Who are the Ashanti people?
The Ashanti people, also called Asante, are part of the Akan ethnic group from the Ashanti region, which is present-day Ghana. Since migrating to West Africa, the Asante has continued to build on the feelings of profound respect for the land, traditions, and culture.
What are the values of Ashanti?
Ashanti oral tradition and spiritual values build on the feelings of profound respect for the land, traditions, and culture. The Ashanti religion, for example, combines supernatural and spiritual powers. As part of the Akan ethnic group, they believe that everything has a soul, especially animals, trees, and other plants.
What are the traditions of Ashanti?
Ashanti People Traditions & Culture. The golden stool is sacred to the Ashanti; today great pride in the Ashanti King lives on in the tradition of the Golden Stool. There is an elaborate legend surrounding it that is told by the old men of Ashanti.
What was the Ashanti kingdom known for?
Gold was the major product of the Ashanti Empire. Osei Tutu made the gold mines royal possessions. He also made gold dust the circulating currency in the empire. Gold dust was frequently accumulated by Asante citizens, particularly by the evolving wealthy merchant class.
What is the history of the Ashanti tribe?
The Ashanti were a kingdom that developed in what is now central Ghana around the 13th century. By the 17th century, they had become powerful and wealthy from both the slave trade and gold trade. After Britain colonized what they called the Gold Coast, the Ashanti were incorporated into the British Empire.
What is the traditional food for the Ashantis?
Ashanti region and Kumasi metropolis has abundant food supplies to feed its population. These Ashanti region and Kumasi metropolis food supplies include cooking plantain, rice, maize, wheat, cassava, taro-cocoyam, pineapple, yam, vegetables and other cereals and legumes.
What language do Ashanti speak?
the Twi languageThe Asante speak the Twi language. The Twi language is spoken by over nine million Asante people as a first or second language.
What Ashanti means?
Girl. African. Derived from the Kiswahili word asante, meaning "thank you". Ashanti is a region in central Ghana. The traditional inhabitants of the region are known as Ashanti people.
Which dance do the Ashanti dance?
AdowaAdowa: Adowa is by far the most widespread and frequently performed social dance of the Akan people of Ghana. The Akan are located in Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Central and parts of the Volta Regions of Ghana. It is best described in Akan musical traditions as a women's dance because they dominate the performance.
Which festival does the Ashanti celebrate?
The Akwasidae FestivalThe Akwasidae Festival (alternate, Akwasiadae) is celebrated by the Ashanti people and chiefs in Ashanti, as well as the Ashanti diaspora. The festival is celebrated on a Sunday, once every six weeks. The Akwasidae Festival is next only in importance to The National Day celebrations.
How do Akan people dress?
Women wore skirts, or lappas, wrapped around their waist, leaving the top bare. Christian missionaries encouraged the use of a blouse. A second lappa covers the upper body of married women, leaving the right shoulder bare. Akan women may wear pants beneath their lapa or Western-style attire as well.
Where did the asantes originated from?
GhanaThe Asante were one of the Akan-speaking peoples who settled in the forest region of modern Ghana between the 11thand 13th centuries. The separate Asante chiefdoms were united by Osei Tutu in the 1670s and in 1696 he took the title of Asantehene (king) and founded the Asante empire.
Where did the Ashanti tribe migrated from?
The Ashanti or Asante are a major ethnic group in Ghana. They were a powerful, militaristic, and highly disciplined people of West Africa. The ancient Ashanti migrated from the vicinity of the northwestern Niger River after the fall of the Ghana Empire in the 13th century.
What is the main religion of the Ashanti?
The Ashanti religion is a mixture of spiritual and supernatural powers. They believe that plants, animals, and trees have souls. They also believe in fairies, witches, and forest monsters. There are a variety of religious beliefs involving ancestors, higher gods (abosom) and Nyame, the Supreme Being of Ashanti.
Where do the Asante come from?
Asante, also spelled Ashanti, people of south-central Ghana and adjacent areas of Togo and Côte d'Ivoire. Most of the Asante live in a region centred on the city of Kumasi, which was the capital of the former independent Asante state.
What is the Ashanti culture?
The Ashanti follow the culture of celebrating various ceremonies. Their funerals are celebrated for several days in the presence of the whole village. The presence of each and every villager is very important in the ceremonies. See Also: Interesting Facts About Ghana, Language, and Culture. The golden stool is like a divine to the Ashanti.
What did the Ashanti people believe?
The Ashanti people were always fierce fighters. They always believed in their slogan: “If I go forward, I will die. If I step backward, I’ll die. It is better to move forward and die.”. They used to signal for war with drum strokes which were so loud that the sound was heard over miles crossing the dense forests.
What is the tribe of Ghana?
It is the major indigenous tribe of the Akans (Ashanti and Fanti) of Ghana. Ghana basically is a new country of about 60 years old, and it was previously known as the Gold Coast. Most of the modern province of Ghana was dominated by the Ashanti tribe from 1670 to 1902. Ashanti those days was the largest and most powerful ...
Why did the Akans form a state?
Akans were very rich in gold and this was the main reason why they were able to form a state. Even today, Ashanti is the largest tribe in Ghana, which is politically separated into four major parts. With a population of about 1 million, the tribe which covers 9400 square miles of land area, lies in the center and its capital is Kumasi.
Which tribes were conquered by the Ashanti?
Ashanti emerged as the dominant power in 1670. It conquered the left, right and central tribes declaring a monopoly on the routes to the coasts. Kumasi, the capital, became the practical urban center with services and facilities like those of Europe those days.
Do Ashanti shake hands?
They still follow the same trend to shake hands. Ashanti people have a strong belief that their soul is their father’s spirit and the blood and the flesh comes from mother. And therefore they are said to be closer to their maternal side.
Does the Ashanti tribe still live on the Golden Stool?
Even today the Ashanti tribe still lives in the tradition of the Golden Stool. They protect the Golden Stool very carefully. Since its arrival, it has never touched the ground and no one has ever sat on it. It is kept in a very tight security as it has always been considered sacred.
What was the culture of the Ashanti Empire?
Culture of the Ashanti Empire. The Ashanti Empire was governed by an elected monarch with its political power centralised. The entire government was a federation. By the 19th century, the Empire had a total population of 3 million.
What was the highest social class in the Ashanti?
The king and the aristocracy were the highest social class in the Ashanti society. Commoners were below the aristocracy with slaves forming the lowest social order. The Ashanti celebrated various ceremonies which were compulsory for communal participation.
What is goldweight in Ashanti art?
A selection of Ashanti goldweights. Gold was an fundamental part of Ashanti art. The Ashanti just like all Akan kingdoms, used goldweights called abramo to measure gold dust. Most goldweights are miniature representations of West African cultural items such as the adinkra symbols, plants, animals and people.
What was the most common language in the Ashanti Empire?
Asante twi was the most common and official language. At its peak from the 18th–19th centuries, the Empire extended from the Komoé River ( Ivory Coast) in the West to the Togo Mountains in the East. The king and the aristocracy were the highest social class in the Ashanti society.
What did the Ashanti claim about slavery?
The modern-day Ashanti claim that slaves were seldom abused, and that a person who abused a slave was held in high contempt by society. They defend the "humanity" of Ashanti slavery by noting that those slaves were allowed to marry. In addition to slaves, there were pawns; these were individuals of free status sold into servitude as a means of paying a debt. Asantehene Kwaku Dua I banned this practice of pawnship around 1838.
What did the Ashanti wear?
Prominent people in the empire often wore silk. The ordinary Ashanti wore cotton whiles slaves dressed in black cloth . Garments signaled the wearer's rank, and their color denoted various meanings. Lighter colors could express innocence or rejoicing. White was worn by Chiefs after making a sacrifice or by ordinary people after winning a court case. Dark colors were worn for funerals or mourning. Most clothes bore intricate designs that carried out various meanings.
Who was the leader of the Ashanti family?
The typical Ashanti family was headed by an Abusua panyin as leader who was supported by a senior woman in the family called the obaa panyin. The obaa panyin was more concerned about the affairs of women and girls in the family. A mother's brother was the legal guardian of her children.
What is the meaning of the word "ashanti"?
A child is said to inherit the father's soul or spirit and from the mother a child receives flesh and blood This relates them more closely to the mother's clan. The Ashanti live in an extended family. The family lives in various homes or huts that are set up around a courtyard.
What is the Ashanti family?
The elders choose him. He is called either Father or House father and is obeyed by everyone. The Ashanti religion is a mixture of spiritual and supernatural powers.
What are the crafts of the Ashanti?
The Ashanti are noted for their expertise in a variety of specialized crafts. These include weaving, wood carving, ceramics, the reknown kente cloth and metallurgy. Of these crafts, only pottery making is primarily a female activity; the others are restricted to male specialists.
What is the ethnicity of Ghana?
The Ashanti are a major ethnic group of the Akans (Ashanti and Fanti) in Ghana, Ghana is a fairly new nation, barely more than 50 years old, and Ghana was previously called the Gold Coast. Much of the modern nation of Ghana was dominated from the late 17th through the late 19th century by a state known as Asante.
Why is the Golden Stool considered sacred?
As a symbol of nationhood, and because if contains the sumsum or Soul of Ashanti, the Golden Stool is considered to be so sacred that no person whatsoever is allowed to sit upon it. It is kept with the strictest security and precaution; and is taken outside only on exceptionally grand occasions.
What is the Ashanti's sacred stool?
The Ashanti also practice many ceremonies for marriage, death, puberty, and birth. The golden stool is sacred to the Ashanti; today great pride in the Ashanti King lives on in the tradition of the Golden Stool.
What is the game called that the Ashanti play?
The Ashanti play an African game called "Kikogo" which means transferring and refers to players moving markers that are usually beads or stones around a wooden board that has cups or depressions similar to that of an egg carton. The game is as popular as draughts (checkers) are in the western countries.
Where do the Ashanti live?
The Ashanti live in Ashanti specifically in the Ashanti capital Kumasi metropolis and due to the Middle Passage, a known diaspora of Ashanti exists in the Caribbean, particularly in Jamaica. Slaves captured by the Ashanti’s and sold to the British and the Dutch along the coasts were sent to the West Indies, particularly Jamaica, Barbados, Netherlands Antilles, British Virgin Islands. the Bahamas etc. Ashanti is known to be very opposed to both the Fante and the British people, as the Ashanti only traded with the Dutch in times of their ascension to becoming a hegemony of most of the area of present-day Ghana. The name Coromantee (from Fort Amsterdam, purchased by the Dutch in 1665) came from the original British fort on the Gold Coast to host Ashanti captives, despite this fort being used by the Dutch and having no records of trade to Jamaica while being under Dutch ownership.
What language do the Asante speak?
The Asante speak the Twi language. The Twi language is spoken by over nine million Asante people as a first or second language. The wealthy, gold-rich Asante people developed the large and influential Asante Empire, along Lake Volta and the Gulf of Guinea. The empire was founded in 1670, and the Asante capital Kumasi was founded in 1680. Located at the crossroads of the Trans-Saharan trade routes, the Kumasi megacity's strategic location contributed significantly to its growing wealth. Over the duration of the Kumasi metropolis' existence, a number of peculiar factors have combined to transform the Kumasi metropolis into a financial center and political capital. The main causal factors included the unquestioning loyalty to the Asante rulers and the Kumasi metropolis' growing wealth, derived in part from the capital's lucrative domestic trade in items such as bullion.
What is the Ashanti culture?
Ashanti culture celebrates Adae, Adae Kese, Akwasidae, Awukudae and Ashanti Yam festival. The Seperewa, a 10-14 stringed harp-lute, as well as the Fontomfrom drums, are two of the typifying instruments associated with the Ashanti as well as the Ashanti Kente clothing.
What was the influence of the Ashanti?
The Ashanti limited British influence in the Ashanti region, as Britain annexed neighbouring areas. The Ashanti were described as a fierce organized people whose king "can bring 200,000 men into the field and whose warriors are evidently not cowed by Sniper rifles and 7-pounder guns".
What is the official language of Ashanti?
The Ashanti language is the official language utilized for literacy in Ashanti, at the primary and elementary educational stage (Primary 1–3) K–12 (education) level, and studied at university as a bachelor's degree or master's degree program in Ashanti.
What language do the Ashanti speak?
The Ashanti people speak Ashanti Twi, which is the official language of the Ashanti Region and the main language spoken in Ashanti and by the Ashanti people. Ashanti language is spoken by over 9 million ethnic Ashanti people as a first or second language.
What is the golden ring called in Ashanti?
Historically, an Ashanti girl was betrothed with a golden ring called " petia " (I love you), if not in childhood, immediately after the puberty ceremony. They did not regard marriage " awade " as an important ritual event, but as a state that follows soon and normally after the puberty ritual.
What is the Ashanti region?
The Ashanti Region has a variable terrain, coasts and mountains, wildlife sanctuary and strict nature reserve and national parks, forests and grasslands, lush agricultural areas, and near savannas, enriched with vast deposits of industrial minerals, most notably vast deposits of gold.
How many Asante people speak Twi?
Twi is spoken by over nine million Asante people as a first or second language. The wealthy, gold -rich Asante people developed the large and influential Ashanti Empire, along the Lake Volta and Gulf of Guinea.
What is the Ashanti Empire?
Ashanti Empire/ Asante Kingdom (18th to late 19th century) The Ashanti Empire was a pre-colonial West African state that emerged in the 17th century in what is now Ghana . The Ashanti or Asante were an ethnic subgroup of the Akan-speaking people, and were composed of small chiefdoms. The Ashanti established their state around Kumasi in ...
Who was the chief of Ashanti?
That situation changed when Osei Tutu, the Asantehene (paramount chief) of Ashanti from 1701 to 1717, and his priest Komfo Anokye, unified the independent chiefdoms into the most powerful political and military state in the coastal region. The Asantehene organized the Asante union, an alliance of Akan-speaking people who were now loyal ...
What did Osei Tutu do to the Ashanti Empire?
Upon that Stool Osei Tutu legitimized his rule and that of the royal dynasty that followed him. Gold was the major product of the Ashanti Empire. Osei Tutu made the gold mines royal possessions. He also made gold dust the circulating currency in the empire.
What did the Ashanti get in exchange for their weapons?
In exchange, the Ashanti received luxury items and some manufactured goods including most importantly firearms. The consequence of this trade for the Ashanti and their neighbors was horrendous. From 1790 until 1896, the Ashanti Empire was in a perpetual state of war involving expansion or defense of its domain.
When did the Ashanti Empire conquer Kumasi?
Between 1823 and 1873, the Ashanti Empire resisted British encroachment on their territory. By 1874, however, British forces successfully invaded the Empire and briefly captured Kumasi. The Ashanti rebelled against British rule and the Empire was again conquered in 1896.
What did the Asantehene do?
The Asantehene organized the Asante union, an alliance of Akan-speaking people who were now loyal to his central authority. The Asantehene made Kumasi the capital of the new empire. He also created a constitution, reorganized and centralized the military, and created a new cultural festival, Odwira, which symbolized the new union.
Overview
Society
Art
- The Ashanti religion is the combination of spiritual and supernatural beliefs. They believe that plants, trees, and animals have souls. They also believe in forest monsters, witches, and fairies. They practice a variety of religious beliefs depending on ancestors, abosom or higher gods, and ‘Nyame’, the foremost being of Ashanti. They also practice...
Festivals
The Ashanti Empire was governed by an elected monarch with its political power centralised. The entire government was a federation. By the 19th century, the Empire had a total population of 3 million. The Ashanti society was matrilineal as most families were extended and were headed by a male elder who was assisted by a female elder. Asante twi was the most common and official language. At it…
Religion
Thomas Edward, in 1817, identified two classes in the empire. He referred to the upper class as "higher orders". The upper class were referred to as sikapo by the locals. Some owned large estates and thousands of slaves. "They were courteous, well-mannered, dignified and proud of their honor to such an extent a social disgrace, including something unintended as public flatulence could drive a man to commit suicide." Men and women of higher orders bathed ever…
Medicine
The Ashanti traditional buildings are the only surviving buildings of Ashanti architecture. The construction and design of most Ashanti houses consisted of a timber framework filled up with clay which were thatched with sheaves of leaves. The surviving designated sites are shrines, but there have been many other buildings in the past with the same architectural style. These buildings served as palaces and shrines as well as houses for the affluent. The Ashanti Empire als…
See also
The chiefs were responsible for directing the Adae, a religious ceremony approximately every 3 weeks during which the ancestors were praised and celebrated. During the Adae, the community drank palm wine and danced to the rhythm of dozens of drums. The Adae Kese ceremony was another important event in Ashanti. The custom of holding this festival came into prominence between 1697 and 1699 when statehood was achieved for the people of Ashante after the war o…