This week i found out for the first time in my life what my 'Sabla' was. What is Sabla? This is a type of supplementary name in the form of an appellation given to a child when he/she is born. There are Sabla's attached to specific names and there those which are personal serving as nicknames to a child given by others or to himself. Although I was excited to discover my Sabla i was somehow dampened
that it didnt sound so cool. Almost like a guy's name! Anyway, my Sabla is Ofosuele... Naa Ofosuele. Thanks to the Akan influence in 1600's, the Ga names are very much infused with some Akan names. Hence Ofosuele. :p
Then i discovered a Ga book by A.A Amartey 'Omanye Aba' containing all the Ga names and their appellations and other topics ranging from Ga Naming Ceremonies, Chronology of the Ga Kings etc. Since many of my readers wouldn't have access to this book, i just thought it would be informative to share some Ga names and their Sabla's for my Ga readers who aren't aware of theirs. The list is exhaustive i must say, so I am going to picky on which Ga settlement to focus on. If your name isnt listed, comment on this so i can search for it and let you know. Its about time the modern Ga youth be proud about their culture and start being curious about their family background etc.
The Ga ethnic group is divided into six major settlements;
Ga Mashi
Teshie
Osu (Christianborg)
La (Labadi)
Tema
Each settlement is divided into different quarters. For example Ga Mashi has 7 quarters (As
ɛr
ɛ
, Gbese, Otublohum, Abola, Sempe Nleshi Alata, AkanMaje) These quarters are also made up of Wei (singular is We) ancestral homes which also differ from each quarter or Akutso. So once a Ga man or woman mentions their name, their identity is immediately known (the Akutso, the ancestral home, family lineage, etc)
Since I am from Ga Mashi As
ɛr
ɛ from the house of Kpakpatsewe (House of Kpakpa),
I will start from there. :)
Ga Names from Kpakpatsewe
My mom comes from La
Kla
ŋnaa,
so thats next. :) Like i stated, each Akutso has its own number of We (pronounced like Way). La
Kla
ŋnaa has 5 We.
Ga Names & Sabla for La
Kla
ŋnaa
The names are so many, so i am going to pick a few popular Ga names with their Sabla from different Akutso and We. I am sure you will find a friend's name in there. Call them and ask them if they know their appellation.
Didnt see your name? Let me know and do the hard work for you! Last Sunday, I befriend two young Ga ladies at my church. I asked of their names and the first one said 'Elizabeth'. I repeated my question and she said 'Naa Ashiorkor' the second lady on my query said 'Libby' and then I repeated my question and this time she said 'Naa Adja'. Better. We the Ga people of this generation should be proud of our culture and history so as to pass this on to our children and future generations to come.
