Larry W. Yarak
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198221562
- eISBN:
- 9780191678448
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198221562.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
This is a study of the administration and government of the West African kingdom of Asante between 1744 and 1873. The book analyses the nature and development of the pre-colonial state, and traces ...
More
This is a study of the administration and government of the West African kingdom of Asante between 1744 and 1873. The book analyses the nature and development of the pre-colonial state, and traces the history and character of the Asante-Dutch relationship from the early 18th century until the Dutch departure from the Gold Coast in 1872. The book contains extensive research in hitherto neglected Dutch archives, and gives detailed examination of important Asante oral sources. This book broadens our knowledge of the complexities of Afro-European relations on the pre-colonial Gold Coast, and contributes to historiographical debates concerning our understanding of African institutions.Less
This is a study of the administration and government of the West African kingdom of Asante between 1744 and 1873. The book analyses the nature and development of the pre-colonial state, and traces the history and character of the Asante-Dutch relationship from the early 18th century until the Dutch departure from the Gold Coast in 1872. The book contains extensive research in hitherto neglected Dutch archives, and gives detailed examination of important Asante oral sources. This book broadens our knowledge of the complexities of Afro-European relations on the pre-colonial Gold Coast, and contributes to historiographical debates concerning our understanding of African institutions.
LARRY W. YARAK
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198221562
- eISBN:
- 9780191678448
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198221562.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
This chapter starts from the theoretical premiss that the state, as the arena of political practices and as a set of institutions concerned with power, enjoys a ‘relative autonomy’ within the larger ...
More
This chapter starts from the theoretical premiss that the state, as the arena of political practices and as a set of institutions concerned with power, enjoys a ‘relative autonomy’ within the larger social formation of which it is a part. The chapter also attempts to situate the study of the precolonial Asante state in its larger social, economic, and ideological context. In the course of examining the interaction of state and society, a thesis is developed that states that the important changes in the structure of the Asante state evident in the period from the mid-18th to the late 19th centuries cannot be correlated with fundamental change in the underlying social and economic structures. Furthermore, a discussion of the scholarly debate over the nature and transformation of the Asante state is provided. Finally, an overview of the remaining chapters is given.Less
This chapter starts from the theoretical premiss that the state, as the arena of political practices and as a set of institutions concerned with power, enjoys a ‘relative autonomy’ within the larger social formation of which it is a part. The chapter also attempts to situate the study of the precolonial Asante state in its larger social, economic, and ideological context. In the course of examining the interaction of state and society, a thesis is developed that states that the important changes in the structure of the Asante state evident in the period from the mid-18th to the late 19th centuries cannot be correlated with fundamental change in the underlying social and economic structures. Furthermore, a discussion of the scholarly debate over the nature and transformation of the Asante state is provided. Finally, an overview of the remaining chapters is given.
LARRY W. YARAK
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198221562
- eISBN:
- 9780191678448
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198221562.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
This chapter provides a study of the underlying commercial and strategic basis of Asante-Dutch relations, and an analysis of what each side sought to extract from the relationship. The interests of ...
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This chapter provides a study of the underlying commercial and strategic basis of Asante-Dutch relations, and an analysis of what each side sought to extract from the relationship. The interests of the Dutch and the Asante on the Gold Coast are also presented. Asante-Dutch relations were complicated by the often autonomous role played by the indigenous traders and political authorities of the town of Elmina. Throughout the period 1701–1872, Elmina was one of the most populous and wealthy towns on the Gold Coast. In general, both Asante-Elmina and Asante-Dutch relations were variable, contingent upon such factors as the accessibility of the Elmina great-road, the relative position of the Dutch vis-à-vis the British, the nature of the commerce between Asante and the coast, the shifting interests of the Dutch on the coast, and the forms of political domination exercised by Asante over the southern districts, including Elmina. The new kostbrief issued to the king in 1818 became known as the ‘Elmina note’. Residual Asante claims to the Accra kostgeld were rendered unsustainable by the Asante defeat at Katamanso in 1826 and the Anglo-Asante and Danish-Asante treaties of 1831.Less
This chapter provides a study of the underlying commercial and strategic basis of Asante-Dutch relations, and an analysis of what each side sought to extract from the relationship. The interests of the Dutch and the Asante on the Gold Coast are also presented. Asante-Dutch relations were complicated by the often autonomous role played by the indigenous traders and political authorities of the town of Elmina. Throughout the period 1701–1872, Elmina was one of the most populous and wealthy towns on the Gold Coast. In general, both Asante-Elmina and Asante-Dutch relations were variable, contingent upon such factors as the accessibility of the Elmina great-road, the relative position of the Dutch vis-à-vis the British, the nature of the commerce between Asante and the coast, the shifting interests of the Dutch on the coast, and the forms of political domination exercised by Asante over the southern districts, including Elmina. The new kostbrief issued to the king in 1818 became known as the ‘Elmina note’. Residual Asante claims to the Accra kostgeld were rendered unsustainable by the Asante defeat at Katamanso in 1826 and the Anglo-Asante and Danish-Asante treaties of 1831.
COLIN NEWBURY
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199257812
- eISBN:
- 9780191717864
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199257812.003.07
- Subject:
- History, World Early Modern History
In Western Africa, practices of clientage were applied to incorporate merchants for as long as they accepted the terms of trade and residence. The establishment of imperial enclaves modified this ...
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In Western Africa, practices of clientage were applied to incorporate merchants for as long as they accepted the terms of trade and residence. The establishment of imperial enclaves modified this dependency. Governors and consuls worked for a wider sphere of influence through African allies, treaty states, and stipending chiefs. Reversal of status from the 1870s followed from greater reliance on treaty jurisdiction and use of force against the Asante, some Yoruba states and the Hausa–Fulani emirates. But officials had to come to terms with the chiefdoms and hierarchies they found to meet the obligations of protectorate administration. Chiefs were utilized for judicial and financial purposes as official clients. In each of the colonial states the pattern of over-rule was conditioned by local political structures. Administrative histories provide contrasting examples of the decline of chieftaincy or its empowerment, in the face of elite competition in local government and in state politics during decolonization.Less
In Western Africa, practices of clientage were applied to incorporate merchants for as long as they accepted the terms of trade and residence. The establishment of imperial enclaves modified this dependency. Governors and consuls worked for a wider sphere of influence through African allies, treaty states, and stipending chiefs. Reversal of status from the 1870s followed from greater reliance on treaty jurisdiction and use of force against the Asante, some Yoruba states and the Hausa–Fulani emirates. But officials had to come to terms with the chiefdoms and hierarchies they found to meet the obligations of protectorate administration. Chiefs were utilized for judicial and financial purposes as official clients. In each of the colonial states the pattern of over-rule was conditioned by local political structures. Administrative histories provide contrasting examples of the decline of chieftaincy or its empowerment, in the face of elite competition in local government and in state politics during decolonization.
Yvonne Daniel
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780252042959
- eISBN:
- 9780252051814
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042959.003.0012
- Subject:
- Music, Dance
In this essay, Yvonne Daniel highlights the necessity of employing appropriate terminology when discussing African dance forms - terminology that distinguishes dance forms based on geographical, ...
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In this essay, Yvonne Daniel highlights the necessity of employing appropriate terminology when discussing African dance forms - terminology that distinguishes dance forms based on geographical, social, and stylistic histories. Daniel provides an analysis of Afro-Cuban dance categories while bridging to similar dance traditions found throughout the Caribbean and Afro-Latin America. Daniel offers a pluralistic typography of African and Diaspora dance forms and allows a more precise legacy representation. She concludes with a set of recommendations for the mentoring of African Dance performers, researchers, and Performing Arts communities.Less
In this essay, Yvonne Daniel highlights the necessity of employing appropriate terminology when discussing African dance forms - terminology that distinguishes dance forms based on geographical, social, and stylistic histories. Daniel provides an analysis of Afro-Cuban dance categories while bridging to similar dance traditions found throughout the Caribbean and Afro-Latin America. Daniel offers a pluralistic typography of African and Diaspora dance forms and allows a more precise legacy representation. She concludes with a set of recommendations for the mentoring of African Dance performers, researchers, and Performing Arts communities.
LARRY W. YARAK
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198221562
- eISBN:
- 9780191678448
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198221562.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
This chapter provides an examination of the imperial residency at Elmina of the senior Asante official, Kwadwo Akyampon, during the period 1822–32. The reconstruction of Akyampon's career given here ...
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This chapter provides an examination of the imperial residency at Elmina of the senior Asante official, Kwadwo Akyampon, during the period 1822–32. The reconstruction of Akyampon's career given here concentrates on the following issues: the nature of the office of resident, the apparent mode of rationality (‘traditional’ or ‘formal’) of Kwadwo Akyampon's recruitment to the position of Elmina resident, the sphere of responsibility entrusted to him, the forms of control retained by his superior authority, and finally, the actual manner in which he executed the tasks attached to his position. The assigned and assumed responsibilities as resident for Elmina are given. In addition, a discussion on the relations with the Elminas before and after the battle of Katamanso is provided. The chapter concludes that the standing of Elmina in the Asante empire was not fixed or given, but subject to the vicissitudes of the entire imperial system.Less
This chapter provides an examination of the imperial residency at Elmina of the senior Asante official, Kwadwo Akyampon, during the period 1822–32. The reconstruction of Akyampon's career given here concentrates on the following issues: the nature of the office of resident, the apparent mode of rationality (‘traditional’ or ‘formal’) of Kwadwo Akyampon's recruitment to the position of Elmina resident, the sphere of responsibility entrusted to him, the forms of control retained by his superior authority, and finally, the actual manner in which he executed the tasks attached to his position. The assigned and assumed responsibilities as resident for Elmina are given. In addition, a discussion on the relations with the Elminas before and after the battle of Katamanso is provided. The chapter concludes that the standing of Elmina in the Asante empire was not fixed or given, but subject to the vicissitudes of the entire imperial system.
LARRY W. YARAK
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198221562
- eISBN:
- 9780191678448
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198221562.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
This chapter looks at the origin and significance of the Asantehene's kostgeld, the annual stipend paid by the Dutch as rent or tribute, initially in acknowledgment of Asante sovereignty at Accra, ...
More
This chapter looks at the origin and significance of the Asantehene's kostgeld, the annual stipend paid by the Dutch as rent or tribute, initially in acknowledgment of Asante sovereignty at Accra, from 1744 until the departure of the Dutch from the Gold Coast in 1872. It starts by presenting the historical and historiographical debates on origin and significance of the kostgeld. It is shown that this did not in any way symbolize the special relationship that already existed between Asante and the Dutch, as discussed in the previous chapter. The new kostbrief issued to the king in 1818 became known as the ‘Elmina note’. Residual Asante claims to the Accra kostgeld were rendered unsustainable by the Asante defeat at Katamanso in 1826 and the Anglo-Asante and Danish-Asante treaties of 1831.Less
This chapter looks at the origin and significance of the Asantehene's kostgeld, the annual stipend paid by the Dutch as rent or tribute, initially in acknowledgment of Asante sovereignty at Accra, from 1744 until the departure of the Dutch from the Gold Coast in 1872. It starts by presenting the historical and historiographical debates on origin and significance of the kostgeld. It is shown that this did not in any way symbolize the special relationship that already existed between Asante and the Dutch, as discussed in the previous chapter. The new kostbrief issued to the king in 1818 became known as the ‘Elmina note’. Residual Asante claims to the Accra kostgeld were rendered unsustainable by the Asante defeat at Katamanso in 1826 and the Anglo-Asante and Danish-Asante treaties of 1831.
LARRY W. YARAK
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198221562
- eISBN:
- 9780191678448
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198221562.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
This chapter engages the examination of the kostgeld, showing how the commencement of kostgeld payments served as catalyst in the process of Asante administrative development. The course of this ...
More
This chapter engages the examination of the kostgeld, showing how the commencement of kostgeld payments served as catalyst in the process of Asante administrative development. The course of this development up to the creation of the Elmina residency by Asantehene Osei Tutu Kwame (r. 1804–23) comprises the remainder of chapter. The development of Asante administrative practices with regard to Dutch (and after 1806, Elmina) affairs may conveniently be examined in six stages, commencing in 1744. In line with this, this chapter also explores the first three stages of this process: stage I between 1744–50, stage II between 1752–71, and stage III between 1776–1816. In particular, the salient features of the development of Asante administration with regard to Dutch and Elmina affairs during 1744–1816 are briefly reviewed.Less
This chapter engages the examination of the kostgeld, showing how the commencement of kostgeld payments served as catalyst in the process of Asante administrative development. The course of this development up to the creation of the Elmina residency by Asantehene Osei Tutu Kwame (r. 1804–23) comprises the remainder of chapter. The development of Asante administrative practices with regard to Dutch (and after 1806, Elmina) affairs may conveniently be examined in six stages, commencing in 1744. In line with this, this chapter also explores the first three stages of this process: stage I between 1744–50, stage II between 1752–71, and stage III between 1776–1816. In particular, the salient features of the development of Asante administration with regard to Dutch and Elmina affairs during 1744–1816 are briefly reviewed.
LARRY W. YARAK
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198221562
- eISBN:
- 9780191678448
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198221562.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
This chapter continues the examination of Asante administrative development, starting with the period of the Elmina residency, and following the changes in administrative practice which may be ...
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This chapter continues the examination of Asante administrative development, starting with the period of the Elmina residency, and following the changes in administrative practice which may be discerned after the residency was abolished in about 1836. The three remaining stages include stage IV between 1817–c.1836, stage V between 1837–69 and stage VI between 1869–73. It concludes with a general critique of Wilks' model of the ‘bureaucratic process’ in Asante on the basis of the available documentary evidence. In general, the documentary evidence regarding the development of Asante administration of Dutch and Elmina affairs during 1744–1873 does not support Wilks' characterization of the Asante ‘bureaucratic process’ as a formal one. Specifically, the innovations in executive government implemented by Asantehene Osei Kwadwo — the so-called ‘Kwadwoan revolution’ — seem not to have had, either as purpose or impact, the creation of a ‘new type of official’ dedicated to service to an abstract conception of the Asante state or the impartial application of abstract rules of behaviour, attributes necessarily associated with formal bureaucracy.Less
This chapter continues the examination of Asante administrative development, starting with the period of the Elmina residency, and following the changes in administrative practice which may be discerned after the residency was abolished in about 1836. The three remaining stages include stage IV between 1817–c.1836, stage V between 1837–69 and stage VI between 1869–73. It concludes with a general critique of Wilks' model of the ‘bureaucratic process’ in Asante on the basis of the available documentary evidence. In general, the documentary evidence regarding the development of Asante administration of Dutch and Elmina affairs during 1744–1873 does not support Wilks' characterization of the Asante ‘bureaucratic process’ as a formal one. Specifically, the innovations in executive government implemented by Asantehene Osei Kwadwo — the so-called ‘Kwadwoan revolution’ — seem not to have had, either as purpose or impact, the creation of a ‘new type of official’ dedicated to service to an abstract conception of the Asante state or the impartial application of abstract rules of behaviour, attributes necessarily associated with formal bureaucracy.
LARRY W. YARAK
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198221562
- eISBN:
- 9780191678448
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198221562.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
This chapter tries to integrate the archival material with oral data collected in Asante, in order to provide a more comprehensive analysis of the nature of administration and administrative change ...
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This chapter tries to integrate the archival material with oral data collected in Asante, in order to provide a more comprehensive analysis of the nature of administration and administrative change in Asante in the 18th and 19th centuries. It starts by describing the Boakye Yam Kuma Okyeame stool. In general, Asante administration of Dutch and Elmina affairs developed in five distinct phases: the period from 1744 (and no doubt earlier) to c.1775, when the administrative duties were assigned entirely at the king's prerogative to subordinate chiefs or favoured nhenkwaa; the period from 1775–1817, when all the duties linked with the administration of Dutch and Elmina affairs were attached to the Boakye Yam Kuma stool; the period from 1818–19, when all of the responsibilities involved in administering Dutch and Elmina affairs passed to the ahenkwaa Gyese; the period from 1822–32, when the administrative tasks were assigned to Debosohene Kwadwo Akyampon, the head of the Asantehene's household; and the period from 1837–73, when the Boakye Yam Kuma stool ‘sons’ regained some of the authority in Dutch and Elmina matters lost in 1817–18.Less
This chapter tries to integrate the archival material with oral data collected in Asante, in order to provide a more comprehensive analysis of the nature of administration and administrative change in Asante in the 18th and 19th centuries. It starts by describing the Boakye Yam Kuma Okyeame stool. In general, Asante administration of Dutch and Elmina affairs developed in five distinct phases: the period from 1744 (and no doubt earlier) to c.1775, when the administrative duties were assigned entirely at the king's prerogative to subordinate chiefs or favoured nhenkwaa; the period from 1775–1817, when all the duties linked with the administration of Dutch and Elmina affairs were attached to the Boakye Yam Kuma stool; the period from 1818–19, when all of the responsibilities involved in administering Dutch and Elmina affairs passed to the ahenkwaa Gyese; the period from 1822–32, when the administrative tasks were assigned to Debosohene Kwadwo Akyampon, the head of the Asantehene's household; and the period from 1837–73, when the Boakye Yam Kuma stool ‘sons’ regained some of the authority in Dutch and Elmina matters lost in 1817–18.
LARRY W. YARAK
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198221562
- eISBN:
- 9780191678448
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198221562.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
This chapter addresses the importance of the arguments made in the preceding chapters for understanding the nature of the Asante state. This book explores the unusually rich European archival ...
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This chapter addresses the importance of the arguments made in the preceding chapters for understanding the nature of the Asante state. This book explores the unusually rich European archival documentation in tandem with Asante oral accounts in order to explain and evaluate both the history of Asante's relations with the Dutch and the character and development of the Asante state. It starts by describing Asante-Dutch relations. In addition, the character and development of the Asante state are explained. An assessment of Asante as a patrimonial state brings it more into line with the historiography of other West African precolonial states. The evidence from Asante permits a deeper analysis of the changing connection between the king and his administrative staff and of the various methods employed by successive Asantehenes to maintain control over an officialdom which actively sought to appropriate authority for itself. This is an issue which might fruitfully be pursued in the study of other precolonial African states as well.Less
This chapter addresses the importance of the arguments made in the preceding chapters for understanding the nature of the Asante state. This book explores the unusually rich European archival documentation in tandem with Asante oral accounts in order to explain and evaluate both the history of Asante's relations with the Dutch and the character and development of the Asante state. It starts by describing Asante-Dutch relations. In addition, the character and development of the Asante state are explained. An assessment of Asante as a patrimonial state brings it more into line with the historiography of other West African precolonial states. The evidence from Asante permits a deeper analysis of the changing connection between the king and his administrative staff and of the various methods employed by successive Asantehenes to maintain control over an officialdom which actively sought to appropriate authority for itself. This is an issue which might fruitfully be pursued in the study of other precolonial African states as well.
Richard Rathbone
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780197266120
- eISBN:
- 9780191860010
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197266120.003.0012
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
In 1995, the Asante people of central Ghana celebrated a sumptuous first-fruits festival, Odwira. Although the festival is held annually, this one was unusual in that it also marked the 25th year of ...
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In 1995, the Asante people of central Ghana celebrated a sumptuous first-fruits festival, Odwira. Although the festival is held annually, this one was unusual in that it also marked the 25th year of the reign of their king, the Asantehene. The event was charged with political as well as cultural meaning. Asante and its king had been at the centre of opposition to the radical nationalist party led by Kwame Nkrumah which had taken Ghana into independence in 1957. That opposition had been ruthlessly suppressed and humiliated and this Odwira proved to be a very public opportunity for both an energetic re-assertion of Asante pride and for revenge against a brand of radical politics which remains significantly less popular in the region than it does in other parts of Ghana.Less
In 1995, the Asante people of central Ghana celebrated a sumptuous first-fruits festival, Odwira. Although the festival is held annually, this one was unusual in that it also marked the 25th year of the reign of their king, the Asantehene. The event was charged with political as well as cultural meaning. Asante and its king had been at the centre of opposition to the radical nationalist party led by Kwame Nkrumah which had taken Ghana into independence in 1957. That opposition had been ruthlessly suppressed and humiliated and this Odwira proved to be a very public opportunity for both an energetic re-assertion of Asante pride and for revenge against a brand of radical politics which remains significantly less popular in the region than it does in other parts of Ghana.
John Parker
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- September 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780691193151
- eISBN:
- 9780691214900
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691193151.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, African History
The chapter highlights the rise of the Asante forest kingdom and what oral histories of that epochal event have to say about death, dying and the dead. It focuses on an aspect of Akan mortuary ...
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The chapter highlights the rise of the Asante forest kingdom and what oral histories of that epochal event have to say about death, dying and the dead. It focuses on an aspect of Akan mortuary culture touched on in the previous chapters: the ways in which death was spoken about or, as was often the case, not spoken about. Asante tradition records that the kingdom was forged by the combined genius of two men: Osei Tutu, the omanhene of Kumasi and then the first Asantehene, and Komfo Anokye, the ritual specialist or 'priest' (okomfo) Anokye; these two were ably assisted by a third figure, the military commander Amankwatia. Theirs is a history that was familiar throughout Asante across the centuries, one endlessly recounted at firesides alongside the mythic cycles of odamankomasem and anansesem and the traditions of settlement of families, clans and stools. Yet it is a history that is characterized too by silences, contradictions and interpretive complexities.Less
The chapter highlights the rise of the Asante forest kingdom and what oral histories of that epochal event have to say about death, dying and the dead. It focuses on an aspect of Akan mortuary culture touched on in the previous chapters: the ways in which death was spoken about or, as was often the case, not spoken about. Asante tradition records that the kingdom was forged by the combined genius of two men: Osei Tutu, the omanhene of Kumasi and then the first Asantehene, and Komfo Anokye, the ritual specialist or 'priest' (okomfo) Anokye; these two were ably assisted by a third figure, the military commander Amankwatia. Theirs is a history that was familiar throughout Asante across the centuries, one endlessly recounted at firesides alongside the mythic cycles of odamankomasem and anansesem and the traditions of settlement of families, clans and stools. Yet it is a history that is characterized too by silences, contradictions and interpretive complexities.
Jason Kandybowicz
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- November 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780197509739
- eISBN:
- 9780197509777
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780197509739.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This book develops a theory of wh- prosody according to which wh- expressions must avoid forming prosodic constituents with overt complementizers at the level of Intonational Phrase. The theory is ...
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This book develops a theory of wh- prosody according to which wh- expressions must avoid forming prosodic constituents with overt complementizers at the level of Intonational Phrase. The theory is inspired by Richards’s (2010, 2016) Contiguity Theory and is based empirically on asymmetries in the distribution of wh- items in five West African languages: Krachi (Kwa: Ghana), Bono (Kwa: Ghana), Wasa (Kwa: Ghana), Asante Twi (Kwa: Ghana), and Nupe (Benue-Congo: Nigeria). The observations and analyses stem from original fieldwork on all five languages and represent some of the first prosodic descriptions of the languages. The theory is shown to successfully derive a number of famous and less well-known asymmetries in wh- in-situ distribution in a variety of languages unrelated to those the theory was originally designed to analyze. Against the backdrop of data from eighteen languages, the theory is parameterized to account for wh- item distribution across typologically diverse languages.Less
This book develops a theory of wh- prosody according to which wh- expressions must avoid forming prosodic constituents with overt complementizers at the level of Intonational Phrase. The theory is inspired by Richards’s (2010, 2016) Contiguity Theory and is based empirically on asymmetries in the distribution of wh- items in five West African languages: Krachi (Kwa: Ghana), Bono (Kwa: Ghana), Wasa (Kwa: Ghana), Asante Twi (Kwa: Ghana), and Nupe (Benue-Congo: Nigeria). The observations and analyses stem from original fieldwork on all five languages and represent some of the first prosodic descriptions of the languages. The theory is shown to successfully derive a number of famous and less well-known asymmetries in wh- in-situ distribution in a variety of languages unrelated to those the theory was originally designed to analyze. Against the backdrop of data from eighteen languages, the theory is parameterized to account for wh- item distribution across typologically diverse languages.
Boatema Boateng
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780816670024
- eISBN:
- 9781452946863
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816670024.003.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Intellectual Property, IT, and Media Law
This introductory chapter addresses the ownership and intellectual property protection of adinkra and kente fabrics. It asks: what are the opposing principles of authorship and alienability in the ...
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This introductory chapter addresses the ownership and intellectual property protection of adinkra and kente fabrics. It asks: what are the opposing principles of authorship and alienability in the production of these fabrics? What are the legal implications when these conflicting principles meet? What appropriation practices are found around adinkra and kente, and what are their implications in Ghana’s copyright protections of folklore? Adinkra and kente are among arts that became an important part of Asante culture from the eighteenth to nineteenth centuries, specifically for the social and economic significance of cloth in Ghana.Less
This introductory chapter addresses the ownership and intellectual property protection of adinkra and kente fabrics. It asks: what are the opposing principles of authorship and alienability in the production of these fabrics? What are the legal implications when these conflicting principles meet? What appropriation practices are found around adinkra and kente, and what are their implications in Ghana’s copyright protections of folklore? Adinkra and kente are among arts that became an important part of Asante culture from the eighteenth to nineteenth centuries, specifically for the social and economic significance of cloth in Ghana.
Boatema Boateng
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780816670024
- eISBN:
- 9781452946863
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816670024.003.0002
- Subject:
- Law, Intellectual Property, IT, and Media Law
This chapter discusses the authorship and ownership practices of Asante cloth makers that the intellectual property law opposed. Asante’s design of adinkra and kente became their ownership claims. ...
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This chapter discusses the authorship and ownership practices of Asante cloth makers that the intellectual property law opposed. Asante’s design of adinkra and kente became their ownership claims. These claims encompass cloth production as a whole; therefore, distinguishing it from claims over individual designs, which is an intellectual property right. The chapter also explains the generational teaching of producing these fabrics. Those with strongest access in learning to produce these fabrics are cloth makers’ immediate family members who are familiar with the cloth production process.Less
This chapter discusses the authorship and ownership practices of Asante cloth makers that the intellectual property law opposed. Asante’s design of adinkra and kente became their ownership claims. These claims encompass cloth production as a whole; therefore, distinguishing it from claims over individual designs, which is an intellectual property right. The chapter also explains the generational teaching of producing these fabrics. Those with strongest access in learning to produce these fabrics are cloth makers’ immediate family members who are familiar with the cloth production process.
Boatema Boateng
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780816670024
- eISBN:
- 9781452946863
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816670024.003.0006
- Subject:
- Law, Intellectual Property, IT, and Media Law
This chapter addresses the circulation of adinkra and kente in global markets. Asante cloth producers are part of the global economy since the tourism industry markets these fabrics to foreigners. ...
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This chapter addresses the circulation of adinkra and kente in global markets. Asante cloth producers are part of the global economy since the tourism industry markets these fabrics to foreigners. This circulation is considered as cultural flow that brings different parts of the world into closer contact with each other. However, the global cultural flows of their products are uneven. Asians rather than Africans became the most effective producers of “African” cloth for global markets. Ghana should restore the link between Ghanaian production sources and global markets or intervene in those markets in ways that reduce some of the losses caused by consumption practices that undermine the importance of adinkra and kente producers.Less
This chapter addresses the circulation of adinkra and kente in global markets. Asante cloth producers are part of the global economy since the tourism industry markets these fabrics to foreigners. This circulation is considered as cultural flow that brings different parts of the world into closer contact with each other. However, the global cultural flows of their products are uneven. Asians rather than Africans became the most effective producers of “African” cloth for global markets. Ghana should restore the link between Ghanaian production sources and global markets or intervene in those markets in ways that reduce some of the losses caused by consumption practices that undermine the importance of adinkra and kente producers.
John Parker
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- September 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780691193151
- eISBN:
- 9780691214900
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691193151.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, African History
This chapter looks at the material and conceptual roles of gold in matters of death and burial on the Gold Coast and in the Akan forest in the era of Atlantic commerce. It argues that death and the ...
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This chapter looks at the material and conceptual roles of gold in matters of death and burial on the Gold Coast and in the Akan forest in the era of Atlantic commerce. It argues that death and the ends of life were intimately bound up with ideologies concerning gold, wealth, accumulation and increase. The chapter identifies one aspect of this role as crucial to an understanding of the changing contract between Asante state and society: inheritance and death duties. Another has been touched on only in passing: the interment — and the periodic disinterment — of gold in graves. Both, in essence, were about exchange: exchange between generations, and between the living and the dead. Finally, the chapter explores how the symbolic power of gold in Asante reached dizzying heights of complexity.Less
This chapter looks at the material and conceptual roles of gold in matters of death and burial on the Gold Coast and in the Akan forest in the era of Atlantic commerce. It argues that death and the ends of life were intimately bound up with ideologies concerning gold, wealth, accumulation and increase. The chapter identifies one aspect of this role as crucial to an understanding of the changing contract between Asante state and society: inheritance and death duties. Another has been touched on only in passing: the interment — and the periodic disinterment — of gold in graves. Both, in essence, were about exchange: exchange between generations, and between the living and the dead. Finally, the chapter explores how the symbolic power of gold in Asante reached dizzying heights of complexity.
John Parker
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- September 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780691193151
- eISBN:
- 9780691214900
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691193151.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, African History
This chapter recounts the broader Akan world's or Asante's human sacrifice. It notes that the practice, as established by Law, was widespread in those parts of the West African coastal and forest ...
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This chapter recounts the broader Akan world's or Asante's human sacrifice. It notes that the practice, as established by Law, was widespread in those parts of the West African coastal and forest zones largely untouched by Islam, both in powerful states such Benin, Dahomey and Asante and among non-centralized peoples such as the Igbo in present-day southeastern Nigeria. The chapter presents evidence suggesting that human sacrifice may well have increased in magnitude in the era of the Atlantic slave trade, as increasing levels of militarization and accumulation generated new forms of violence, predation and consumption. The earliest evidence for human sacrifice in the region, however, came from the Gold Coast itself, where, as elsewhere in West Africa, it was identified as an integral part of mortuary customs for the wealthy and powerful. The chapter then shows seventeenth-century accounts about the slaves who composed the majority of those immolated at royal funerals. It also explores how the self-sacrifice of certain individuals served on the early Akan states.Less
This chapter recounts the broader Akan world's or Asante's human sacrifice. It notes that the practice, as established by Law, was widespread in those parts of the West African coastal and forest zones largely untouched by Islam, both in powerful states such Benin, Dahomey and Asante and among non-centralized peoples such as the Igbo in present-day southeastern Nigeria. The chapter presents evidence suggesting that human sacrifice may well have increased in magnitude in the era of the Atlantic slave trade, as increasing levels of militarization and accumulation generated new forms of violence, predation and consumption. The earliest evidence for human sacrifice in the region, however, came from the Gold Coast itself, where, as elsewhere in West Africa, it was identified as an integral part of mortuary customs for the wealthy and powerful. The chapter then shows seventeenth-century accounts about the slaves who composed the majority of those immolated at royal funerals. It also explores how the self-sacrifice of certain individuals served on the early Akan states.
John Parker
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- September 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780691193151
- eISBN:
- 9780691214900
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691193151.003.0012
- Subject:
- History, African History
This chapter discusses how death loomed over the nineteenth-century encounter between Christianity and the peoples of the Gold Coast. It highlights the evangelists who sought to overturn established ...
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This chapter discusses how death loomed over the nineteenth-century encounter between Christianity and the peoples of the Gold Coast. It highlights the evangelists who sought to overturn established values and ways of life in order to challenge the very idea of mortality itself: by abandoning idolatry and embracing the salvation offered by Christ. If African religious practice was resolutely this-worldly, aimed at maintaining the beneficence of deities and ancestors in order to defer death, Christianity was distinctly otherworldly, seeking to wash away sin so that the repentant might enjoy a blissful life beyond the grave. The chapter explores how the Akan and their neighbours regarded death, and explains the centrality of the doctrine of eschatology to the Christian message. Finally, the chapter assesses the further expansion of the Christian faith into Asante and the acceleration of conversion in the era of colonial rule. New perceptions of life after death, new funerary customs, and new ways of dying were crucial components of this religious transformation.Less
This chapter discusses how death loomed over the nineteenth-century encounter between Christianity and the peoples of the Gold Coast. It highlights the evangelists who sought to overturn established values and ways of life in order to challenge the very idea of mortality itself: by abandoning idolatry and embracing the salvation offered by Christ. If African religious practice was resolutely this-worldly, aimed at maintaining the beneficence of deities and ancestors in order to defer death, Christianity was distinctly otherworldly, seeking to wash away sin so that the repentant might enjoy a blissful life beyond the grave. The chapter explores how the Akan and their neighbours regarded death, and explains the centrality of the doctrine of eschatology to the Christian message. Finally, the chapter assesses the further expansion of the Christian faith into Asante and the acceleration of conversion in the era of colonial rule. New perceptions of life after death, new funerary customs, and new ways of dying were crucial components of this religious transformation.
