Monday 23 May 2011

THE MATRILINEAL FAMILY SYSTEM OF THE ASHANTI PEOPLE


The Ashanti people of Ghana are one of the African societies that operate matrilineal family system where line of descent is traced through the female. History has it that; land rights, inheritance of properties titles and offices are pre-determined by the mother. It is also true that the Ashanti people inherit from their further. Properties inherited from are referred to as “aguapade” meaning inheritance from a good father. Normally, a poor father has nothing to give their children, and often marry into a family which has wealth from ancestors.
In the Ashanti kingdom, the role of the father was to help the conception and provide the Nkra or the soul of the child. In other words, the child received from the father its life force, character, and personality traits. Though not regard as important as mother, male interaction continues in the place of birth after marriage.
Historically, an Ashanti girl was given a gold ring called “Petia” – “I love you”, if not in the childhood, immediately after puberty ceremony. They did not regard marriage or “asuade” as an important ritual event, but as a state that follow immediately and normally after puberty ritual. The various goods given by boy’s family is not required as the bride price but as a sign of agreement between the two families. The matrilineal system of the Ashanti was influential to the citizenship of Ghana where you are not a Ghana if your mother is not.

Wednesday 18 May 2011

THE LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN STOOL OF THE ASHANTI

 
The Ashanti or the Asante are a major ethnic group in the Ashanti region of Ghana. They speak Asante also referred to as Twi; an Akan dialect similar to Fante. They lived 300km away from the coast of Ghana. In the pre-colonial era, the Ashanti people have a large and influential empire in West Africa. Today, the Ashanti number close to 7 million (about 19% of the Ghanaian population) living majorly in the Ashanti region. Kumasi, the current capital of the Ashanti region, was the historic capital of the Ashanti kingdom.
THE KINGDOM
The Ashanti grew from a tributary state into a centralized hierarchical kingdom. The kingdom was founded in the 1670s by Osei Tutu, the military leader and head of the Oyoko clan. He got the support of other clan heads and using Kumasi as the central base, subdued the surrounding Akan states. He challenged and eventually defeated Denkyira in 1701.
Knowing the weakness of a loose confederation of Akan states, Osei Tutu strengthened the centralization of the surrounding Akan groups and extended the power judiciary system within the centralized government. Thereby, turning a loose confederation of small-city states into an empire looking to expand it lands. Newly conquered areas had the options of joining the kingdom or becoming  tributary states. Osei Tutu was succeeded by Opoku Ware 1, who extended the borders, embracing the much of present day Ghana’s territory.
THE LEGEND
The legend of the golden stool known as the sika dwa is as old as the kingdom itself. In the seventeenth century, in order to gain their independence from Denkyira, then another powerful Akan state, a meeting of all the heads of clans of the Ashanti was called. In that meeting, the priest, Okomfo Anokye(sage advisor)commanded down the Golden stool  from heaven into the lap of the Asantehene(the king of Asante) Osei Tutu 1. Okomfo Anokye declared the stool as Asanteman – the symbol of the new Asante union and an allegiance was sworn to the golden stool and to Osei Tutu as the Asantehene. The newly founded Asante union went to war with Denkyira and defeated it.
The golden stool is very sacred to the Ashanti, as they believed that it contain the sunsum – the spirit or the soul of the Ashanti people. Just as a man cannot live without a soul, the Ashanti would cease to exist if the golden stool were to be taken from them.
The Golden Stool is a curved seat 46 cm high with a platform 61 cm wide and 30 cm deep. Its entire surface is inlaid with gold, and hung with bells to warn the king of impending danger. It has not been seen by many and only the king and trusted advisers know the hiding place. Replicas of the stool have been produced for the chiefs and at their funerals are ceremonially blackened with animal blood, a symbol of their power for generations.
Asantehene Prempeh I
 The Ashanti have always defended their Golden Stool when it was at risk. In 1896, the Ashanti allowed their King, Prempeh 1, to be exiled rather than risk losing a war and the Golden Stool in the process. The Governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Frederick Hodgson, demanded to sit on the stool in 1900. The Ashanti remained silent and when the assembly ended, they went home and prepared for war. Although they lost on the battle field, they claimed victory because they fought only to preserve the sanctity of the Golden Stool, and they had.
The Ashanti have always being proud of the uniqueness of the golden stool. When the king of Gyaaman, Adinkra made himself, a golden stool the Asantehene was annoyed and led a massive army against him. Adinkra was totally destroyed in Bondoukou, and was decapitated. The Asantehene then ordered the melt down of Adinkra golden stool and made into two masks to represent his ugly face. These masks remain hanging on each side of the stool till date.