Page 5 - Exposition of Dagara Morality FNAL

8.c. Nabagle be sibr o to nen e. A hunter does not refuse his colleagues meat.
* This means, be generous because if you are greedy, people will be greedy
towards you too.
* Di won nuo kure baa lile. Too much enjoyment kills the seagull.
* When a seagull enjoys a lot at the riverside alone, it frequents there to
get more food and can easily be killed.
* We can easily be engulfed in greed so much so that we can become
gullible and that can even lead to our death. So, we should be careful not to be
greedy.
8.e. Taa tere la taa tere, taa mong la taa mong. Have and give is have and
give; have and refuse to give is have and refuse to give
* The English equivalence is “hand go hand come”. If you are generous,
people will be generous towards you. The generous person lacks nothing.
1. FORCE
9.a. Be-be dang fer sigr a kpe your e. They do not force bees to enter the hive
* We should desist from the use if compulsion to get things done or in the
bringing up of children. It might be improperly done and you who forced the
person will be the worse off for it. So, learn to persuade people instead of forcing
them.
We should desist from the use if compulsion to get things done or in the bringing
up of children. It might be improperly done and you who forced the person will
be the worse off for it. So, learn to persuade people instead of forcing them.
9.b. Fo na tuou na fer wur o sig baa, e kye fo ku tuou fer'o o nyo akuo e. You
can force a donkey to the riverside but you cannot force it to drink the water.
* Do not force people to do things against their will. Respect the interests
of people.
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FOREWORD
This book is a result of a memoir I presented to the faculty of philosophy of the St. Victor's
Major Seminary in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree
in Religious Studies. This book is written against the background of my conviction that an
in-depth study of the Dagara proverbs will go a long way to portray the culture of the
Dagara as well as their philosophy and moral thinking.
In the production of this book, I have been supported spiritually, morally and f9inancially
by so many people. I am grateful to all of them. There is a proverb that “he who does not
thank does not think”. Therefore, I owe a million debts of gratitude to God for my life,
which He gave me through my parents, Mr. Bonaventure Betuku Bedekuru and Mrs.
Victoria Wuur. I thank you Lord for having inspired and guided me to write this book.
Also, I wish to express my indebtedness to Rev. Dr. Edward B. Tengan, who as director of
the initial memoir, made perceptive remarks on my draft and helped me clarify some of
my thoughts. His patience and useful suggestions gave vitality to this book. I thank Rev.
Dr. Bekye, the Dean of Studies, who recommends this memoir for publication as a book.
Also, I thank Rev. Fr. Gregory Dongklore for his proof-reading of this book. Furthermore, I
wish to thank Rev. Jacob Lekuu who motivated me to write this book on Dagara proverbs.
I am also grateful to my major informants, Mr. Bonaventure Betuku Bedekuru, my father,
Mr. Peter Beyor, my former Dagaare Master at St. Francis Xavier Junior Seminary, Mr.
Ambrose Nang Kuor, Assistant Headmaster of Piina Senior Secondary School and Brother
Luke Bangnikom, my friend, for the invaluable information. To all of you, I say “Naab be
puore baa e” (the cow does not thank the river).
I also wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to Miss Basilia Yibeen, my crew and Miss
Esther Yitiereh for accepting to type the manuscript of this book. I also thank Sr.
Magdalene Nuurah for all her moral support. To you all, I say, thanks a million times.
My intention to write this book would have remained a dream had my bishop, Rt. Rev. Pul
Bemile (Wa Diocese) not sponsored me to pursue both philosophical and theological
studies in St. Victor's Major Seminary. For this, I am grateful to him. I also sincerely thank
Mr. Tim Schmelting, my beloved German friend, and Dr. Edward N. Gyader and Mrs.
Prudence Gyader for their joint funding of this book. Finally, a special word of gratitude
goes to Most Rev. Peter Porekuu Dery, Archbishop Emeritus of Tamale, for his parental
support. His wisdom has been a source of inspiration for me throughout the writing of
this book. To all who helped me in one way or the other in writing this book, I say, thank
you elephantly and may God bless you all.
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