Adansi
Adansi State Adanse | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 12th century–1701 | |||||||||||||||||
| Capital | Fomena | ||||||||||||||||
| Common languages | Twi (Adanse dialect) | ||||||||||||||||
| Religion | Akan religion | ||||||||||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Adansefoɔ | ||||||||||||||||
| Government | Clan-based confederation; later elective chieftaincy | ||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||
• Formation of independent Akan state | c. 12th century | ||||||||||||||||
• Became a tributary of Denkyira | 1659 | ||||||||||||||||
• Battle of Feyiase – Adanse absorbed into the Asante Empire | 1701 | ||||||||||||||||
| Currency | Gold dust (sika futuro) and barter | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Today part of | Ashanti Region Ghana | ||||||||||||||||
Adansi (also spelled Adanse) is one of the earliest historically documented Akan states, located in the southern part of modern Ghana’s Ashanti Region. It is widely regarded in Akan oral tradition as a spiritual and ancestral homeland. Historically, Adansi was a prominent center of gold production and state formation, playing a foundational role in the emergence of later Akan polities such as Asante Empire, Denkyira, Akyem, Twifo, and Assin.[1]
History
[edit]Adansi originated in the 12th or 13th century as part of the southward migration of Akan peoples from the Bono region.[2] The area known as Adansiland became a cultural and political hub where many institutions of Akan governance, such as chieftaincy and the role of the Okyeame (linguist), are believed to have developed.[3]
The state was organized as a confederation of autonomous towns, with major settlements including Fomena, Akrokerri, and Dompoase. Adansi was noted for its early adoption of stone architecture and for its involvement in traditional gold mining, which flourished along rivers and forested hills. The town of Akrofuom traces its ancestral roots to Kokobiante, located near the Seben River.[4]
By the 16th and 17th centuries, European traders recognized Adansi as part of the inland gold-rich region referred to as Accany or Arcany. Portuguese and Dutch sources identified trading groups such as the Cacres, Andese, and Souzos, all associated with Adansi, who transported gold from the interior to coastal trading posts like Elmina and Kormantse. [5] Historians such as Boahen, Daaku, and Fage agree that the term "Accany" referred to the Adansi region, particularly the Ofin River basin. This area is regarded as the earliest center of organized government among the Akan people.[6]
In 1659, Adansi became a tributary of Denkyira after they reasserted its independence and expanded politically. Before this shift, they had been a tributary of Adansi.[7] This vassal relationship continued until 1701, when the Asante Empire defeated Denkyira at the Battle of Feyiase, a turning point in regional power, and absorbed Adansi into its expanding state.[8]
In 1873, Adansi Kobina Obeng sought independence from Ashanti because to his geographic location near the British protectorate, just north of the River Pra. After Sir Garnett Wolseley attacked Kumasi and dethroned Kofi Karikari, his successor, Mensa Bonsu, made every attempt to reclaim lost Ashanti dependencies after taking office late in 1874. With the exception of Kwahu, he was able to accomplish this over the course of several years. [9]
Distribution
[edit]Adansi territory extends from the Pra River (Ghana) in the south to the Asante paramountcy of Bekwai in the north. It is bordered to the west by Denkyira and to the east by Asante Akim South Municipal District. The traditional capital is Fomena, but the region also includes key towns like Akrokerri, Dompoase, and New Edubiase.
Obuasi is a town in the southern Ashanti Region and is the capital of Obuasi Municipal, a district lying south of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.[10] Obuasi is the second-largest urban settlement in the Ashanti Region and the eighth-most populous settlement in terms of population,[11] with a population of 168,641 people, according to Ghana's 2010 Population and Housing Census.[12] It is the largest settlement of the Adansi people.
Situated on the railway line from Kumasi to Sekondi, it is known for its Obuasi Gold Mine,[13] now one of the nine largest on Earth, gold having been mined on the site since at least the seventeenth century.
Architectural Heritage
[edit]The name Adansi comes from the Akan word adanseɛ, meaning "builders," reflecting the people’s reputation for constructing sophisticated temples, shrines, and residences in the forest zone.[14] Oral accounts identify the Adansi as the first Akan group to develop beautiful and elaborate architecture, a tradition that later states such as Asante inherited.
Archaeological studies of early settlements—particularly at sites like Adansemanso—reveal long-term occupation, rectangular clay-based structures, and signs of early urban planning, all of which distinguished Adansi from surrounding forest societies at the time.[15] Architecture in Adansi was not only functional but symbolic. Sacred objects such as the Afenakwa sword, royal stools, and ceremonial regalia were often displayed in palatial and sacred buildings, signifying political legitimacy and divine authority.[16]
Culture
[edit]Adansi culture shares many elements with the broader Akan world. Religious practices involve the veneration of deities like Asase Ya/Afua (Earth goddess)[17] and Tano (Ta Kora) (river god)[18], alongside reverence for ancestral spirits.[19] Political authority is exercised through the Adansehene, who rules in consultation with divisional chiefs and elders.[20] Sacred swords such as the Afenakwa symbolize unity and political legitimacy.[21]
Adansi also preserved oral traditions through royal oaths, drumming, funeral dirges, and stool rituals, which serve as living records of history.[22]
Legacy
[edit]Adansi is remembered not only for its historical independence and role in gold mining but also as a civilizational origin for many Akan states. Oral histories and written accounts place Adansi at the center of Akan cultural and political identity. Today, it remains a key traditional area within the Asante Kingdom and the Republic of Ghana.[23][24][25]
References
[edit]- ^ Kwame Y. Daaku, "History in the Oral Traditions of the Akan", Journal of the Folklore Institute, Vol. 8, No. 2/3, 1971.Kwasi Boaten, "The Asante Before 1700", University of Ghana.
- ^ Ofosu-Mensah, A.E., “Traditional Gold Mining in the Akan States of Ghana: A Case Study of the Adanse and Amansie Areas”, Nordic Journal of African Studies, 19(2), 2010, pp. 126, 128.
- ^ Kwame Arhin, A Profile of Brong Kyempim, Afram Publications; see also: Kwaku Effah-Gyamfi, in The Ghana Reader: History, Culture, Politics, Duke University Press, 2016, pp. 70–72.
- ^ Wundengba, Charles (2020-01-26). "Adansiman History: The story of Adansi-Akrofuom". Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ Adu Boahen, "Arcany or Accany or Arcania and the Accanists," Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1973), pp. 105–107. JSTOR
- ^ Boahen, 1973, pp. 107–110.
- ^ Ofosu-Mensah, A.E. (2010). "Traditional Gold Mining in the Akan States of Ghana: A Case Study of the Adanse and Amansie Areas". Nordic Journal of African Studies, 19(2), 124–147.
- ^ Ofosu-Mensah, A.E., “Traditional Gold Mining in the Akan States of Ghana: A Case Study of the Adanse and Amansie Areas,” Nordic Journal of African Studies, 19(2), 2010, pp. 130–131. See also: F.K. Buah, cited in Ofosu-Mensah, p. 126, on the aftermath of Denkyira’s defeat at Feyiase in 1701 by the Asante, leading to the incorporation of Denkyira and Adansi into the Asante domain.
- ^ "October 18, 1895: Adansi sign on for British protection". Edward A. Ulzen Memorial Foundation. 2017-10-18. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ "One District One Factory (1D1F)". www.moti.gov.gh. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
- ^ Anarfi, Kwasi; Hill, Ross A.; Shiel, Chris (27 August 2020). "Highlighting the Sustainability Implications of Urbanisation: A Comparative Analysis of Two Urban Areas in Ghana". Land. 9 (9): 300. doi:10.3390/land9090300.
- ^ "Ghana Districts: A repository of all Local Assemblies in Ghana". www.ghanadistricts.com. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
- ^ "AngloGold reopens 30 million ounce Ghana mine". MINING.COM. 2019-12-20. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
- ^ .F.K. Buah, A History of Ghana, revised edition, 1998.
- ^ Kwasi Konadu, The Akan Diaspora in the Americas, Oxford University Press, 2010, pp. 33–34.
- ^ Ofosu-Mensah, A.E. (2010). "Traditional Gold Mining in the Akan States of Ghana: A Case Study of the Adanse and Amansie Areas", Nordic Journal of African Studies, 19(2), pp. 130–131.
- ^ Kwasi Konadu, The Akan Diaspora in the Americas, Oxford University Press, 2010, p. 239.
- ^ Kwasi Konadu and Clifford C. Campbell (eds.), The Ghana Reader: History, Culture, Politics, Duke University Press, 2016, pp. 39–41.
- ^ Ofosu-Mensah, A.E. (2010). "Traditional Gold Mining in the Akan States of Ghana: A Case Study of the Adanse and Amansie Areas", Nordic Journal of African Studies, 19(2), pp. 130–131.
- ^ Ofosu-Mensah, 2010, p. 130.
- ^ Kwasi Konadu and Clifford C. Campbell (eds.), The Ghana Reader: History, Culture, Politics, 2016, pp. 53–54.
- ^ Kwame Y. Daaku, "History in the Oral Traditions of the Akan", 1971.
- ^ Kwame Y. Daaku, "History in the Oral Traditions of the Akan", Journal of the Folklore Institute, Vol. 8, No. 2/3, 1971.
- ^ Kwasi Boaten, "The Asante Before 1700", University of Ghana.
- ^ Ofosu-Mensah, A.E. (2010). "Traditional Gold Mining in the Akan States of Ghana: A Case Study of the Adanse and Amansie Areas". Nordic Journal of African Studies, 19(2), 124–147.