Mock Hunting, Music and Visual Art Forms in Ade u: A Northern Ewe Hunters' Dance-Drumming Ritual in Ghana

Abstract

Indigenous music in African cultures is strictly performed within the cultural matrixes of the people. The northern Ewe, like their other African neighbours, regard music as life because of their beliefs that are deeply rooted in religious, psychological and philosophical themes that support their daily activities and also provide solutions to their problems. Since their indigenous music making is also embedded in their social, political, religious and economic activities, one major music genre that supports personal and economic activities of adelawo (hunters) to provide 'bush meat' for consumption in their communities is ade? u, a hunters' dance-drumming ritual. This article, therefore, attempts to find out what ade? u is, its mode of performance, cultural role(s), and to further explain why visual art forms are incorporated into its performance. The study uses historical-analytic, iconic cultural, musical notation and participant observation methods to engage the issues it sets for itself.

Keywords: Indigenous music, Initiation ritual, Ade? u, Dancedrumming, visual art forms