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The Chief and some elders of Asante

The Ashanti constitute a political confederacy or state which developed in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in the central part of southern Ghana, West Africa. It is believed that the Ashanti state was created and maintained by war, and a military ideology remained a central feature of its cultural orientation to the end. Before its annexation by the British in 1901, this state was a confederation of nine originally autonomous founding chiefdoms and a number of subsequently incorporated communities. At the center of the state was the wealthy and powerful chiefdom of Kumasi, whose hereditary ruler was acknowledged as the Asantehene, that is, the head of the nation, or king.

The Golden Stool (sika 'gua) was created as the politico-ritual symbol of unity, and was believed to embody the spirit or soul of the Ashanti nation. In fact, it was an attempt by British officials to confiscate the Golden Stool (based on ignorance of its true significance) that precipitated the so-called War of the Golden Stool in 1900-1901, resulting in the defeat of the Ashanti and their final incorporation into the British colonial system.

Throughout the Ashanti area the climate is tropical, with an annual mean temperature of over 80 degrees F. There are two distinct seasons, a rainy season from about April to November, and a dry season the rest of the year. The average annual rainfall around Kumasi, the former Ashanti capital, is 57 inches, but there are considerable annual variations. Despite this tropical setting, Ashanti territory is divided into two quite different ecological zones, northern and southern. The northern zone is drier and is characterized by a savannah-forest type of vegetation, with stunted trees scattered over large expanses of grasslands. The natural vegetation of the southern zone consists of high forest, but little virgin forest now remains. The most common vegetation today is that of the cultivated plots of cacao (cocoa) trees and the natural growth of brush on formerly cultivated land.

These differing ecological zones have given rise to contrasting types of agriculture. In the north the main subsistence and cash crop is yams, followed by guinea corn; by 1950 there still had not been any large-scale development of export crops. In the south, a much larger variety of subsistence crops is grown, including especially yams, cocoyams, manioc, and maize. Also, there has been widespread development of major commercial crops such as the kola-nut and particularly cocoa. In fact, cocoa farming has become the main economic activity in the southern zone.

The Ashanti are noted for their expertise in a variety of specialized crafts. These include weaving, wood carving, ceramics, and metallurgy. Of these crafts, only pottery-making is primarily a female activity; the others are restricted to male specialists. Even in the case of pottery-making, only men are allowed to fashion pots or pipes representing anthropomorphic or zoomorphic figures.

Weaving is a highly developed craft, with dozens of standardized and named textile designs. Stamped cloth is also made. Traditionally, pottery was hand-molded since the use of the wheel was unknown. Wood carving is divided into many branches, each with its own specialists. Among the major products are wooden sculptures of outstanding artistic quality and the talking-drums (ntumpane). The famous wooden "stools" are symbolic and ritual objects rather than items of furniture.

Asanteman Association

Association Meetings

Meetings are held on the last Sunday of the month at 9402 South Merrill, Chicago, IL. 60617

The Chief of Asantes in Metropolitan Chicago