05/12/2023
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN OF THE DOGTE CLAN OF THE GONJA KINGDOM.
The history and origin of the Dogte clan is tired up with the foundation of the Gonja State. The Dogte clan of the Gonja Kingdom is one and that is the family of Nfa Thouka Chief of ancient Khongo, formerly part of the Mali empire but now located in the vicinity of the ancient Kong empire now in the Ivory Coast.
By ethnicity, the Dogte clan hails from the Mandinka cluster of languages precisely of a Malinke origin and rulers of Khongo before the arrival of Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa ). It was through conquest by Somaila (Ndewura Jakpa) which led to the destruction of Khongo after several battle engagements with it's warriors.
Oral tradition narrates that, the arrival of Somaila (Ndewura Jakpa) to the present day Gonja Kingdom was as a result of the treachery of some Fulani clans against the Mandinka ( Wangara ) Chiefs, orchestrated by one Amadou Fulani from the Barry clan.
The Fulani served and paid royalties for their usage of land and protection to the Mandinka chiefs which they complied with for so many centuries until the arrival of Amadou from the Fulani Barry clan.
It is recounted in the oral literature by the Mandinka in the late 16th century to the early 17th century when a certain group of emissaries of the Mandinka Chiefs arrived at the premises of the father of Amadou for the collection of the annual customary royalties ordained and practiced for centuries which caught the attention of Amadou after his father had paid his portion of the tributes to the emissaries of the Mandinka chiefs from whom Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa ) was born a Prince.
After the emissaries had left, Amadou who was evidently not happy about the practice or custom quickly asked his father why they pay this annual tributes to the Mandinka chiefs but his father rebuked him harshly , stating that the Mandinka Chiefs were their lords and the payment of tributes to them was a custom even he himself was born and met which is indicative of the fact that his forefathers paid the same tributes to the Mandinka Chiefs and every Fulani man or clan lived with this tradition of the payment of tributes to the Mandinka for so many centuries .
With this response from his father, Amadou left home disappointed and downtrodden to attend to their cattle as he shepherded them in to the bush.
Whiles in the bush, Amadou met a certain man who approached him questioning him as to the reason why he feels this downtrodden but Amadou refused to answer him but the man ( others claim was genie) persisted until Amadou told him the story behind the ordeal of his people perpetrated by the Mandinka Chiefs.
After several conversations between the two, the man ( others claim was a genie ) finally asked Amadou what he wish to be the case between the payment of the annual tributes by his people to the Mandinka Chiefs and Amadou replied by saying that he had wished to end the payment of the annual tributes to the Mandinka Chiefs.
The strange man then told him to go back home after the day's activities and tell his people not to pay the annual tribute again and also mobilizing them to stand against it.
Amadou immediately became worried and replied to the man, saying that their refusal in paying this annual tribute to the Mandinka Chiefs would mean the declaration of war but the man told him to do what he is asked to do and when the time of war approached he should come back to him in the same place for help.
Encouraged by these words , Amadou hurriedly went home and told his father about this strange encounter, words which quickly reached all the Fulani clans and leading to the mobilization of all under the leadership of Amadou.
As the year draws near to the end in the late 16th century, emissaries were again sent to collect the annual tributes from the Fulani clans but instead of compliance there arose a revolt led by Amadou who sent words to the Mandinka emissaries to go back and tell their chiefs that, they Fulani people would no longer pay any annual tribute to the Mandinka Chiefs.
This rebellious message of Amadou spread forth like wildfire among the Fulani clans, building their confidence and momentum as abled men among the various Clans gathered and swored their allegiance to Amadou to led them in any possible senario of war between them and the Mandinka Chiefs.
Upon seeing the increased momentum of the men, Amadou quickly rushed to the bush where he met the man ( others claim was a genie) and told him about what had transpired and he feared there would be a war, however the man encouraged him to master courage by leading his people against the Mandinka Chiefs, haven't said that , he fortified Amadou spiritually by giving him a certain white dove, commanding him to unleash the dove in to the skies upon reaching the center of the battlefield which would result in the disintegration of the Mandinka army from the battle and that , the white dove must be kept in his left hand.
Amadou went back home with this battle secret awaiting the declaration of war by the Mandinka Chiefs against his people.
When the emissaries got back home, the told their Mandinka Chiefs about the revolt of the Fulani against the payment of the annual tributes and that, the said Amadou told them that no Fulani shall surrender to such tradition again.
All the Mandinka Chiefs where surprised at the news but told their people to be patient with the Fulani people on their lands, giving them time and space to rethink their decision but after several months no word was received from the Fulani clans heads.
The Mandinka Chiefs then sent their emissaries again to try and persuade them to recind their decision with a warning that, failure to pay the annual tributes would lead to war between them.
However, Amadou who was now acting as the leader of all the Fulani clans told the emissaries once again that, they would not pay any tribute again and that they where ready for war.
When these words were sent back as a feedback to to the Mandinka Chiefs, all the Mandinka people were summoned by their Chiefs and an oath was swore and taking by all never to trade, marry and do any business with the Fulani people.
It became a curse upon any Mandinka who shall violate the oath and henceforth, it was said no Mandinka man shall marry or give his daughter in marriage to any Fulani man or woman and none shall buy from or sell to the Fulani.
This oath transmonggrified in to a custom between the two ethnic groups and between the lords of the land and their servants. The aim of the Mandinka Chiefs was to use this policy of trade boycott and ethnic segregation to get the Fulani clans to comply with the custom of paying tributes to them for the usage of the lands and for their protection.
The policy failed to deter or earn the allegiance of the Fulani clans back to their lords and further bolstered their rebellious stance against the Mandinka Chiefs.
At this time, it is stated that Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa ) a Prince of Gizzi and Dia who was sent to receive military training from one of the keletigui ( warlord in the Mandinka language) of Gizzi had concluded his military training and proved to be one of the best students of the arts of war.
The Mandinka Chiefs finally met and decided to declare war on the Fulani clans on their lands getting same to be transmitted to the Fulani clans.
In the mist of these declarations, the Mandinka Chief of Gizzi summoned the Keletigui of Gizzi and demanded information about Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) his son. The Keletigui responded that " Somaila Esi' ajakpana " meaning Somaila had become a brave man from which the name Jakpa was coined out of.
Upon the assembling of the Mandinka warriors of Gizzi, Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa ) was made the Captain of the Gizzi Mandinka battalion alongside other captains under their own Mandinka Chiefdoms.
According to the traditional warrior custom of the Mandinka, it was accustomed for every chief or a royal to lead his people to war and this same customary practice of military engagements also formed the nucleus of warrior traditions of the Gonja Kingdom..
Finally, the Mandinka forces marched on to the hot gates of the Fulani warriors on horses alongside a group of infantry battalions armed with spears and shields bows and arrows all wearing war regalia made with talisman.
The battle begun with an immeasurable casualty from both sides and getting to noon when warriors from both parties were getting to exhaustion at the peak of the battle, Amadou who was seen clinched with a white dove in his hand charged towards the center of the battlefield and fighting his way bravely to get access to the center of the battlefield to unleash the white dove in to the skies as he was commanded by the man he met in the bush putting the white dove in his left hand.
Getting access to the center of the battlefield and with the white dove in his hand, Amadou finally unleashed or let loose the bird in to the skies resulting in to a catastrophic turn of the battle as a fraction of the Mandinka forces strangely disintegrated from the main Mandinka forces, following the white dove in every direction it goes as the white dove led them in to the wilderness far away from the battlefield.
It was Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) and the Gizzi Mandinka battalion he commandeered which was affected by this strange happening and every village or town the white dove reached, Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) and his forces always invade it, moving out of it without claiming or taking possession of it.
Prior to the declaration of war between the Mandinka and the Fulani, there was one powerful Moslem spiritualist called Ayuba Lansori, a Kamara from Dia father of Kamellu ( Kamel ), it was this Kamellu (Kamel) who got married to the aunt of Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) sister of his father, the Mandinka Chief of Gizzi.
Braimah and his elder brother were the sons of Kamellu (Kamel) and direct causins of Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa). These two grandchildren of Ayuba Lansori were trained as Islamic spiritualist and became powerful as their grandfather.
On the day of the battle against the Fulani, the two Kamara brothers were asked to go and offer spiritual prayers for the success of Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) in the battlefield by their mother.
When the incident of the white dove of Amadou occured, it was the two Kamara brothers who finally interceded to avert the curse which was responsible for misleading their causin and his battalion by which time they found themselves far away from home and neared the territories of the Khongo chiefdom of which Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) told them he was going to seek for the military assistance of the Khongo Chief. It was in the town of Mangodaga this statement took place.
Exhausted by the event that got them away from the battlefield and upon meeting a very renowned and powerful Islamic spiritualist in the person of Nfa Imoro Kato a Kamagate man from Dia and also a Soninke man by ethnicity, the two Kamara brothers confided in him and succeeded in convincing him to assist Somaila's quest whiles they tarry behind in Mangodaga to rest and join him later. The Kamagate Clan and that of the Kamara clan of Mande were all of the Soninke mandenites tribes from the same town called Dia, a holy place at the time an abode of the most of the powerful Islamic cleric in the 12th to the 15th centuries.
Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) and Nfa Imoro Kato ( Kamagate ) proceeded to meet Nfa Thouka , the powerful Malinke warrior and chief of Khongo.
Nfa Thouka, was known in the far East of Mande as one of the powerful Warrior chiefs whose military exploits preceded him.
It was his warrior fame that caught the attention of Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) and as a subject matter of interest, he intended to win him over to join his military campaigns without any confrontation.
However, when Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) met Nfa Thouka with this offer , he rejected it outrightly and challenged him in a confrontation with the claim that, a Chief can not bow to a warrior and that accepting the offer meant submitting his land and people to him.
Upon hearing this words from the Khongo Chief, Somaila, (Ndewura Jakpa) told him to prepare for war.
Returning to his military camp where his forces was located, Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) consulted Nfa Imoro Kato (Kamagate) for spiritual and divine assistance as to determine his victory and the Mallam ( Karamogho ) assured him that if he attacks Khongo, victory shall be his and that all the prayers he has offered to this effect points to his victory over the Khongo chiefdom.
The next day, Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) assembled his forces and marched on Khongo but the warriors of Khongo met them over the great mountains of Khongo at a narrow cliff gates where the battle ensued as the archers of the Khongo warriors took their battle formation on the top of the mountains whiles Nfa Thouka, was seen dressed in his war regalia full of talisman.whiles sitting on his white horse which contained the spirit of Khongo..
When Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) and his forces approached the mountain slops, they were fired upon by the archers from the mountain top resulting in a few number of initial casualties as he and his forces took cover quickly under the mountain but were quickly charged upon by the Khongo cavalry forces led by Nfa Thouka himself.
Both cavalry forces trashed and fractured their strengths from dawn to sundown until physical exhaustion forced both sides to halt the battery against themselves.
One can only define the battle as been tough and feisty but at the end Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) was pushed back and he withdrew his forces back to camp amidst quite a remarkable number of casualties from both sides.
The people of Khongo equally retreated back home. But news had already reached the people of Khongo suggesting that the forces of Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa ) fled from the battlefield as a result Nfa Thouka was giving a heros welcome back home as they rejoice.
Legends has it that whenever the Chief of Khongo was sitting on his white horse, no man could defeat him in battle and these songs echoed on the streets of Khongo in admiration of their Chief.
However, Somaila (Ndewura Jakpa ) and his forces were astonished by the show of military might showed by the Khongo warriors, equally surprised was Nfa Imoro Kato (Kamagate) who insisted that something could be behind the stiff resistance demonstrated by the warriors of Khongo, he suggested that, Somaila (Ndewura) should bury his dead, perform the three days Islamic prayers for them and also prepare for a second attempt.
These instructions were carried out and the warriors prepared for battle again.
Information reached Khongo again by informants, that Somaila (Ndewura Jakpa) had mobilized again with a possible reinforcement and quickly the sound of war drums were heard in every direction of Khongo as the warriors were assembled quickly, immediately Nfa Thouka the Chief of Khongo mounted his white horse, the Khongo cavalry regiment galloped away towards the battlefield and from afar clouds of dust enveloped the wooden Savannah trees leaving traces of a desert of battlefield horse hoofs covering the ground like a canopy of designed patterns.
The haste of the Khongo forces was to the reinforcement of their troops of archers and a few infantry men garrisoned by the great mountains of Khongo to monitor the movement of Somaila (Ndewura Jakpa) and his forces.
Arriving on time , the battlefield begun with casualties from both sides once again, but the warriors of Khongo had the upper hand, as the took advantage of the terrains of the battlefield topography, making use of the strength of their arches and charging with the cavalry regiment. Getting to dusk once again, there was no victory for Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) as both sides again retired from the battlefield.
Moving his forces back to camp, it looked impossible for him to pe*****te through the defenses of the Khongo warriors.
The feeling of disappointment took hold of Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) and reaching to their camp, Nfa Imoro Kato (Kamagate) was also equally taking aback, he could not comprehend the agility and spiritual force behind the successes of the Khongo warriors.
Finally, Nfa Imoro Kato (Kamagate) advised Somaila (Ndewura Jakpa) to send for his causins, the two Kamara brothers who were resting in Mangodaga to come and also assist with their spiritual prowess since he had tried his best but to no avail.
Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) heeded the advice from Nfa Imoro Kato (Kamagate) and got his causins from Mangodaga to his aid. Upon their arrival to the camp, most of the warriors were demoralized as a result of battle fatigue and the level of casualties recorded.
The two Kamara brothers then went indoors, fasting and praying until the spiritual source of strength of Khongo was revealed to them which was that, in the belly of the white horse laid an ancient sacred talisman of power with which the spirit of Khongo is contained and anytime the Chief of Khongo rode on it to battle he became invincible and difficult to conquer.
Therefore, the only way the talisman of supernatural power can be extracted from the belly of the white horse is through getting it to vomit it out and by that , the two Kamara brothers prepared a spiritual portion to be mixed in to food of the White horse and by that, when it fed on the food containing the spiritual portion, it would vomit the talisman out and die.
According to the two Kamara brothers, the death of the white horse shall take the place of the Chief of Khongo and weaken his dominion.
As planned, the spiritual portion was made and handed over to the Spies squad of Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) who secretly administered it on the food of the White horse.
Early, the next day, Somaila (Ndewura Jakpa) was told by the two Kamara brothers to attack Khongo and he did by first of all taking out the garrison of the Khongo warriors, destroying the entire garrison of both the infantry battalion of archers with bows and arrows whiles fighting those with swords, spears and shields.
Before an informant got to the Palace to warn Nfa Thouka about the catastrophic event at the garrison on the great mountains, the palace was seized by a deafening silence when it was discovered that, the White horse of the Chief of Khongo was dead.
Many legends were told about the horse and it's death could mean doom for Khongo. The warriors became demoralized at the news but in the mist of all the rancour, Nfa Thouka ordered the warriors to assemble and immediately they rode towards the battlefield with a different horse hoping to meet Somaila ( Ndewura Jakpa) at the great mountains of Khongo, unfortunately, they were rather met and ambushed on the way, leading to the total annihilation of the Khongo forces with Nfa Thouka Chief of Khongo accosted and taking as a war prisoner waiting for his fate to be decided.
Upon hearing the news of the total defeat of the warriors of Khongo, all it's inhabitants fled the town and headed towards different directions for safety, Khongo was completely destroyed by the forces of Somaila (Ndewura Jakpa) with it's Chief arrested, many of the forces of Somaila Ndewura Jakpa demanded his ex*****on to avenge the death of their compatriots but Somaila Ndewura Jakpa decided to spare his life acknowledging his might and bravery asking him to now submit to him or die as demanded by his forces.
Nfa Thouka submitted to Somaila Ndewura Jakpa and was spared. He was then made to swear an oath of service to Somaila Ndewura Jakpa which he did.
The forces in returning to camp after the destruction of Khongo and the capture of it's Chief were full of joy and excitement and approaching their military camp, Somaila Ndewura Jakpa and his warriors saw that one of the Kamara brothers was standing around the entrance of the camp and they exclaimed loudly and joyfully to him "Khongo -te ! Khongo -te ! " meaning Khongo is no more, Khongo is no more,, turning in their direction with joy of victory and accomplishment, the Kamara brother also responded by saying " argbaya ! argbaya ! , meaning you have arrived quickly, you have arrived quickly, it was from this Somaila Ndewura Jakpa and his followers got the name Ngbanye subsequently.
The Kamara Ngbanye of the Gonja Kingdom bears the traditional appellation Khongote in reference to the spiritual contribution they offered to military successes of Somaila Ndewura Jakpa, leading to the fall and capture of Khongo and Nfa Thouka the warrior Chief of Khongo.
However, the descendants of the two Kamara brothers and great grandchildren of Karamogho Ayuba Lansori ie. Dakuripe and Larabanga carries the appellation Kaute which is but a corruption of the Mandingo terminology of the word Khongote .
Therefore, Khongote is corrupted to mean Kaute due to limitation in pronunciations and language differences.
Till this day the two Sakpari Clans ( Kamara and Kamagate) of the Gonja Kingdom have developed a playmate cultural system in reference to the spiritual role each played towards the conquest of Khongo.
Finally, Nfa Thouka was made one of the war captains of the Ngbanye army always in the Frontline of every military engagement of the Ngbanye army against their enemies.
Reaching Sakpa after the army recruted additional fighting force from the Kong enclave such as Jimini, Dyeliso and Ouangolo, it was discovered through observation that Nfa Thouka wasn't feeling enthused anymore about himself during any battle engagement and Somaila Ndewura Jakpa then consulted his war council and Muslims leaders as to what to do to make Nfa Thouka happy and energized again, then it was suggested that ,once Nfa Thouka was a Chief before he lost his authority, the ambiances of Chieftaincy had not left him and therefore, he should be placed in a position of authority so as to make him honoured.
Somaila Ndewura Jakpa then instituted the office of the Dogte ( Is my brother there, speak to the people in the Mandinka language ) among his followers , placing Nfa Thouka between himself and the Ngbanye forces meaning anybody willing to speak to him ( Somaila Ndewura Jakpa ) must first speak to Nfa Thouka and he in turn would communicate to him about what was said.
At the same time Ndewura Jakpa made Nfa Thouka the Chief of all his Muslim followers ( Sakparis )at Sakpa from where the Nsuawura tittle was first used.
It was suggested at Sakpa to plant individuals to administer any conquered land, changing their military policy as previously adopted which was in the capture of Slaves in exchange for weapons and horses and the conscription of abled men from conquered territories in to the main Ngbanye army.
It is also worth to note that, it was the Sakpa declaration which give birth to royal dynasty of the Gonja Kingdom giving birth to the creation of the royal class, the warriors clan and that of the commoner classes.
Therefore, the Dogte Clan members of the Gonja Kingdom are the direct descendants of Nfa Thouka , Chief of Khongo and the first Muslims Chief of the Gonja Kingdom.
The children of Nfa Thouka begotten from Bole are Adama now Adamape of the Nsuawura gate of Nyange and Issifa , the one who led the Chakossi mercenaries to Mamprugu to assist the Nayiri Atabiya against the Gurma and never returned back to his Kingdom.
Issifa was the Dogte of the Kong division before he was commissioned to es**rt the Chakossi in to the battle alongside Mbemah and Wari son of Yagbonwura Abass and other Gonja royals.
Whiles Issifa was in Kong he gave birth to Seidu ( Bodari ) and in Sansanne Mango he begets Haruna whose descendants are now located in Kasope and Sagadugu in the Mamprusi Kingdom.
Adama his elder brother gave birth to Jinbewu, Soale, Sirkeray , and Wuriya from Nyange, capital of the Gonja Kingdom.
However Seidu ( Bodari ) son of Issifa gave birth to Akati during the 1897 Samorian incursion on the Gonja Kingdom. Akati grandson of Issifa was born in Jang the Chorro traditional area after Kong was attacked by the warriors of Bole and their Wala allies which resulted Kong been abandoned by its inhabitants as Seidu (Bodari) to Asalikowu in the Kandia division of Gonja to seek for refuge but died there shortly after.
Akati his son was then raised by his maternal uncles from Jang where he grew up in to a fine warrior hunter as his forefathers. Akati finally got married and begot Zarenfo, Asumah Seidu ( reincarnated ) Gbetidua alongside two of their sisters.
The descendants of Dogte Akati can be located now in Damongo, Jang in the Chorro traditional area, Soma and Dabori respectively.
References:
Alhaji Issahaku Karamogho ....,.. Mali
Alhaji Abubakari Watara..............Damongo
Nsuawura Moshe........ Yagbon Nsuawura
