‘Neither fish nor fowl’: an analysis of status ambiguity of the Houses of Chiefs in Ghana

<i>Naam</i> Making in Dagbon and the Legitimation of Traditional Authority

“…Chiefs interact on a daily basis with diverse people, ranging from their immediate subjects to other citizens of national and international origin, and function as mediators and managers of conflicts in most areas where the state is absent or weak. They also engage with the modern state at different levels such as collaborating with other state actors to resolve chieftaincy disputes in Ghana (Anamzoya, 2009(Anamzoya, , 2014, assisting the state on issues tribal or customary in many African states. One key fact that gives these chiefs and kings the legitimation to engage with the modern state and other actors at these different levels is that these chiefs and kings have gone through the required installation rituals and processes.…”