Ashanti << ah SHAN tee >> refers to both a region in the western African nation of Ghana and to a people who live there. The people call themselves Asante. Historically, Ashanti was a powerful military and political state, and Asante influence extended far beyond the boundaries of modern Ghana. Today, Ashanti is one of 10 local administrative regions that make up Ghana. It includes only about 10 percent of Ghana’s land area, but it ranks as the most populous region of the country.
The Asante people are primarily farmers, raising cacao, which is used to make chocolate, and other crops. The region also has important timber resources and gold deposits. Today, many tourists visit the Ashanti region seeking local crafts. Asante artisans specialize in goldsmithing and woodcarving, and Asante weavers are famous for making colorful kente cloth. The Asante speak a language in the Akan language group, which forms part of the larger Niger-Congo language family. Asante society is matrilineal—that is, family relationships are traced through the mother’s side.
The Ashanti state first developed in the late 1600’s, when a leader named Osei Tutu unified a federation of independent kingdoms. Tutu became the first asantehene (king) of the unified nation and made his capital at Kumasi. The asantehene was a constitutional ruler whose power was balanced by a council of chiefs. The king made decisions after discussions with the council, and he could be removed from his position if he ruled poorly. The queen mother, the senior female of the ruling family, held political power equal to that of a chief.
A Golden Stool serves as a symbol of the asantehene’s authority. The stool, covered with pure gold, is displayed on special occasions and when a new asantehene is installed. According to tradition, Tutu received the Golden Stool from the sky. The stool has served as an enduring symbol of the Ashanti state. Asante tradition holds that the Golden Stool contains the spirit of their people and that the nation would disappear if the stool were taken away from them.
In the early 1700’s, the Ashanti state expanded by conquering neighboring kingdoms. During the 1800’s, the Asante intensified trade relations with Muslims in the north and with European traders on the coast. In the late 1800’s, the Asante and the British fought each other for control of trade in West Africa. The British forced the asantehene and many of his council into exile in 1896. The British finally defeated the Asante in 1901 and made the Ashanti lands a British colony. The asantehene returned in 1924, and Ashanti was recognized as a political region under indirect British rule by 1935. In 1957, Ashanti and other nearby areas controlled by the United Kingdom became the independent country of Ghana. Since then, traditional Asante rulers have played a major role in Ghana’s economic and political development. The asantehene plays an important symbolic role, linking Ghana’s modern government with the region’s past.
