CULTURE

The indigenous people are Dagombas.  However one can still find other tribes like Gonjas, and Ewes who do fishing along the White Volta.  Islam and Traditional Religions are the predominant religions of the people.  However it is worth mentioning that there are pockets of Christians across the broad spectrum of the population especially in the urban settlements.  There are a number of festivals in the area.  The major ones are Bugum (fire) and Damba festivals which are celebrated annually.  There are 17 sub Chiefs who are enskined by Ya-Naa.  The people are generally hospitable and peaceful.

Traditional Composition

There are 17 divisional chiefs enskinned by the Yaa-Naa with two (2) paramountcies at Tolon and Kumbungu.

Ethnic Groupings 

The dominant ethnic group in the district is the Dagomba.  There are however, Gonja and Bato settlements along the fringes of the White Volta catchment area of the district.

According to Hon. Mahama his vision in this area is for the District to continue to enjoy the peace and stability that has been prevailing in the area for quite a long time now.  In the recent past, the Assembly chalked a huge security success by been able to successfully deal with a long standing chieftaincy dispute in the Nyankpala area.  This remarkable achievement did not happen on a The just ended week long National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC 2010) in Tamale was adjudged one of the best in recent years.

The festival which was under the theme: "NAFAC - "Promoting Unity, Technology and Wealth Creation for a Better Ghana-The Role of the Youth in Nation Building", witnessed an array of performances by various musical as well as cultural groups from other parts of the country.

There was also a colloquium organized by the NAFAC secretariat in conjunction with the University for Development Studies in Tamale. The Tolon District was represented at the event by Hon. Iddi Manzah Mahama, DCE and the Woribog-Lana accompanied by drummers and dancers.

NAFAC is a biennial cultural event celebrated to create the platform for all the 10 Regions of Ghana to showcase their culture. In addition, it promotes the socio-economic and tourism potentials in the respective regions as a driving force to investment, while presenting an opportunity for the nation to examine its cultural heritage in the context of globalization, particularly, regarding adverse cultural influence permeating the society.

Ironically, the NAFAC which is a national cultural event continues to undergo changes to reflect the realities of the day. NAFAC as a flagship cultural event is also an occasion to celebrate Ghana’s unity in diversity, promote excellence and creativity in the arts.

Tourism Attractions

The Tolon District abounds in a number of tourist attraction areas. These include the Jaagbo Sacred Grove, which is located about 15km from Tolon, the District capital. This grove offers very beautiful vegetation and scenery, resplendent with many species of birds, reptiles and rodents. It has a total land area of about 29 hectares.

The canopies formed by the cluster of trees around the place are very fascinating, coupled with the cove-like enclave within the thicket considered to be spiritual heart of the shrine. Close to Jaagbo is a dam which covers an area of about 16 square kilometres where quite a number of crocodiles can be found. There is also the White Volta and the Nawuni shrine, located in Nawuni about 40 km north-west of Tamale.

In the Nawuni shrine is a sacred crocodile held in reverence and believed to be capable of discovering good and evil. There is also the potential for introducing water speed boats for cruising and sight seeing on the White Volta. Indeed the Tolon District is well worth visiting, in order to experience its interesting tourist sites and potentially profitable investment areas.