Culture, they say is the way of life of a group of people in a particular geographical location. It comprises food, dance, dressing, language and festivals. Although culture is dynamic, preserving ones culture is crucially essential.
Ghanaians are culture sensitive, thus we try to preserve our Ghanaian culture no matter how modern the world becomes.
One of the people who preserve their culture is the Dagombas. They are the dominant in Northern region. The current minority leader Hon. Haruna Iddrisu is a Dagomba. He is one of the few MPs who preserves the Dagomba culture.
One important thing is that his dress code from attire to hat, footwear and even body posture have meanings. So you dare not copy blindly lest you put yourself into trouble.
Anytime you see Hon Haruna Idrissu in public he folds his hat to the right. In Dagbon, the hat does not only form part of normal day dressing, but it also shows one’s status in society.
Folding the top of the hat to the right hand side of the head is termed ‘Kpiɛŋlana’ in Dagbani. When a person folds his hat towards the right side of his head, it signifies that he is a person of strength. He could either be a rich man, or an influential person in society. This is how Haruna Iddrisu wears his hat.
It is important to state that, many people actually consider themselves as such, even if they are not.
For this reason, this style of wearing the hat is quite common. However, a person may fold his hat this way in a certain crowd but will immediately turn it to the left when he is approaching a gathering of people much higher than him.
Leaving it that way in front of the chief of your town can amount to contempt.
Wearing the hat and turning it to the left means one is humbled or at the service of a superior person or one is minding his business and does not want any trouble.
Some may tilt it forward. Tilting the hat forward means you are spiritually powerful or you care less about happenings. Positioning it towards the sky means you have no equal. So the Yaa Naa, Bimbilla Naa, Nayiri, Paramount Chiefs, Chief Imam always wear their hats tilting towards the sky. When Nana Addo attended the coronation of Yaa Naa, he was made to wear his hat with the top pointing to the sky.
So next time you meet a Dagomba man in public, don’t copy his costume blindly simply because you like it.
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