Location: |
Southern Côte
d'Ivoire, Southern Ghana |
Population: |
40,000 |
Language: |
Aowin (Akan cluster of Twi) |
Neighboring Peoples: |
Anyi, Asante,
Fante |
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: |
Aowin are an Akan peoples living in southern Côte d'Ivoire. The rise
of the early Akan centralized states can be traced to the 13th century and
is likely 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. Local
agriculture includes cocoa cultivation for export, while yams and taro
serve as the main staples. 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. |