By Bajin D. Pobia
Jirapa (UWR,) Dec. 13, GNA –The Tindambas (landlords) and kingmakers in Jirapa have selected Naa Justice Donglabong Dinaa as Chief of Jirapa after some ritual performances associated with the mourning and final funeral rites of all departed souls in the 2023 calendar year in the Jirapa Zokyieri Community.
The 41-year-old teacher, who is in charge of Culture and Language Studies at the Jirapa Municipal Education Office, would be a successor to the late Naa Ansoleh Ganaa II, Paramount Chief of the Jirapa Traditional Area, who died on February 17, 2023, when enskinned.
Naa Donglabong Dinaa, in his acceptance speech, thanked the Tindambas and Kingmakers for the honour done to the Jirapa Skin after a careful study of him and his selection.
“I am humbled by the action of the Tindambas and Kingmakers and I promised to foster unity and cooperation and to mobilise the people to pool resources to complement the government’s development efforts.”
He also pledged to rebuild the Jirapa Naa’s Palace, which had been ruined over the past years and called for the support of citizens, public-spirited individuals, benevolent organisations, and donor community to bring back the “ancient Sundanese structure to life”.
Naa Donglabong Dinaa was the Secretary to Naa Ganaa and after his death, he served as a Regent to the Jirapa Skin until his selection to take over the reign of the Skin.
A delegation from the Wa Limanyiri, who are of the same ancestry as the Jirapa Community, attended the ceremony to strengthen the bond of relations as one people.
The occasion brought together elders of Wuoyiri Jirapa and undertakers of Naayiri Zokyieri in the annual event to mourn off 15 men and five women who died within the year.
It also signified the purification of both the living and dead and the releasing of the souls of the dead to their ancestors.
Three sheep were sacrificed and tied to hoe handles to denote that the men who died were good farmers while four cowries each were also knotted to sticks to demonstrate how the women used the sticks to sow grains on the farms.
Bundles of red millet were also presented to the elders and were later deposited on top of the upstairs to be thrashed and shared with the widows in the community to brew pito while some animals would also be sacrificed to bring to an end the two weeks’ occasion.
GNA