Location: Ghana, Africa.
Language: Akuapem (Akan cluster of Twi)
Neighbouring 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 south-eastern 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 south-eastern 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 Akan
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
endeavours.
Political Systems:
Royal membership among Akan is determined
through connection to the land. Anyone who
traces their bloodline 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 river spirits and various local deities. Priests serve individual spirits and act as intermediaries 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.
Credits: Christopher D. Roy. Professor History of Art - The University of Iowa.