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The Brief History of the Asante of Ghana
The Asante are members of the Akan cluster of ethnic groups. Their language, variously known as Asante or Twi, is also often called Akan, but is actually one of a number of separate Akan languages, all of which belong to the Kwa subgroup of the Niger-Congo language family (see Languages, African: An Overview). The Asante are often considered the custodians of the nation's culture because of the power, artistic splendor, and duration of their empire, which covered nearly all of present-day Ghana by 1800.
Asante oral accounts of the group's origin vary. According to one account, their ancestors are descended from the rulers of the ancient Ghana empire, far to the north in present-day Mali and Mauritania. This account forms the basis for the name of the modern nation. Other accounts claim that their ancestors emerged from the ground in their present homeland. Linguistic and archaeological evidence suggests that ancestors of the Asante have lived in their present homeland for at least 2006 years. With the expansion of gold production and trade in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, kingships began to emerge among the Akan. The further expansion of trade in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, following the arrival of Europeans along the coast, spurred the development of powerful states in the Asante region. By the early seventeenth century, the Denkyira kingdom had conquered the independent Asante clans.
The political, military, and spiritual foundations of the Asante nation date to the first Asante king, Osei Tutu. He forged the Asante Union by bringing together several subgroups from roughly 1670 to the 1690s. He also built a capital, Kumasi; created the legend of the Golden Stool to legitimize his rule; and began celebrating the Odwira, or yam festival, as a symbol of national unity. From 1698 to 1701, the united Asante army defeated the Denkyira people. Over the course of the eighteenth century, Asante conquered most of the surrounding peoples, including the Dagomba.
By the early nineteenth century, Asante territory covered nearly all of present-day Ghana, including the coast, where the Asante could trade directly with the British. In exchange for guns and other European goods, the Asante sold gold and slaves, usually either captured in war or accepted as tribute from conquered peoples. As they prospered, Asante culture flourished. They became famous for gold and brass craftsmanship, wood carving, furniture, and brightly colored woven cloth, called kente. Although the Asante maintained traditional beliefs, Muslim traders and Christian missionaries won some converts among them to their respective religions.
During the nineteenth century, Asante fought several wars with the British, who sought to eliminate the slave trade and expand their control in the region. A series of defeats at the hands of the British gradually weakened and reduced the territory of the Asante kingdom. After nearly a century of resistance to British power, Asante was finally declared a Crown Colony in 1902 following the uprising known as the Yaa Asantewa War.
Before long, however, Asante reemerged to contribute to the nationalist movement that would help shape modern Ghana. The exiled Asante king was allowed to return to Kumasi in 1924, and the British recognized the Asante Confederacy as a political entity in 1935. Today, most Asante live in the Asante Region of Ghana. They are primarily farmers, growing cocoa for export and yams, plantains, and other produce for local consumption. The Golden Stool, the Asante imperial palace, and artifacts at the Museum of National Culture in Kumasi have become enduring symbols of Ghana's illustrious past.
Contributed By:
David P. Johnson, Jr.
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