Akwaaba

(From http://www.ghanadata.com/overview/history/2336.htm)

The word Ashanti comes from the phrase 'Osa Nti', meaning 'For the sake of war'. It was first used by one of the kings of the Denkyiras to refer to the group which formed a union to resist his sovereignty.

The Ashanti state was established in 1701, from an alliance of states which defeated the Denkyira at Feyiase. The victorious alliance came to be referred to as the Asante Aman Nnum, the Five Ashanti States. At the centre of the alliance was the Kumasi state, ruled by Osei Tutu who played a key role in the future of the Ashantis.

Up to the reign of Kwaku Dua Panin, Kumasi increased its power at the expense of the surrounding provinces. This was achieved mainly by the development of an administrative structure based in Kumasi. Simultaneous with the increasing power of the central state in Kumasi was the increase in territory controlled by the State.

The most important symbol of the Ashanti Kingdom, 'Sika Dwa' meaning Golden Stool, was conjured by Okomfo Anokye at a gathering of Ashanti Chiefs. He decreed that the Golden Stool was the embodiment of the soul of the Ashanti nation and only the king of Kumasi could rule this new Kingdom. If the Golden Stool is ever captured, the Ashanti would lose its power and disintegrate into chaos, Okomfo Anokye warned. All stools and articles of power predating the Golden Stool were destroyed and new stools were created for all the other chiefs to confirm their subordinate status.

The Ashanti empire grew to control an area similar in size to modern Ghana. The exact boundaries of this area, like relations within the Ashanti states was poorly defined. It covered a variety of territories, many of which had very little in common.

The territorial extension of Ashanti was achieved through military conquest. Between 1715 and 1721, it fought the Aowin, the Wassa and the Twifo, who stood in the way of Ashanti access to the coast. In 1742, Ashanti armies invaded Accra and imposed Ashanti overrule over the Ga. Parts of Gonga, to the north of Kumasi were attacked in 1732-33 and Gyaman was invaded in 1740. The major invasion of the northeast, however, was in 1744-45, when Dagomba was invaded. After the first half of the eighteenth century, Ashanti expansion continued at a slower pace till the early nineteenth century, when the state was at the height of its power.

From 1826 to 1900, the British fought a series of campaigns against the Ashantis, whose kingdom was located inland. To settle the Ashanti problem permanently, the British invaded Ashanti with a sizeable military force. The attack, which was launched in January 1874 by 2,500 British soldiers and large numbers of African auxiliaries, resulted in the occupation and burning of Kumasi, the Ashanti capital.

The subsequent peace treaty required the Ashanti to renounce any claim to many southern territories. The Ashantis also had to keep the road to Kumasi open to trade. From this point on, Ashanti power steadily declined. The confederation slowly disintegrated as subject territories broke away and as protected regions defected to British rule. The enforcement of the treaty led to recurring difficulties and outbreaks of fighting. In 1896 the British dispatched another expedition that again occupied Kumasi and that forced Ashanti to become a protectorate of the British Crown. The position of Ashanti Hene (Chief of the Ashantis) was abolished and the incumbent was exiled.

The core of the Ashanti federation accepted these terms grudgingly. In 1900 the Ashanti rebelled again but were defeated the next year, and in 1902 the British proclaimed Ashanti a colony under the jurisdiction of the governor of the Gold Coast. The annexation was made with misgivings and recriminations on both sides. With Ashanti subdued and annexed, British colonisation of the region became a reality.


SE wo werE fi na wosankofa a yenkyi.

Akoneaba ne agoro
solarICE

"actually... one thing about Africa is that we don't have a problem with leaving some questions unanswered. we understand that life MUST have some mystery and romance..."- AFKAP_of_Darkness

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And one more thing:
I AM NOT UTAMAROHO AND HIS VIEWS DON'T NECESSARILY REFLECT MINE!!!