THE AKAN ETHNIC GROUPS IN GHANA.

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 In Ghana, Akan ethnic group is the Largest ethnic group in Ghana, making up 47.3% of the population of Ghana (Ghana Statistical Service 2013:61).  

Find the list of the Akan ethnic group below:

1.Bono

2.Asante,

3.Adanse

4.Twifo

5. Asen

6. Fante

7. Akuapem

8.Akyem

 9.Akwamu

10.Kwahu

11.Sehwi, 

11.Awowin, 

12. Nzima and 

 13.Ahanta 

                      The Akan's Population In Ghana

 In Ghana, there are about five to six million Akan's Population. The main constituent kingdoms include, Akwamu, Akyem, Akuapem, and Kwahu; the Anyi cluster of some fifteen kingdoms; Asante (with A Wasa and Ahanta); the Attie cluster of four kingdoms; the Baule cluster of some seven kingdoms; Brong; and the several Fante states.


History Of The Akan Ethnic Groups In Ghana

Origins of Akan Cultures In Ghana.

The ancestors of the Akan people in Ghana did not actually originally occupy the modern  Ghana and  other country like Cote D’Ivoire. alternatively, they are thought to have moved south during the 11th or 12th century. Their origins before this movement are somewhat unclear, but they likely started as citizens of the older Ghana Empire. In addition to this, some  historians maintain a much earlier link to the ancient rulers of  Egypt and Nubia. Whatever the case may be, these settlers soon established trading kingdoms such as Bono, which grew alongside the Akan gold  coast traders. The soils of the region, later known to Europeans as the Gold Coast, contain plentiful deposits of the precious metal. From Bono, the Akan varies into many smaller kingdoms and cultures, including the Asante, Akyem, Asante  Akuapem, Abron,  Fante and kwahu.

The Earlier Akan States Of Ghana (Gold Coast)

The  Akan kingdoms were powerful, gold-based trade networks throughout West Africa Region. Within a few centuries, they had attracted the attention of European Atlantic trading interests looking to expand their reach. The Portuguese arrived first, building Elmina Castle along the coast in 1482. The Dutch and British soon followed. In the 16th and 17th centuries, colonial development in the Americas fueled the increasingly lucrative Atlantic slave trade. Slavery, already a common practice in the region, gradually replaced gold as the major industry of West Africa. This lucrative demand led to a fiercely competitive environment among the Akan states. By the 17th century, the kingdoms of Denkyira and Akwamu were prominent. The largest Akan state, the Asante or Ashanti, organized under Osei Tutu I to win independence from Denkyira in 1701.

The Kingdom of Ashanti and the Fante

The Kingdom of Ashantis was one of the most important global trade centers for two or more centuries. Its population for the most part resisted both Muslim and Christian conversion attempts in favour of their ancestral faith and belief. They organized many villages of the Gold Coast into a kingdom and then into empires, funneling their prisoners of war to slave-trading ports. While many of these slaves came from across Africa, a significant number were Akan themselves. Conflict between the Asante and Fante came to a head as the British and Dutch fought for control of Elmina and other trade forts. The Asante, allied with the Dutch, entered a series of bloody wars with the Fante and the British. The struggle  and other issues ended in 1902 with defeat for the Ashanti dynasty. The kingdom became a loose protectorate of the British for another 55 years and More.

Modern Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, and the Kingdom of Ashanti

 Ghana gained its independence in 1957, the Kingdom of Ashanti and other separated Akan states fell under its control. Cote d’Ivoire, a former French colony, also inherited Akan territories. While the two modern countries possess legal authority on most matters, Akan societies may still elect leaders in their traditional ways. The Asante in particular are a powerful political force in Ghana, though they are not the only Akan people represented today. Neighboring cultures within their  larger nations include the  Ewe, Ga-Adangbe and Mole-Dagbon.

Akan Traditional Worshipers

   Akan Elders pouring Libation

 

Akan Traditional Dancers


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