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A totem is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system.
The Mfantsefo or Fante are an Akan people. The Fante people are mainly located in the Central and Western regions of Ghana, occupying the forest and coastal areas. Their land stretches from the Pra estuary in the west to the Accra borders in the east. The Fante can be broadly categorized into two groups - the Borbor Fante and the non-Borbor Fante. Over the last half century, due to fishing expeditions, Fante communities have been established as far as Gambia, Liberia, and even Angola. Major Fante cities in modern Ghana are found in Central Region and they include Agona Swedru,Oguaa, Edina (Elmina), Mankessim,Saltpond,Komenda,Anomabo,Apam,Gomoa,etc.
A talking stick, also called a speaker's staff, is an instrument of Indigenous democracy used by a number of Indigenous communities, especially those in the Pacific Northwest nations of North America. The talking stick may be passed around a group, as multiple people speak in turn, or used only by leaders as a symbol of their authority and right to speak in public.
The Akan people are a Kwa group living primarily in present-day Ghana and in parts of Ivory Coast and Togo in West Africa. The Akan speak dialects within the Central Tano branch of the Potou–Tano subfamily of the Niger–Congo family. Subgroups of the Akan people include: the Agona, Akuapem, Akwamu, Akyem, Anyi, Ashanti, Baoulé, Bono, Chakosi, Fante, Kwahu, Sefwi, Wassa, Ahanta, and Nzema, among others. The Akan subgroups all have cultural attributes in common; most notably the tracing of matrilineal descent in the inheritance of property, and for succession to high political office.
The Ashanti Region is located in the southern part of Ghana and is the third largest of 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of 24,389 km2 (9,417 sq mi) and making up 10.2 percent of the total land area of Ghana. It is the most populated region in Ghana, with a population of 5,440,463 according to the 2021 census, accounting for around one-fifth of Ghana's total population. The Ashanti Region is known for its gold bar and cocoa production. The largest city and capital of Ashanti is Kumasi.
Abusua is the name in Akan culture for a group of people that share common maternal ancestry governed by seven major ancient female abosom (deities). The Abusua line is considered to be passed through the mother's blood . There are several Abusua that transcend the different ethnic subgroups outside of the ancient seven. People of the same Abusua share a common ancestor somewhere within their bloodline, which may go back as far as thousands of years. It is a taboo to marry someone from the same Abusua. The different Abusua are the Agona (parrot), the Aduana (dog), the Asenie (bat), Oyoko (falcon/hawk), the Asakyiri (vulture), the Asona (crow), the Bretuo (leopard), and the Ekuona (bull).
In several Akan nations of Ghana, the Omanhene is the title of the supreme traditional ruler ('king') in a region or a larger town. The omanhene is the central figure and institution of the nation. Officially, he has no function in the current Ghanaian political setup, but, has enormous influence on the people that constitute it. Today 'Hene' can be found in titles of other rulers in Ghanaian nations. For example, the chief of the Dagomba in the north of Ghana is known as the 'Dagombahene'.
Twi is a variety of the Akan language spoken in southern and central Ghana by several million people, mainly of the Akan people, the largest of the seventeen major ethnic groups in Ghana. Twi has about 4.4 million speakers.
Okyenhene is the title of the Tribal King of Akyem Abuakwa, an old traditional kingdom in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The Okyenhene is also referred to as the Kwaebibiremhene as his traditional territory is an area of a dense forest. Again, the Okyenhene is considered the head of the Asona clan. Asona is the largest of the clans of the Akans which includes the Oyoko, Aduana, Agona, Asakyire, Bretuo, Ekuona among others.
Denkyirahene is the title given to the King of the Denkyira people of the Central Region of Ghana. They are part of the Akan ethnic group. The Denkyirahene's official palace is the Amponsem Fie in Dunkwa-on-Offin. He comes from the Agona Clan.
A figurative palanquin connected with the totem of its owner is a special kind of litter used in the Greater Accra Region in Ghana. These palanquins called in the Ga language okadi akpakai belong to the royal insignias and are used only by the Ga kings or mantsemei and their sub-chiefs when they are carried in public at durbars and festivals like Homowo. With these figurative palanquins the Ga create ethnic differences between themselves and their Akan neighbours that only use simple boat- or chair-shaped litters.
The Oyoko is one of the eight major Abusua; its characteristic is patience. It is a clan from Ghana and the origins of the clan can be traced back to at least c. 1570. The Oyoko Clan is bigger than Asante. The Oyoko family traces its origins to the contemporary Akan Town of Techiman. The original Oyoko royal family of Techimanhene’s palace. The Asantehene and Techimanhene, in that case, are of the same clan.
Bretuo is one of the eight major Akan clans, a group of ethnic people in West Africa primarily located in Ghana as well as parts of Ivory Coast and Togo.
Asona is one of the eight main Akan clans.
Asakyiri is one of the major eight major Akan clans. These clans are derived along the matrilineal lines.
Aduana is one of the Eight major Akan clans of Ghana. It is also the second largest clan in terms of population.
Ekuona is one of the eight major Akan clans.
Asenie is one of the eight Akan major clans.
Nana Oti Akenten was the ruler of the Asante Oyoko clan which occupied parts of what is now Ghana. Nana Oti was the brother of Nana Kobia Antwi and their mother was Antwiwaa Nyame. Nana Oti sent his hunter called Bofoo Nyame on a trip and he discovered that the Agona family has already settled in a place called Kwaebrem which was later called Kwaabre. When the hunter learned that the area was productive, he went to tell Nana Oti. The settlement was then given the name Kumasi after the monarch, his family, and some of his followers opted to purchase that portion of the land from Agonaba Obaapanyin Adwoa Wiri. It was under his regime that a series of military operations against other Akan states came into alliance with the Ashanti. During his reign, there was a trend towards Ashanti military unification.
References
- ↑ "Totems: Are they of significance? - Graphic Online". 2013-12-30. Retrieved 2015-06-14.
- ↑ "A King in Ghana » Akan Clans". www.akinginghana.org. Retrieved 2015-06-14.