|
Tribe Snapshots Fante |
| Location: |
Southern coast of Ghana |
| Population: |
n/a |
| Language: |
Fante (Akan cluster of Twi) |
| Neighboring
Peoples: |
Nzima, Denkyira, Kwahu, Asante, Ewe |
| Types
of Art: |
Woodcarving includes stools, which are recognized
as "seats" of power, and wooden dolls (akua ba)
that are associated with fertility. There are
also extensive traditions of pottery and weaving
throughout Akan territory. Kente cloth, woven
on behalf of royalty, has come to symbolize African
power throughout the world. |
| History: |
Fante peoples, along with Asante, comprise two
of the largest and best known ethnic groups that
make up the Akan. Akan is a generic term used
to refer to a large number of linguistically related
peoples who live in southern Ghana and southeastern
Côte d'Ivoire. The rise of the early Akan centralized
states can be traced to the 13th century and is
related to the opening of trade routes established
to move gold throughout the region. It was not
until the end of the 17th century, however, that
the grand Asante Kingdom emerged in the central
forest region of Ghana, when several small states
united under the Chief of Kumasi in a move to
achieve political freedom from the Denkyira. The
Asante confederacy was dissolved by the British
in 1900 and colonized in 1901. Although there
is no longer a centralized Akan confederacy, Akan
peoples maintain a powerful political and economic
presence. |
| Economy: |
Early Akan economics revolved primarily around
the trade of gold and enslaved peoples to Mande
and Hausa traders within Africa and later to Europeans
along the coast. This trade was dominated by the
Asante who received firearms in return for their
role as middlemen in the slave trade. These were
used to increase their already dominant power.
Various luxury goods were were also received and
incorporated into Asante symbols of status and
political office. Local agriculture includes cocoa
cultivation for export, while yams and taro serve
as the main staples. Fante, who live along the
coast, rely heavily on fishing, both for local
consumption and for trade with inland peoples.
The depleted forests provide little opportunity
for hunting. Extensive markets are run primarily
by women who maintain considerable economic power,
while men engage in fishing, hunting and clearing
land. Both sexes participate in agricultural endeavors. |
| Political
Systems: |
Each Fante family is responsible for maintaining
political and social order within its confines.
In the past, there was a hierarchy of leadership
that extended beyond the family, first to the
village headman, then to a territorial chief,
then to the paramount chief of each division within
the Asante confederacy. The highest level of power
is reserved for the Asanthene who inherits his
position along matrilineal lines. During the height
of the Asante empire extensive tribute systems
required Fante to contribute to the confederacy's
coffers. The Asantahene still plays an important
role in Ghana today, symbolically linking the
past with current Ghanaian politics. |
| Religion: |
Akan believe in a supreme god who takes on various
names depending upon the particular region of
worship. Akan mythology claims that at one time
the god freely interacted with man, but that after
being continually struck by the pestle of an old
woman pounding fufu, he moved far up into the
sky. There are no priests that serve him directly,
and people believe that they may make direct contact
with him. There are also numerous gods (abosom)
who receive their power from the supreme god and
are connected to the natural world. These include
ocean and riverine spirits and various local deities.
Priests serve individual spirits and act as mediaries
between the gods and mankind. Nearly everyone
participates in daily prayer, which includes the
pouring of libations as an offering to both the
ancestors, who are buried in the land, and to
the spirits who are everywhere. The earth is seen
as a female deity and is directly connected to
fertility and fecundity. |
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