The Asante, also known as the Ashanti, are an ethnic group of Akan people who originated in the Ashanti Region of present-day Ghana. The last tribe to emerge from the many Akan civilizations was the Asantes. More than nine million Asante people speak Twi as a first or second language.
As of 2021, Akan were the largest ethnic group in Ghana, accounting for 45.7 percent of the country’s population. Simultaneously, Akan, as a language, was the most widely spoken in Ghana.
Along the shores of Lake Volta and the Gulf of Guinea, the prosperous, gold-rich Asante people established the vast and powerful Ashanti Empire.
The empire was established in 1670, and Asantehene Osei Kofi Tutu I, on the recommendation of Okomfo Anokye, his premier, founded Kumase, the nation’s capital, in 1680.
The Kumase megacity’s advantageous location at the hub of trans-Saharan trade played a crucial role in its increasing affluence.
The Kumase metropolis has evolved into a financial hub and a political centre during the course of its history due to a number of odd circumstances coming together. The unwavering fealty to the Asante kings and the expanding riches of the Kumase metropolis, which were partly derived from the profitable domestic trade in commodities like gold, slaves, and bullion, were the key contributing reasons.
The Beautiful Terrain of The Ashanti Region
The Ashanti Region has a varied terrain, including coasts and mountains, strict nature reserves and national parks, grasslands, and forests, lush agricultural areas, and close-by savannas. It is also rich in enormous deposits of industrial minerals, most notably gold.
In the central region of present-day Ghana, Lake Volta borders Asante to the west, and Lake Bosumtwi, a volcanic crater lake, is where the Asante people first settled.
The Asante (Kingdom of Asante) region is mountainous to some extent, heavily forested, and rich. The rainy season (April to November) and the dry season (December to March) are the two seasons. Although there are numerous streams on the land, the dry season is very dry. All year round, the Ashanti Region is warm.
Over 10 million Asante people still live in the world today. The dominant tongue, Asante Twi, belongs to the Kwa languages’ Central Tano family. Since the Ashanti Region (and the Kingdom of Asante) have a political union with Ghana, the Asante remain largely influential. Asantehene Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II is the political head of the Asantes and the Ashanti Region and Asante semi-one-party state representative New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Four Interesting Facts About The Ashanti People
They Are Fighters: The Ashanti people have a reputation for being ferocious warriors. The motto of this tribe’s members is: “I’ll perish if I move forward. I die if I go back. “Better to continue and perish.” The Ashanti tribe utilised drums to announce the impending fight while they were at war. These drums were so loud that their rhythm could be heard for a great distance across the impenetrable jungle.
Their Sacred Golden Stool: The Ashanti people consider the golden stool to be their sacred emblem, representing their soul. The first Ashanti ruler, Osei Tutu, is said to have received the Golden Stool when it fell from heaven in a cloud of white dust. The king’s priest declared that the security of the Golden Stool would determine the Ashanti people’s future power and unity.
Their Special Handshake: The Ashanti have a special handshake. They hold their left hand out to shake hands. That’s because they believe that the left-hand holds the shield, and the right hand holds the spears. So, in order to show that you trust someone, you put down your shield. That leaves the left hand free.
Their Special Names: Children are considered a gift from God. Therefore, the birth of a child is a very happy and significant event in the lives of the parents and the community. In the Ashanti tribe, the child is given a name based on the gender and day of the week the child was born.
For instance, a male child born on Saturday may be called Kwame, and a female. Ama.
