dipo
According to oral tradition, the Dipo custom has been with Dangme speaking people of GaDangme Land since time immemorial however, written historical records place the beginning of public performances of dipo somewhere in the early 14th century. As the legend states, the dipo rites came into prominence with the sudden appearance of Nana Klowɛki, a female priestess who was embraced by the Krobos and lived with them on the Krobo Mountain. As Nana Klowɛki observed Krobo society, she was dissatisfied with how the ‘coming of age’ of Krobo girls was handled, and believed that dipo could play a significant role in this process. Nana Klowɛki took it upon herself to develop dipo and is credited with having enhanced the dipo custom, by re-inventing it into a ceremony that focused on femininity and prepared girls for their transition to womanhood. Nana Klowɛki‘s dipo became wildly popular and soon all Krobo maidens were required to go though the dipo rites, as a prerequisite to becoming a true Kloyo or Krobo Woman.
ACNCIENT DIPO
In the “Nana Klowɛki Era,” dipo was not only enhanced, but transformed from an ancient custom, into a performative sacred rite; one that would hold the rites of passage to Krobo womanhood. Nana Klowɛki brought ritual expertise to the culture of dipo; elevating a canonical custom among the Dangmes, into a religious sacrament - within a religious order - that featured a royal priestess-hood among the djemeli. Nana Klowɛki raised a devoted following of priestesses who were called to live lives of purity, and refine their family values into higher feminine virtues; to be practiced as the dipo rites.
Nana Klowɛki is also credited for having organized the structure of Krobo society by merging the family clans of the Krobo into a unified tribe. In order to ensure the success of this unification, Nana Klowɛki installed her priestesses and priests among the Krobo; endowing them with the knowledge to read the seasons, and the authority to guide the people; as they formed a tribal identity.
In the same way that she suddenly appeared, Nana Klowɛki disappeared in much the same fashion and was never seen again. It is believed that Nana Klowɛki's spirit never left Kroboland and has been canonized among the djemeli as a chief deity; one who continues to intervene on behalf of the Krobo. Though her legacy among the Krobos has been cemented in the dipo rites, her disappearance left a void in the feminine leadership of dipo; a void that would not be filled for centuries.