Who are the Sɔɣ'yalisi?

Who are the Sɔɣ'yarisi/Sɔɣ'yalisi?

The Aboriginal Dagbamba who lived centuries ago embraced Islam through many routes. One was through Hausa traders and the other was through the Mande people.

In ancient times, the Mande Sheikh had contact with the indigenous people of Hanga and Kamara. These people today are mixed and may claim they are Mande people, but the fact is they are relatives of the Dagbamba people, including the Mamprusi, Nanumba, and many more.

When the Mande Sheikhs or clerics came, a lot settled in parts of Laribanga today. They are the reason there is a mosque structured in the same form as the ones that existed in Mali. These Sheikhs and their families started preaching Islam to the indigenous people. The people saw signs that manifested, which they believed to be miraculous.

The Dagbamba, or today's Dagombas, had a king who lived in the 17th century and traveled north-eastwards. During his journey, he encountered an Islam-practicing people who treated him well. He learned their ways and adopted some practices which he brought back to Dagbon in his later years. Today, people say one of the practices he introduced was the Damba festival, which is related to the Islamic Mawlid celebration. Others argue the celebration of Damba was already in existence, but a later embracing of Islam influenced its celebration patterns.

When Islam started gaining ground in the 1650s, most of the palace proceedings and protocols had reserved practices which involved sheikhs or Imams. One includes the Naa Limam (Yidan Moli or Yidan ʒeemoli), who leads the prayers at the palace. Also, he officiates the Damba festival. These dynamics all led to when the University of Moliyili was in existence in the 1800s, and the Yidan Moli was its leader. Dagbanli was written with Arabic text, and master craftsmanship and handy skills were nurtured in these ancient learning headquarters even before Western education was introduced.

Who are the Sɔɣ'yarisi/Sɔɣ'yalisi? They were these Imams or Sheikhs from the Hanga/Kamara people who visited Dagbon. In most situations, they said prayers in whispers or hidden words, and that actually gave them their name, "Sɔɣ'yalisi", meaning the "Hidden Talkers".

These spiritual practices were done by the Mande Sheikhs, and their settlement with the Hanga/Kamara people made that practice known among the big sheikhs from that region.

In Dagbon today, you can hear a name like "Saɣ'yari-doo" or "Saɣ'yari-paɣa"; the original names are Sɔɣ'yari-doo / Sɔɣ'yari-paɣa. These names are common in Limam-yili families (Imams' houses) and their relations.

Base on this piece of history, we can observe how Religion can influence original practices in various cultures. Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below!