The role of religion in the chieftaincy instituton: a case study of Chamba traditional area in the Northern Region of Ghana

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2013-07-30
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Abstract
The focus of the research was to find out whether or not religion plays a role on the chieftaincy institution especially in the area of selection, installation, enskinment and post-enskinment of chiefs in study area. The study examined the role that religious functionaries; Imams, Mallams, Diviners and Earth Priest play in the selection of chiefs in the study area. It also examined the religious duties of Imams, Mallams, Diviners and Earth Priest to the chiefs in the study area. The study has shown that religion indeed plays a vital role on the chieftaincy institution. A chief is supposed to serve as a link between the ancestors and the living. In selecting such a person for installation and enskinment a lot of consultation, divination, rituals, prayers and sacrifices are done to know the wish of the ancestors. The findings of the research have also established that the court can disqualify a chief from carrying himself as a chief or disqualify a person from being enskinned or enstooled as a chief after the person has gone through all the necessary rites as required by tradition. However, whoever is declared as the rightful person to be enskinned or enstooled, has to go through all the necessary religious rites and practices as required by tradition before being enskinned. Traditional and Islamic rites and practices will continue to be part and parcel of enskinment processes in the study area because the above religions have influence on the lives of the people including the chieftaincy institution. Besides, religious functionaries; Diviners, Imams, Mallams and Earth Priest will also continue to offer religious duties such as divination, prayers, provision of protective charms to the chiefs and also offering of sacrifices to the gods of the land on behalf of the chiefs in the study area. The methodological approach to the study was qualitative case study. The study used secondary and primary data. The secondary data includes analyses of both published and unpublished books. The primary data were acquired from fieldwork through the use of interviews. The research is relevant because the findings of the research would serve as a reference point or academic material for those who would want to research into the chieftaincy institution.
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Thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Philosophy.
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