"If the Gyil Has Died, Dagara Itself Has Died": On the Relationship of Dagara Music, Food, and Costume

Author

Gordon CortneyFollow

Defense Date

4-26-2024

Graduation Date

Summer 8-10-2024

Availability

Dissertation/Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Music

Department

Music Performance

School

Mary Pappert School of Music

Committee Chair

Nicole Vilkner

Committee Member

Kathleen Roberts

Keywords

gyil, Dagara, gastromusicology, costume, smock, creation of ethnicity, cultural authenticity, cultural change, Ghanaian culture, food and music relationship

Abstract

The Dagara people, located primarily in the Upper West region of Ghana, take pride in their careful preservation of traditional customs, amidst years of brutal colonization and ethnocide. Previous ethnomusicological research has recognized the gyil, a Ghanaian xylophone, as the focal point of Dagara society, noting how it interacts with and is inherent in all aspects of their culture. Recent developments to the gyil’s design, practice, and performance have created concern for a lost or dying culture among the Dagara. If the gyil is experiencing change, then so too is the rest of Dagara culture. In June and July 2022, I spent approximately three weeks studying gyil repertoire at the Dagara Music Center, located in Medie, Ghana. I participated in local Dagara traditions—attending a funeral, church celebration, and large weekend parties—all the while observing how gyil music-making is deeply connected to food and costume culture. Reflecting on these experiences through an autoethnographic discussion, I examine the gyil in two case studies: first, a gastromusicological analysis of funerals and recreational events, showing how dog meat and saab cuisines relate to musical style; and second, a recontextualization of the smock as more than just a performance costume but rather a vehicle to express personal and collective identities. I view the gyil through two different lenses to not only reinforce the centrality of the gyil in Dagara culture, but reveal the impact change in gyil practice has had and will continue to have on the greater Dagara culture.

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Cortney, Gordon, ""If the Gyil Has Died, Dagara Itself Has Died": On the Relationship of Dagara Music, Food, and Costume" (2024). Honors College Undergraduate Theses. 1.
https://dsc.duq.edu/hc-theses/1