King Arthur, Okomfo Anoyke and the Sword in the Stone

Well things have been progressing really well here in Ghana, Janna and I are now over half done our mandate here. We were really excited to have our daughter Regan visit us for three weeks in February. We took the opportunity to explore Ghana with her seeing great sights including cultural treasures of the Ashanti Kingdom in Kumasi, a walking safari in Mole National Park and some wonderful time on the beautiful Atlantic Ocean beaches in the west of Ghana.

Kumasi is Ghana’s second biggest city, and the traditional heartland for the Ashanti Kingdom, which held sway over much of Ghana for hundreds of years. Wikipedia in its overview of the Ashanti people (seen at the bottom of this blog) reveals the rich history of this still strong Ghanaian tribe. We explored a museum revealing the history of the Ashanti Kingdom, and it was fascinating. Of interest was a sealed container that was given to the original king in the dynasty, by a priest, that must stay sealed if the kingdom is to survive. The container remains unopened for over 300 years. As well there was a replica of the golden stool (throne) of the king. This replica was created and given to the British after the Ashanti were defeated in battle just over a century ago. To this day the real stool remains in hiding, its location known only to the king a some of his advisors.

In addition, nearby to the museum there is an interesting sword that is stuck in the ground in Kumasi. For those of you familiar with the King Arthur legend you will be interested in the similarity. As you may remember in the King Arthur story only the true king can pull the sword out of the stone, despite stronger candidates doing their best. Arthur, even though only a boy, pulls it from the stone, verifying that he is the true king.

In Ghana it is a different story. The holy man Okomfo Anoke (see image below),

who is one of the key figures in the creation of the Ashanti Kingdom, stuck a sword into stone and declared that as long as that sword remained in the stone the Ashanti Kingdom would never fall. The sword remains in the stone to this day, and the Ashanti Kingdom also remains. Over the years many people have tried to pull the sword from the stone, including a British man in the 1950s who apparently tried to use machinery to pull out the sword, but whenever he would try to hook it up the sword would disappear. Even Muhammad Ali, the famous boxer gave it a try. Below is the picture we took of the sword, and no, we weren’t allowed to give it a try ourselves at pulling it out. In the picture you can see offerings of schnapps, which is a common offering here in traditional religious practices.

To see a great video on the Ashanti Kingdom I recommend the BBC’s excellent overview which my parents shared with me just before we left for Ghana.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01bgndm

The Ashanti Kingdom

“The Ashanti went from being a tributary state to a centralized hierarchical kingdom. Osei Tutu, military leader and head of the Oyoko clan, founded the Ashanti kingdom in the 1670s.^[2] He obtained the support of other clan chiefs and using Kumasi as the central base, subdued surrounding Akan states. He challenged and eventually defeated Denkyira in 1701.

Realizing the weakness of a loose confederation of Akan states, Osei Tutu strengthened centralization of the surrounding Akan groups and expanded the powers judiciary system within the centralized government. Thus, this loose confederation of small city-states grew into a kingdom or empire looking to expand its land. Newly conquered areas had the option of joining the empire or becoming tributary states.^[3] Opoku Ware I, Osei Tutu's successor, extended the borders, embracing much of present day Ghana's territory.^[4]

The Golden Stool

The legend of 'Golden Stool' (sika 'dwa) actually tells of the birth of the Ashanti kingdom itself. In the seventeenth century, in order for the Ashanti to win their independence from Denkyira, then another powerful Akan state, a meeting of all the clan heads of each of the Ashanti settlements was called. In this meeting, the Golden Stool was commanded down from the heavens by Okomfo Anokye, the Priest, or sage advisor, to the very first Asantehene (Ashanti king), Osei Tutu I. The Golden Stool floated down from the heavens straight into the lap of Osei Tutu I. Okomfo Anokye declared the stool to be the symbol of the new Ashanti union ('Asanteman'), and allegiance was sworn to the Golden Stool and to Osei Tutu as the Asantehene. The newly founded Ashanti union went to war with Denkyira and defeated it.^[5]

The Golden Stool is sacred to the Ashanti, as it is believed that it contains the 'Sunsum' — spirit or soul of the Ashanti people. Just as man cannot live without a soul, so the Ashanti would cease to exist if the Golden Stool were to be taken from them. The Golden Stool is not just sacred; it is a symbol of nationhood, a symbol that binds or unifies all Ashanti.the stool was believed to be so sacred not even the king was allowed to sit on it.

The Golden Stool is a curved seat 46 cm high with a platform 61 cm wide and 30 cm deep. Its entire surface is inlaid with gold, and hung with bells to warn the king of impending danger. It is an Ashanti legend and has only been seen by the tribe's royalty. Only the king and trusted advisers know the hiding place of the stool. Replicas of the stool have been produced for the chiefs and at their funerals are ceremonially blackened with animal blood, a symbol of their power for generations.

Asanteman Coronation Durbar in the capital city of Kumasi. Otumfuo Prempeh II the Asantehene is seen with the Golden Stool of Asanteman and members of his retinue, in 1953.

The Ashanti have always defended their Golden Stool when it was at risk. In 1896, the Ashanti allowed their King, Prempeh I, to be exiled rather than risk losing a war and the Golden Stool in the process. The Governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Frederick Hodgson, demanded to sit on the stool in 1900. The Ashanti remained silent and when the assembly ended, they went home and prepared for war. Although they lost on the battle field, they claimed victory because they fought only to preserve the sanctity of the Golden Stool, and they had. Then in 1920, a group of African road builders accidentally found the Golden Stool and stripped it of its gold ornaments. They were tried by an Ashanti court, found guilty, and the death penalty was imposed. But the British intervened and the sentence was commuted to perpetual banishment.

The Ashanti have always been proud of the uniqueness of their Golden Stool, and it was a symbol of not only their independence, but a common bond between their people. When the King of Gyaaman, Adinkra, made a Golden Stool for himself, the Asantehene was so annoyed that he led a massive army against him. Adinkra was completely destroyed near Bondoukou, and he was decapitated. The Asantehene then proceeded to order the melt down of Adinkra's golden stool, and for it to be made into two masks, to represent his "ugly" face. These masks remain hanging on each side of the Ashanti Golden Stool to this hour” (Wikipedia, 2013, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashanti_people#Ashanti_Kingdom).