Cultural Migration
A Short History of Nkrankwanta and Anyii Dwabene
by
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The Anyii Dwabene left their former home in Asumegya, in the Amansie area of present-day Ghana. Oral historians refer to “Asuemara in Amansie” as their old home. The migration is estimated to have occurred a few years before the Asante defeat of Denkyira, at the Battle of Feyiase in 1701, which victory was catalyst in the founding of the Asante kingdom and later, empire. A critical analysis of the reason for migration points to the Anyii Dwabene feeling they had been cheated out of a chieftancy contest, in the installation of the first paramount chief of Dwabene, in 1670. Rather than dispute what they considered an injustice, Kwasi, the aggrieved prince and his supporters, chose self-imposed exile and the founding of their own kingdom elsewhere. The emigrants briefly lived among the Esahie (Sefwi) and finally settled at Dadieso, in what is now the Western Region of Ghana. They called themselves Anyii, meaning: “those who were born wise and civilized”. Around 1749, the kingdom of Abron Bonduku was attacked by her neighbour, Bouna. The king of Abron, believed to be Nana Kofi Sono (1746 - 1760), sought the assistance of the Anyii Dwabene at Dadieso to help win back lost territory. The Dwabene warriors defeated the invader Bouna fighters and restored full sovereignty to Abron Bonduku. In gratitude, King Kofi Sono offered the Anyii warriors a stretch of land to the southern flank of his vast kingdom. The latter thanked the king but declined the offer, saying they would return to their Dadieso home to the south-east. On the return journey home, the Anyii Dwabene troops camped on the shores of River Baaso for needed rest and to re-stock their provisions. It was there that they discovered gold in the river bed beneath the clear waters of River Baaso, and along its banks. The warriors decided to suspend the trip back to Dadieso. Instead, they founded a settlement and named it “Sikaa-So”, literally, “Place of Gold” (later became Asikaso), in reference to the newly-discovered “sikaa” (gold) field they had discovered and intended to mine. The year was 1750. The most important symbol of the new state, in accordance with Akan political organization and usage, was the creation of the sacred stool, or “Bia Bile”. In the case of Anyii Dwabene, when the state stool was created, two complementary stools of lesser status were carved from the same piece of wood; they are that of Kotokoso (later Nkrankwanta) and Dame, in that order. In what may be called “The Triple Crown Heritage”, the common creation of the first three Anyii Dwabene stools, coming one after the other and from the same piece of wood, represents the relative seniority and importance each royal stool enjoys in the political hierarchy of the State of Anyii Dwabene. It also signifies the common bond between the three stools, one to the other. Recognition of this relationship has been unbroken since the very birth of the State of Anyii Dwabene, in 1750. The king of Anyii Dwabene rules from Anyinibilekro (French: Agniblekro) in the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire. The extended family Anyii Dwabene left at Amansie of old grew into two kingdoms; namely, Asante Dwaben (royal capital at Dwaben) and New Dwaben (with Koforidua as capital). The last two are located in Ghana.
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About the Book
Around the end of the seventeenth century, the Anyii Dwabene—an Akan tribe originally located in the Amansie area of present-day Ghana—leave their homeland to found a new kingdom at Dadieso, also in Ghana. But the Anyii Dwabene become liberators when they intervene in a war to save the kingdom of Abron Bondoukou. Eventually, they establish a new home and a new kingdom with capital at AnyiniBileKro, in what is now Cote d’Ivoire. Later, a section of Anyii Dwabene resists French colonialism and leaves to found a settlement across the border in the then Gold Coast, calling it Nkrankwanta. The story of Nkrankwanta is a story of freedom and liberty. In Cultural Migration—A Short History of Nkrankwanta and Anyii Dwabene, author Zac Adama is privileged to share the oral history of Nkrankwanta in the print form for the first time. Exploring the lives of the first immigrants of Nkrankwanta—men and women who chose danger and uncertainty over servitude and complacency—it is the story of a people who explored the unknown for new possibilities and opportunities, and who wanted their story to be told to generations after them. Not only a book of history, Cultural Migration—A Short History of Nkrankwanta and Anyii Dwabene explores a comparative linguistic study between Akan Twi-Fante, spoken mainly in Ghana, and Akan Anyii-Baule, whose majority speakers live in neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire. The story of Nkrankwanta is essentially a story of migration. It is partly the story of a people who liberated others and, in turn, required assistance when they were faced with imminent danger. The story of Nkrankwanta speaks to the human heart—it portrays the changing fortunes in the lives of a people who have, with each step along the way, been purposeful and determined.
About the Author
Zac Adama is a native son of Nkrankwanta and has extensive instruction in Akan history. He has a mastery of both the Twi and Anyii languages, the latter being his mother tongue. He is currently an information technology professional who lives and works in Calgary, Canada, and he has a background in philosophy that drives his unquenchable curiosity about the nature of things.