Akan people
Akan people are believed to have migrated to their current location from the Sahara desert and Sahel regions of Africa into the forest region around the 11th century, and many Akans tell their history as it started in the eastern region of Africa as this is where the ethnogenesis of the Akan as we know them today happened.
17th Century Akan Terracotta – Metropolitan Museum of Art
Origin and etymologies
Oral traditions of the ruling Abrade (Aduana) Clan relate that they originated from ancient Ghana. They migrated from the north, they went through Egypt and settled in Nubia (Sudan). Around 500 AD (5th century), due to the pressure exerted on Nubia by the Axumite kingdom of Ethiopia, Nubia was shattered, and the Akan people moved west and established small trading kingdoms.
These kingdoms grew, and around 750 AD the Ghana Empire was formed. The Empire lasted from 750 AD to 1200 AD and collapsed as a result of the introduction of Islam in the Western Sudan, and the zeal of the Muslims to impose their religion, their ancestors eventually left for Kong (i.e. present day Ivory Coast). From Kong they moved to Wam and then to Dormaa (both located in present-day Brong-Ahafo region). The movement from Kong was necessitated by the desire of the people to find suitable savannah conditions since they were not used to forest life. Around the 14th century, they moved from Dormaa South Eastwards to Twifo-Hemang, North West Cape Coast. This move was commercially motivated.
The kingdom of Bonoman (or Brong-Ahafo) was established as early as the 12th century. Between the 12th and 13th centuries a gold boom in the area brought wealth to numerous Akans.
During different phases of the Kingdom of Bonoman, groups of Akans migrated out of the area to create numerous states based predominantly on gold mining and trading of cash crops. This brought wealth to numerous Akan states like Akwamu Empire (1550–1650), and ultimately led to the rise of the most well known Akan empire, the Empire of Ashanti (1700–1900), the most dominant of the Akan states.
History
From the 15th century to the 19th century (and possibly even earlier) the Akan people dominated gold mining and trading in the region; from the 17th century on, they were among the most powerful groups in Africa.
The Akan goldfields, according to Peter Bakewell, were the "highly auriferous area in the forest country between the Komoe and Volta rivers. The Akan goldfield was one of three principal goldfields in the region, along with the Bambuk goldfield, and the Bure goldfield.
This wealth in gold attracted European traders. Initially, the Europeans were Portuguese, soon joined by the Dutch and the British in their quest for Akan gold. Akan states waged wars on neighboring states in their geographic area to capture people and sell them as slaves to Europeans (Portuguese) who subsequently sold the enslaved people along with guns to Akan states in exchange for Akan gold. Akan gold was also used to purchase slaves from further up north via the Trans-Saharan route. The Akan purchased slaves in order to help clear the dense forests within Ashanti.[15] About a third of the population of many Akan states were indentured servants (i.e. Non-Akan peoples). The Akans went from buyers of slaves to selling slaves as the dynamics in the Gold Coast and the New World changed. Thus, the Akan people played a role in supplying Europeans with indentured servants, who were later enslaved for the trans-Atlantic slave trade. In 2006 Ghana apologized to the descendants of slaves for the role some of its people may have played in the slave trade.
Akan people, especially the Ashanti people, fought against European colonists and defeated them on several occasions to maintain autonomy. This occurred during the Anglo-Ashanti wars: the war of the Golden Stool, and other similar battles.
By the early 1900s all of Ghana was a colony or protectorate of the British while the lands in the Ivory Coast were under the French. On 6 March 1957, following the decolonization from the British under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah, the Gold Coast was joined to British Togoland, and the Northern region, Upper East region and Upper West region of the Gold Coast to form Ghana. Ivory Coast gained independence on 7 August 1960.
The Akans consider themselves one nation. Akan means first, foremost, and indicates the enlightened and Civilized. While traditionally matrilineal; they are also united philosophically through 12 patrilineal spirit groups called the Ntoro or egya-bosom. Within this nation are branches based on many dialects, widest (and possibly the oldest) one used is Twi. Each branch subsequently holds a collection of states and stemming from city-states. The state or Aman is typically ruled by several kings known as Ahenfo. The state is the basic unit of Akan polity. Several states and city-states can band together to form a Confederacy or an empire regardless of clan or abusua they belong to, while those outside of the Akan tribe or the abusua were usually conquered or annexed via war or mutual agreement. For example, the Guan state of Larteh and the Akyem state of Akropong joined together to form the Akwapim Kingdom to avoid the Akwamu, who the Guan deemed as oppressive. Under the State there are Divisions and under these Divisions are towns and villages.
kan kings are ranked according to their jurisdiction. The head of an inter-clan Confederacy is usually considered a King, as in the Kings of Ashanti, Akyem and the Akwapim. Under these are the heads of the constituent states who equates an Emperor that only heads an Empire (for e.g. Asante Empire and the Denkyira). In Asante's case, as an Empire the Asantehene reigned over non-Oyoko clan city states and ruled over the kings of those states as an Imperial head or Emperor (a hardly used but rightful equivalent term as Emperor literally mean king of kings.) But right Next, there are divisional Chiefs, they are primarily arranged according to the five divisions of an Akan army. The Akan army or Asafo formation resembles a cross or an aeroplane. The battle formation has the Frontline, the West Flank, an East Flank, the main body and the Vanguard. There are therefore five divisional chiefs in each Paramountcy. These are followed in rank by the Kings of the city and then the Kings of the town and then king of the suburbs.
Akan Subgroups And Meta-Identity
The Akan people comprise the following subgroups: Ashanti (the largest Akan ethnic group), Abinghi, Abbe, Abidji, Aboure, Adjukru, Ahafo, Ahanta, Akuapem, Akwamu, Akye, Akyem, Alladian, Anyi, Aowin, Assin, Attie, Avatime, Avikam, Baoulé, Abron, Chokosi, Denkyira, Ehotile, Evalue, Fante (the second largest Akan ethnic group), Kwahu, M'Bato, Nzema, Sefwi, Tchaman, Twifu and Wassa.
The identity of an Akan nation or meta-ethnicity is expressed by the term Akanman. The Akan word ɔman (plural Aman) which forms the second element in this expression has a meaning much of "community, town; nation, state". ɔman/Aman has been translated as "Akanland" ".
Akan language and orthography committee
Akan refers to the language of the Akan ethno-linguistic group and the Akan language in which was and is the most widely spoken and used indigenous language on the Ashantiland Peninsula. Akan is officially recognized for literacy on the Ashantiland Peninsula, at the primary and elementary educational stage (Primary 1–3) K–12 (education) level, and studied at university as a bachelor's degree or master's degree program. The Akan language spoken as the predominant language in the Western, Central, Ashanti, Eastern, Brong Ahafo regions of the Ashantiland Peninsula. A language with some Akan influence called Ndyuka is also spoken in South America (Suriname and French Guiana), with the Akan language coming to these South American and Caribbean places through the trans-Atlantic slave trade and Akan names and folktales are still used in these South American and Caribbean countries(another example can be seen in the Maroons of Jamaica and their influence with Akan culture and loanwords). With the present state of technology, one can listen to live radio broadcasts in Akan from numerous radio stations and receive mass media and public broadcasts in Akan from numerous multimedia and media broadcasting. Akan is studied in major universities in North America and United States, including Ohio University, Ohio State University, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Harvard University, Boston University, Indiana University, University of Michigan, and the University of Florida. The Akan language has been a regular language of study in the annual Summer Cooperative African Languages Institute (SCALI) program and the Akan language is regulated and administered by the Akan Orthography Committee (AOC).
Some of Akan's characteristic features include tone, vowel harmony and nasalization.
Culture
Akan culture is one of the traditional matrilineal cultures of Africa. Akan art is wide-ranging and renowned, especially for the tradition of crafting bronze goldweights, using the lost-wax casting method. The Akan culture reached South America, Caribbean, and North America.
Some of their most important mythological stories are called anansesem, literally meaning "the spider story", but in a figurative sense also meaning "traveler's tales". These "spider stories" are sometimes also referred to as nyankomsem: "words of a sky god". The stories generally, but not always, revolve around Kwaku Ananse, a trickster spirit, often depicted as a spider, human, or a combination thereof.
Elements of Akan culture also include, but are not limited to: Akan art, kente cloth, Akan Calendar, Akan Chieftaincy, Akan goldweights and Akan religion.
These are the basic concepts of Akan philosophy and inheritance:
Akan influence
Elements of Akan culture can generally be seen in many geographic areas. Specific elements of Akan culture are especially seen in neighboring African peoples and some Central African populations. Akan culture has also been historically important in the New World, where Akan names are or were common, for example among the Coromantins of Jamaica, South and North America, Barbados, and the descendants of the Akwamu in St. John. Kofi, the leader of the 1763 slave revolt and violent revolt against the Dutch people in Guyana was an Akan.
List of akan people who were known as the icons
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Source:
- The Techiman-Bono of Ghana:an ethnography of an Akan society Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co., 1975
- Title: Africa a Voyage of Discovery with Basil Davidson, Language: English Type: Documentary Year: 1984 Length: 114 min.
- Africa from the 12th to the 16th century Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Djibril Tamsir Niane, James Currey, 1997, 294 pp.
- Indigenous medicine and knowledge in African society. Psychology Press, 2007 – Health & Fitness.
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