ETHNIC GROUPS
Ethnicity in Ghana is the basis of social organization in the traditional context and thus of observable and unobservable norms, beliefs and rituals that govern various life events. Each ethnic group in Ghana has it own corpus of knowledge and practices in the sphere of health and nutrition. Ghana has various ethnicities but the major ones are the Akan, Ga, Ewe, Mole-Dagbani, Grassi, Gruma and Dagati. Akans are the people who speak a similar language and have a similar sociocultural system; they are the Ashantis, Fanti, Akuapem, Brong and others.
HISTORY OF THE ASHANTI
The Asante kingdom was founded by the great King Osei Tutu in the eighteenth century. His fetish priest was called Okomfo Anokye who unified the Asante states through allegiance to the Golden stool which miraculously descended from Heaven. Okomfo Anokye planted two trees in the forest and predicted that one tree would live and become the capital of the Ashanti kingdom. Hence the Kumasi which is the Ashanti kingdom derived from the name Kumasi (the tree lived), and the other place in which the tree was planted became Kumawu (the tree died).
FOODS OF THE ASHANTI
Cocoa is the dominant cash crop for the Ashanti’s but food-stuff, vegetable and fruit are grown for home consumption. Typical crops of Ashanti’s are yam, plantain, cassava, maize, okro, pineapples.oranges and paw-paw. The majority of the population lived in Villages and worked on their farms using a system of shifting cultivation. For Ashanti’s to create farm, it is necessary for them to clear part of the natural forest although cocoa could be grown between existing trees.
THE LANGUAGE
The official language is English but this is not spoken by many Villagers. The Asante are part of the Akan tribes who speak various dialects of Twi. The Twi language is very rich in proverbs; the use of the proverbs is taken to be a sign of wisdom. Proverbs are often used by the Ashanti’s to express ideas indirectly as one would say ‘THE KING HAS DIED’, and another would say “A MIGHTY TREE HAS FALLEN.”
THE FAMILY
Ashanti’s deal strongly with the extended family system which is Head by Family Head (Abusuappene). Thus includes, uncle, father, mother, grandmother, grandfather, nephews, niece, and others. Poorer members may seek financial assistance from better off relatives for school fess, medical expenses and others.
In Asante, the family line passes through the mother to her children. A man is strongly related to his mother’s brother. As a result in inheritance, a man’s nephew (sister’s son) will have priority over his own son. Uncle-Nephew relationship therefore assumes a dominant position. Though law has passed to change this traditional pattern of inheritance.
Written by Frank Oppong-Dankwah
Teacher from Adansi-Brofoyedru Methodist J.H.S Ghana
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