Ghana and the Ashanti Tribe - Essay Example

Ghana and the Ashanti Tribe: A Critical Review Nearly half of the society in Ghana descended from the Akans, a tribe which includes the famous Ashanti people. The Ashanti tribe itself is something of great importance; it is the largest tribe in Ghana, and is one of the few matrilineal societies in all of West Africa. Once renown for the splendor and wealth of their rulers, they are most famous today for their craft work, particularly such things as their hand-carved stools and fertility dolls and their colorful kente cloth. The people of the Ashanti tribe have a slogan: "If I go forward I die, if I go backward, I die, better go forward and die." The issue of Ghana and the Ashanti tribe is one of great significance and interest, and in order to come to a better understanding on the subject matter, we must thoroughly discuss these topics, as well as any and all key related information. The aim of this paper is to do this, in order to provide a more intellectual and knowledgeable viewpoint on the subject matter at hand. This is what will be dissertated in the following. Ghana is a country in West Africa which borders the Ivory Coast to the west, Burkina Faso in the north and Togo to the east. Ghana was "inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number of ancient kingdoms, including an island Ashanti kingdom and various Fante states along the coast." (Wikipedia, 2006). Ghana became independent in 1957, and the country's population is now 21,029,853. The name Ghana is mostly symbolic, and was chosen for the nation - a reference to the Ghana Empire of earlier centuries. Ghana comprises of over 60 ethnic groups, with fifty two major languages and hundreds of dialects which are spoken in Ghana, and English, the official language of Ghana, is spoken by many. Like most other African nations Ghana has rich traditional cultures that differ from one ethnic group or tribe to the other. Generally, Ghanaians emphasize such communal values as; family, respect for the elderly, honoring traditional rulers, and the importance of dignity and proper social conduct. "Individual conduct is seen as having an impact on an entire family, social group and community; therefore, everyone is expected to be respectful, dignified and observant in public settings and in most every aspect of life." (Wikipedia, 2006). No part of Ghana, however, is ethnically homogeneous. Urban centers generally ethnically mixed due to migration in towns and cities in search of employment; rural areas, with the exception of cocoa-producing areas that have attracted migrant labor, tend to reflect more traditional population distributions. Prior to European colonization, the Ashanti Confederacy was a major state in western Africa, particularly from 1570 to 1900. Ashanti wealth was based on the region's substantial deposits of gold. These rich deposits led to much metalworking among the Ashanti. Ashanti was one of the few African states which was able to offer serious resistance to the European imperialists. Between the years of 1826 and 1896, Britain fought four wars against the Ashanti kings (the Anglo-Ashanti wars), one of which was notable as the first conflict in which the Maxim gun was used. "In 1900, the British finally subdued the kingdom and renamed it the Gold Coast colony. A revered figure in Asante history is Yaa Asantewaa, a leader of the resistance against British colonialism in 1896." (Wikipedia, 2006). The Ashanti people are known mostly for their colorful folktales and mythology, as well as for their religion. The most important god in the pantheon of the Ashanti of Ghana is Nyame, the omniscient, omnipotent sky god. Tano is one of the most important and famous gods of Ashanti. All the other gods of Ashanti, especially the river gods in particular, are believed to be the children of Tano, and therefore the Ashanti believe that the gods are the children of Nyame and that they serve as intermediaries between humans and Nyame. The Ashanti tribe is the tribe from which nearly half of the Ghanaian population is descended, and is the largest tribe in Ghana and one of the few matrilineal societies in all of West Africa. The Ashanti tribe is associated with the kente cloth, and anthropomorphic or zoomorphic figures are designed exclusively by men; women are only allowed to do pottery. Besides weaving, the tribe is also popular for their skillful creations of specialized crafting, such as ceramics and metallurgy. The people of the Ashanti tribe live in central Ghana in western Africa approximately 300km away from the coast. This tribe is one of the most major ethnic groups of the Akans in Ghana, and to the Ashanti, the family and the mother's clan is of the utmost importance. "A child is said to inherit the father's soul or spirit (ntoro) and from the mother a child receives flesh and blood (mogya). This relates them more closely to the mother's clan." (Africa, 2006). The people of the Ashanti tribe live in what is called an 'extended family' and the family most often lives in various homes or huts that are set up around a courtyard or such. The head of the household is usually the oldest brother that lives there, and he is chosen by the elders. He is called either 'Father' or 'Housefather' and is obeyed by everyone. The village in this situation is a social as well as an economic unit. Everyone participates in major ceremonies, the most frequent of which are funeral celebrations which typically last for several days. Attendance at funerals is normally expected from everyone in the village and expenditure on funerals is a substantial part of the household budget, as the people of the Ashanti tribe consider death and the grieving of the death to be an incredibly important and significant part to life. In each village there are people of particular importance. The Chief together with the elders maintains traditional customs and ceremonies and deals with disputes. The traditional priest and the herbalist provide a medical service which can be partly paid for in local produce (a hen, eggs, etc.) as opposed to Western medicine which requires cash payment, and usually a considerable journey to the nearest hospital. "The priest, when possessed by the gods, is particularly powerful at dealing with spiritual problems. The herbalist relies on local medicines to effect a cure. Many of these cures are now being investigated by research institutes both in Ghana and elsewhere as alternative remedies for many ailments, including Malaria." (Ashanti, n.d.). The taking of responsibility is every Ashanti man's lot and he believes that it begins in the ownership of a home where he will be responsible for a group of the clean. Wherever he may be, in whatever circumstance he may be placed, he tries to make his home. For instance, he builds a home to accommodate himself, as well as all of those under his care. He says: "There is no place like home"; and it is for this very reason that the Ashanti's highest ambition is all his aspiration is directed to building a house and making a home. Marriage is very important to Ashanti communal life and it can be polygamous. For instance, men may want more than one wife to express their willingness to be generous and support a large family. Also, women in the Ashanti culture will not marry without the consent of their parents, and many women do not even meet their husbands until after they are married. Even so, divorce is very rare and in this culture it is a duty of parents on both sides to keep a marriage going. The Ashanti man takes a lot of things into consideration when considering getting married. Resulting from the war efforts, the woman is the custodian of the children of the marriage, and because it is considered that what every woman acquires must belong to a man, marriage therefore plays an important part in the communal life of the Ashanti nation. No Ashanti community exists without a social group or at least some sort and from girlhood to womanhood the daughter must play an active part in the social life of the community. Withdrawal from the social life of one's age group is especially frowned on and is thought to be a serious blemish of character. "One who cannot mix in a group is considered unfit for either human or animal societythe strength of the belief in the importance of social communion can be seen where reference is made to the other world in these terms." (Ashanti, 2006). As in most developing countries, there is an incredibly strong family system in the Ashanti tribe. Poorer members may seek financial assistance from their more better off relatives for such things as school fees, medical expenses, etc. In Ashanti, the family line is matrilineal - in that it passes through the mother to her children. "A man is strongly related to his mother's brother but only weakly related to his father's brother." (Ashanti, 2006). In regards to the Ashanti tribe, boys are trained by their fathers at the age of eight and nine; they are taught a skill of the father's choice and the father is also responsible for paying for their school. Boys are taught to use the talking drums by their mother's brother - talking drums are used for learning the Ashanti language and spreading news, and as well, are also used in such things as ceremonies and things of the like. These talking drums are incredibly important to the people of the Ashanti tribe and there are very important rituals involved in them. Girls are taught such things as cooking and housekeeping by their mothers, and they also work the fields and bring in the necessary items, such as water, for the group. In regards to religion, there is considered to be a universal God (Onyame) but at the same time this does not exclude gods associated with religion or spirits (obosum) by whom a priest may be possessed. However, this lack of possessiveness makes it possible, say, for a traditional priest to be a Roman Catholic. "But there is no doubt of the existence of the Kingdom of the Dead (Samanade) so custom requires that great attention is paid to the proper conduct of burials and funeral celebrations." (Ashanti, 2006). There are many different forms of art which are highly significant in regards to the Ashanti tribe; Ashanti stools, for example, not only as a symbol of nationhood, but also because it contains the sumsum or Soul of Ashanti (Asante), the Golden Stool is considered to be so sacred that no person whatsoever is allowed to sit upon it. Rather, it is kept with the strictest security and precaution; and is taken outside only on exceptional occasions. Ashantis have, on many occasions, made great sacrifices to defend it when its safety had been threatened. "In 1896 they submitted to the deportation of their King, Prempeh I, rather than resort to a war in which they feared they might suffer defeat and risk the loss of the Golden stool. They deamed loss of their King a small thing compared with the loss of their Golden stool." (Africa, 2006). Not many people have seen the original and only the King and his most trusted advisors know where it is hidden. As Ashanti legend has it, around 300 years ago one of their wisest and greatest priests called together the Ashanti in an effort to unite the nation, and he commanded from the sky a symbol that would unite them. Amid thunder and darkness there descended the sky the golden stool which floated down and landed on the lap of the priest. The stool represents to this day the very essence of Ashanti unity. Kente cloth is another form, and is an Asante ceremonial cloth which is hand-woven on a horizontal treadle loom. Strips measuring about 4 inches wide are sewn together into larger pieces of cloth, and these cloths come in various colors, sizes and designs and are worn during important social and religious occasions. The Kente cloth is far more than just a cloth, especially in total cultural context. Rather, it is a visual representation of history, philosophy, ethics, oral literature, moral values, social code of conduct, religious beliefs, political thought and aesthetic principles. "The term kente has its roots in the word kenten which means a basket. The first kente weavers used raffia fibers to weave cloths that looked like kenten (a basket); and thus were referred to as kenten ntoma; meaning basket cloth." (Africa, 2006). The golden stool is always lying on its own stool or on the skin of an animal such as the leopard. The Ashanti's have always been proud of the uniqueness of the Golden stool when the King of Gyman, called Andinkra, made a golden stool for himself, the Asantehene was so annoyed that he led an army against Gyaman. Adinkra was totally defeated near Bontuku, and his head was cut off. The Asantehene then ordered that Adinkra's golden stool should be melted down and cast into two masks, to represent Adinkra's face. These masks were then hung one on each side of the Ashanti Golden Stool. From this review, we can see that the Ashanti tribe is one of great significance, relevance, as well as one of the most positive issues in regards to western Africa and its culture. The Ashanti tribe is certainly one of great interest and appeasing nature, and is without a doubt one of the most influential in regards to all of western Africa. Works Cited Africa. (2006). "Ashanti". Africa Guide. 26 June 2006 http://www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/ashanti.htm Ashanti. (n.d.). "Ashanti". Ashanti. 26 June 2006 http://www.ashanti.com.au/pb/wp_8078438f.html Wikipedia. (2006). "Ghana". 26 June 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana Read More