|
Tribe Snapshots Akuapem |
| Location: |
Southern Ghana |
| Population: |
n/a |
| Language: |
Akuapem (Akan cluster of Twi) |
| Neighboring
Peoples: |
Dagomba, Senufo, Malinke, Guro, Ewe, Yaure |
| 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: |
Akuapem are one group of several Akan peoples
living in southern Ghana and southeastern Côte
d'Ivoire. Akan is a generic term which refers
to a large number of linguistically related peoples.
The largest and best known ethnic groups include
Asante and Fante peoples, who live in southern
Ghana, and Baule and Anyi peoples in 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. Among the Fante who live
along the coast, fishing is very important. 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: |
Royal membership among Akan is determined through
connection to the land. Anyone who traces descendency
from a founding member of a village or town may
be considered royal. Each 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 inherited
his position along matrilineal lines. 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 most often 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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