Mankessim Kingdom

Last updated
Mankessim
pre 15th century–1844
Capital Mankessim
GovernmentMonarchy
History 
• Established
pre 15th century
• British protection
1844

The Mankessim Kingdom was a pre-colonial African state in modern-day Ghana. [1] It is regarded as the heartland of the Fante people, [1] and operated as capital of the Fante Confederacy in the 19th century. The town of Mankessim still exists, and is located in the Central Region of Ghana, about an hour and a half drive west of Accra. The Mankessim Kingdom's influence was quite vast; it extended to the whole of the Fante people, and at times the entire coast of modern-day Ghana.

Contents

History

Origin

Fante oral tradition holds that the state was founded by the Borebore Fante (also called the Borbor Fante), who had migrated from Techiman to Kwaman, and then to Mankessim to found the Mankessim Kingdom. They were well established by the 1470s, at the time of Portuguese exploration. The Borbor, rather than forming various kingdoms like their neighbours, settled Mankessim in five quarters: Kurentsi Aman, Anaafo, Bentsi, Edumadze, and Nkusukum. The position of head of state rotated between the different quarters. [2] : 32  The Fante were led by three great warriors known as Obrumankoma, Odapagyan and Oson (to wit, the whale, the eagle and the elephant respectively). According to tradition, Obrumankoma and Odapagyan died during the exodus and were embalmed and carried along to the group's destination. [3]

Oson led the people to what would become Mankessim. Legend has it that the Fante's chief fetish priest, Komfo Amona, planted a spear in the ground when they reached the location of the settlement. The spear is called the Akyin-Enyim, meaning "in front of god". The place became the meeting place for the Fante elders and the head fetish priest when discussing important matters. The first Omanhene (king) of Mankessim was installed here, and later kingmakers would visit the site for consultation. According to the Fante, the spear cannot be removed by mortal hands. [4]

The land the Fante reached was initially called Adoakyir by its aboriginal inhabitants, which the Fante called "Etsi-fue-yifo" meaning people with bushy hair. The Fante conquered these people and renamed the settlement Oman-kesemu, meaning large town. The name has evolved into the current name, Mankessim. [5]

The Fante settled the land as their first independent kingdom, and buried Obrumakankoma and Odapagyan in a sacred grove called Nana-nom-pow. [1] Komfo Amona also planted the limb of a tree he had brought from the Akan homeland in Krako to see if a place was good for settlement. The day after the priest planted the limb, the people found a tree starting to grow. The tree was named Ebisa-dua, or the consulting tree, and its location is today one of the most important shrines in Mankessim. [6]

Organization

The Fante quickly organized themselves into military groups, or companies, called Asafo, to defend themselves from non-Akan groups in the vicinity, as well as separate Akan groups - most notably the Ashanti in later centuries. Tradition has it that the Fante sub-groups Ekumfi, Abora, Enyan, Nkusukum and Kurentsir were the first to settle Mankessim. They were later joined by the Gomoa, Ajumako, Akatakyi and the Edina.

The Ashanti threat

In the early 19th century, the Asante Kingdom began expanding their control over Ghana, sending many people fleeing to the coast. Fante communities outside of Mankessim became targets of the Asante, and decided to unite in defense. In 1806, the first Asante–Fante War resulted in a humiliating defeat for the Fante. In 1811, the Fante again went to war with the Ashanti, again losing in open battle, but forcing a withdrawal by using guerrilla tactics. In 1816, the Asante expanded into the coast and absorbed the Fante. [7] In 1844, the Fante placed themselves under British protection through the Bond of 1844, but were guaranteed self-governance. However, the British, and the Dutch on the coast, did little to recognize Fante sovereignty.

The Fante confederacy

Finally, in 1868, the Fante formed a confederacy of their own, with British backing, to guard against further Ashanti aggression. The Fante met in Mankessim and elected the kingdom's Omanhene as Brenyi over the Fante Confederacy. In 1871, the seven Fante kingdoms and 20 chiefdoms signed the Constitution of Mankessim, formalizing their alliance.

Omanhene Kwesi Edu led the confederacy for the whole of its short existence, acquiring the lands of neighboring Asebo, Cabesterra and Agona kingdoms. The confederacy was also successful in its resistance to the Ashanti, playing their arch-enemy off against their powerful British supporters. Mankessim, through the confederacy, monopolized trade on the coast and became an important economic force.

Decline

The early successes of the confederacy were short-lived, and a protracted war with the Dutch, backers of the Asante Confederacy, left them in ruins. In 1873, the British proclaimed the entire coast of Ghana (then known as the Gold Coast) a protectorate of the crown. The Fante dissolved their confederacy that same year in return for money, guns and a license to make war on any invading Asante on behalf of the British. Mankessim continued to hold cultural and political importance among the Fante, but was never again an independent force in the region.

Economy

The Fante established long-distance maritime trade links with the Kingdom of Kongo around the Congo-Angola region. This was accomplished with dugout canoes powered by sails of woven palm fronds. [8]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Shumway, Rebecca (2011). The Fante and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Rochester Studies in African History and the Diaspora. Vol. 52. Boydell & Brewer. ISBN   978-1-58046-391-1. JSTOR   10.7722/j.ctt1x72ng.
  2. ↑ Shillington, Kevin (2005). "Akan States: Bono, Dankyira, Wassa, Akyem, Akwamu, Fante, Fifteenth to Seventeenth Centuries". Encyclopedia of African History 3-Volume Set. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-135-45670-2.
  3. ↑ "Fante confederacy | African history [late 17th century-1824] | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
  4. ↑ Laumann, Dennis Heinz (1993). "'Compradores-in-Arms': The Fante Confederation Project (1868-1872)". Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies. 21 (1–2): 120–136. doi: 10.5070/F7211-2016747 .
  5. ↑ Danquah, J.B. (1928). Gold Coast: Akan Laws and Customs and the Akim Abuakwa Constitution. George Routledge & Sons – via University of Ghana Digital Collections UGSpace.
  6. ↑ Law, Robin (March 2013). "The Government of Fante in the Seventeenth Century". The Journal of African History. 54 (1): 31–51. doi:10.1017/S0021853713000054. S2CID   158660952. ProQuest   1400708713.
  7. ↑ Gocking, Roger (2005). The History of Ghana. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 30. ISBN   0-313-31894-8.
  8. ↑ V. Tarikhu, Farrar (2020). Precolonial African Material Culture: Combatting Stereotypes of Technological Backwardness. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 243. ISBN   9781793606433.

Sources

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