The Chakosi are an

Akan people The Akan () people live primarily in present-day Ghana and Ivory Coast in West Africa. The Akan language (also known as ''Twi/Fante'') are a group of dialects within the Central Tano branch of the Potou–Tano subfamily of the Niger–Con ...

who trace their origin to an area in the

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre i ...

in a place they call Anou or Ano. Thus, they refer to themselves and their language as Anufo "people of Anu". They inhabit three countries: Ghana, Benin and Togo. As of 2003 they had a combined population of 137,600. Orale narrations had it that they were in Ghana and Togo not later than 18th century and they were warriors in nature and fought a couple of battles including the ones they helped the

Gonja people Gonja (also Ghanjawiyyu, endonym Ngbanya) was a kingdom in northern Ghana founded in 1675 by Sumaila Ndewura Jakpa. The word can also refer to the people of this kingdom. Origin The Gonja are a Guan people who have been influenced by Dagbon, A ...

and the Mamprusi in building the Mamprusi Kingdom. They have names like Amoin, Akisie (Agishie), Kouasi, Adjoah, Amlan (Amanna) Ouwe, Yao, Koffi, Afoueh, N'gisah all depicting names of the days Mueneh (Sunday), Cishe (Monday), Djore (Tuesday), Mana (Wednesday), Ohue (Thursday), Ya (Friday) and Fue (Saturday) Kwa Chakosi speak the Akan dialect

Chakosi language Chakosi, also known by its Autonym (semantics), autonym Anufo, is a Central Tano language spoken in northeast Ghana, northern Togo, northwest Benin and Ivory Coast by approximately 180,000 people. Phonology References

Central Ta ...

History

Early 18th century

It appears that migrations in the early 18th century brought together Mande horsemen and their malams from the North and Akan peoples from the East. Together with the indigenous Ndenyi people, they were amalgamated into one people with a mixed language and culture.

Mid 18th century

In the mid 18th century, a small band of mercenaries left Ano to the

Upper West region The Upper West Region of Ghana is located in the north-western corner of Ghana and is bordered by Upper East region to the east, Northern region to the south, and Burkina Faso to the west and north. The Upper West regional capital and largest se ...

Upper East region The Upper East Region is located in north Ghana and is the third smallest of the 16 administrative regions in Ghana. It occupies a total land surface of 8,842 square kilometers or 2.7 per cent of the total land area of Ghana. The Upper East regi ...

, and Northern region. The band consisted of Mande horsemen, Akan musket-toting foot soldiers, and some

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

scholar amulet-makers.Kirby 1986, p. 34 These groups provided the basis for a society divided into three classes or estates: Nobles, commoners and Muslims. Eventually, the small army established a camp on the shores of the

Oti River The Oti River or Pendjari River is an international river in West Africa. It rises in Benin, forms the border between Benin and Burkina Faso, flows through Togo, and joins the Volta River in Ghana. Geography The Oti River is about long. Its head ...

where the town of

Mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in Sout ...

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

stands today. Since they were warriors and not farmers, they made their living by conducting raids into the farming communities around them. This provided them with wives and slaves as well as foodstuffs and livestock. Eventually the people settled in the surrounding farming communities, and assimilation took place.

References

Sources

* Kirby, J.P. (1986) God, Shrines and Problem-Solving among the Anufo of Northern Ghana. Collectanea Instituti Anthropos, No. 34, Berlin: Dietrich Reimer Verlag, for Anthropos Institute, St. Augustin. {{Authority control Akan