From what I have gathered from an interview from the Nungua palace, Naa according to their tradition is a mystery child who remained in her mother’s womb for two years so the deity was consulted before she was brought forth.
Second, she sat down for two years without crawling or walking and the deity was consulted. This time it was established fully that she was a reincarnated old woman who headed a Jigwe clan in the Nungua traditional area.
So the deity declared her as a mystery child who had different spiritual ability to carry her clan. It was stated that what happened was not “BETROTHAL” but a “MARRIAGE TO THE DEITY” who is responsible for her birth and her reason to walk.
The marriage, per the tradition, is what they call an elevation of her spiritual status which could only be carried out in her virginity state. Not when she breaks her virginity.
It was also established that the rite to elevate her as a wife was not a “CULTURAL PRACTICE” but a “TRADITIONAL PRACTICE” performed solely for mystery children to elevate their queenship status as wife of the deity.
Since she is the wife, she is entitled to or has 16 houses she owned, lots of servants older than her and is not part of the priest’s wife. She is also not staying with the priest and has a chance to marry any man she wants in her adulthood.
After all the insight I gained, my question also is: How can a person who is married to a deity also marry again? Are the deity’s wives who are mostly from Ashile and Bosom Afi clans have their personal husbands aside the deity marrying them?
By the way…
I love how some of the Ga people are contradicting themselves in their bid to make those who subjected this girl to a Trokosi practice get away with it. Now they claim the one who spoke (Okyeame) at the function did not know his own traditional laws and did not use the right words to address the customary marriage.
Now that some individuals have set in to execute the law, these same ga people who claimed the girl will not be performing wifely duties to the priest till she is 18 years and would gain all the necessary education now claim the girl is betrothed to a deity not the 63years priest.
In this world who gets betrothed to a deity? You are married to a human being but someone’s child is a future wife to a deity and would become a priest. Which means all her education is amount to nothing. She will be married to a spirit they should go and explain to the law how human beings will fast track a marriage rite for a spirit!
When did spirits start marrying daughters of men!
I know they will claim I am ignorant but in my ignorance I know the laws of Ghana deal with evidence not myths. Per the 1992 constitution Act 28 specifically states that customary, traditions and beliefs should be in line with the constitutional reforms which entailed the abolition of Trokosi system and betrothal.
So whether a god or a human there was betrothal and there were individuals who did it on behalf of the gods which was against our supreme law which is consistent with international standards, Convention on the right of Children. Those individuals by virtue of the law must be brought to book
By Maame Akosua Hayford