GaDangme ... You must use your light to guide and illuminate all of GaDangme Land, not just those here in Ghana but wherever GaDangme reside; Dipo, as well as all female customary rites, and the practice of kusum, lives throughout GaDangme, and you must protect this in all GaDangme traditional areas, and unite all our people through kusum … It is the Stool that chooses who will sit on it for life, and this ancestral Stool chose you; Nana Klowɛki made dipo customary in every Dangme home - you are Klo Dodue - now you must make dipo the star of the Nation … Accept your Stool with wisdom and humility; be sure in the knowledge that you were chosen, and also mindful that the Stool belongs to the Higher Power from which it came.”
Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue is the first to receive an Ancestral Stool, instituted to serve GaDangme land in its entirety. The Ancestral Stool upon which Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue sits, is not only a symbol of her office and authority to rule, it is also a symbol of unity for GaDangme as a united nation; a realm that spans across 3 countries - Ghana, Togo and Benin - encompassing 7 Ga States and 9 Dangme States in Ghana; 6 Traditional Areas in Togo and 4 Traditional Areas in Benin. Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue possesses the only Stool with authority in all GaDangme states and traditional areas, and a mandate for GaDangme as a whole.
Chronology
Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue I, is the current Dipo & Kusum Maŋnyɛ of GaDangme Land; a unique Queenship established and vested in Ghana, with traditional authority in Togo and Benin.
Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue is the Paramountcy for female Customary Rites including: Dipo, Otofo, Otsetse and Adjifo and was enstooled with the title of Dipo Maŋnyɛ on April 11, 2016, in the Yilo Krobo Traditional Area of Kroboland, in Ghana. After one year of subsequent seclusions and traditional rites, Maŋnyɛ was also made Chief Custodian of GaDangme Kusum (custom) and in April of 2017, the title of Kusum Maŋnyɛ was added to her Stool by the kusumtsɛmɛi.
On April 5, 2018, Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue was outdoored in the second ceremony of her Coronation Rites, where one of her titles as Dipo Maŋnyɛ was consecrated. Along with this traditional title, Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue also serves in an executive capacity as the Permanent Chairwoman of the Dipo Council, where she is authorized to set policy and guidelines for the performance of dipo and all other GaDangme Female Customary Rites.
In April of 2019, Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue established The United GaDangme Supreme Council; a governing body of elected representatives from all GaDangme States, who will now deliberate on and maintain the authenticity of GaDangme kusum and enhance the performance of annual festivals, throughout GaDangme Land. As Custodian, Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue will aggrandize GaDangme kusum by devoting her life to the revival, preservation and elevation of GaDangme culture.
Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue is now the first Maŋnyɛ in the history of the ancient dipo custom. Her reign is now being recoded as contemporary dipo history, and her position is regarded as a succession from the legacy of the goddess Nana Klowɛki. With the enstoolment of Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue I, a new era in the Dipo Goddess Lineage has begun.
Memoratology
According to oral tradition, in the time leading up to the annual dipo season, the dipotsɛme and kusumtsɛmɛi are known to withdraw from the community, in order to perform purification rites for their sacred rocks and prepare their dipo houses to receive the new initiates. In addition to purification rites, the kusumtsemei also undergo ritual cleansing by way of indigenous diet, spiritual baths and energy clearing. As the Dipo and Kusum queenmother, Maŋnyɛ Klo Dode is said to enter into a period of seclusion where she performs purifications rites for GaDangme Land and prepares her inner-temple to receive her custom. It is during these periods of seclusion that Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue communed with the goddess Nana Klowɛki; who chose Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue as her successor in the dipo goddess lineage. In order to take up the mantle of goddesshood, Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue would have to first: meet her own goddess; after which, build a temple for her to dwell; and finally, define the rites and rituals to be performed by her followers and devotees. Nana Klowɛki co-inspired with the Spirit of Dipo and they agreed to use the dipo seasons to teach Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue The Way of The Goddess. And so it was, with the arrival of the dipo season, Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue would be led to purification rites - to learn how to receive - and with the season's departure, she would be guided to prepare offerings - to learn how to release.
The following accounts are transcriptions of Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue's oral tradition, told in the form of memorates, from her personal archive.
Astrology
In GaDangme cosmology, The Heavens are looked upon as place where celestial-ancestral forces reside. These forces are ever present in lives of their human descendants and communicate with them through the seasonal pattern of the Earth, the diurnal pattern of the Sun, and the lunar phases of the Moon. The Ga's have mapped their own 8-star system, with each star barring its own season, unique function and distinct characteristic. Within this star system the Chief Luminaries are Hunu (Sun) and Nyɔɔŋtsele (Moon); each luminary is followed by one of the Beneficent Stars - Tsotsoobi and Dodue.
Tsotsoobi follows Hunu as the "The Burning Star; The Flame of Life." It is a morning star that rises with dawn to greet newborn babies, on their 8th day of life, and is the star under which every child is sanctified by their Kpo-Dziemo (GaDangme birth rites). Tsotsoobi is also the "Spiritual Spark" that bestows the light of consciousness on GaDangme children; once a newborn has been raised to the sky, to expose their entire body to Tsotsoobi's light, they are then given their first instruction on how to navigate this world. Tsotsoobi oversees the liminal space between being a soul and becoming a human, and ensures the safe passage of the soul - from spirit world to the human world - and also assigns a kla (soul protector) to remain with the body until its last breath. Tsotsoobi is the messenger star of Hunu and governs spirituality, soul wisdom, and the affairs of the sentient beings; Tsotsoobi's significations are livelihood, lineage and learning.
Dodue follows Nyɔɔŋtsele as the "The Purity Star; The Star of Maidens." It is the first evening star to rise at dusk, and the brightest star in night sky. Dodue is also"The Fertility Star" that guides the followers of Nyɔɔŋtsele, who observe her cycle and phases; during the New Moon phase, when Nyɔɔŋtsele is in her darkness, those who locate the light of Dodue will receive a blessing for the sowing of their seeds - seeds of life, seeds creation and seeds of inspiration. Dodue appears as a good omen to those who honor their kla and keep their body pure; and is the star under which GaDangme females are purified by their performance of dipo. Dodue is the "The Creative Spark" and bestows the light of ingenuity on the womb; when a girl comes of age, and begins her journey as maiden, she is instructed in the ways of the feminine and given dominion over her womb. Dodue oversees the thresholds between girlhood and maidenhood, maidenhood and motherhood, as well as womanhood and wisdom-hood; and it is Dodue who ensures the transformation of the womb, throughout the lifespan. Under Dodue's light, the womb begins as a creative center for a girls imagination; then becomes a message center for maidens as they menstruate; next, a life center for mothers as they receive, carry and birth souls; and finally a knowledge center where the life blood of wise-women is retained. Dodue is the messenger star of Nyɔɔŋtsele and governs mysticism, blood wisdom and the affairs of the womb; Dodue's significations are maidenhood, womanhood, motherhood, wisdom-hood, menstruation, fertility, and the womb.
According to Maŋnyɛ Klo Dodue's oral tradition, a star must confront fear, in order to be called into higher service of the Divine. It is a kla's journey (spiritual journey) to find the "healing light" that purifies the body and transforms human nature. The following is a Memorate of Dodue describing her encounter with Nyɔɔŋtsele and Tsotsoobi; on her kla's journey to find Dodue's Light.