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Gyaman People
Gyaman (also spelled Gyaaman or Jamang, and later known as Jaman) was a prominent precolonial Akan kingdom that flourished in parts of present-day Ghana and Ivory Coast. Established by the Bono people from the Aduana clan, Gyaman evolved into a significant political and cultural power, extending its authority across the Banda, Jaman North, Jaman South, and Bonduku regions. It is notably regarded as the origin of the Adinkra symbols, which are now central to Akan philosophy and visual culture. The kingdom served as a cultural and political crossroads between the Akan, Gur, and Mande-speaking regions, facilitating trade, diplomacy, and cultural exchange across the forest–savannah frontier. Its history was shaped by conflict with the Asante Empire and the eventual partition of its territory between the British Gold Coast and French West Africa in the late 19th century. History Origins The foundations of Gyaman trace back as early as the late 15th century, rooted in the pol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asante Empire
The Asante Empire ( Asante Twi: ), also known as the Ashanti Empire, was an Akan state that lasted from 1701 to 1901, in what is now modern-day Ghana. It expanded from the Ashanti Region to include most of Ghana and also parts of Ivory Coast and Togo. Due to the empire's military prowess, wealth, architecture, sophisticated hierarchy and culture, the Asante Empire has been extensively studied and has more historic records written by European, primarily British, authors than any other indigenous culture of sub-Saharan Africa. Starting in the late 17th century, the Asante king Osei Tutu ( – 1717) and his adviser Okomfo Anokye established the Asante Kingdom, with the Golden Stool of Asante as a sole unifying symbol. Osei Tutu oversaw a massive Asante territorial expansion, building up the army by introducing new organisation and turning a disciplined royal and paramilitary army into an effective fighting machine. In 1701, the Asante army conquered Denkyira, giving the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orange color. Copper is used as a conductor of heat and electricity, as a building material, and as a constituent of various metal alloys, such as sterling silver used in jewelry, cupronickel used to make marine hardware and coins, and constantan used in strain gauges and thermocouples for temperature measurement. Copper is one of the few metals that can occur in nature in a directly usable, unalloyed metallic form. This means that copper is a native metal. This led to very early human use in several regions, from . Thousands of years later, it was the first metal to be smelted from sulfide ores, ; the first metal to be cast into a shape in a mold, ; and the first metal to be purposely alloyed with another metal, tin, to create bronze, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Begho
Begho, also known historically as Nsoko or Insoco, was a city located in the Bono state of Ghana, located just south of its successor community, Hani. Begho was established as a trading entrepôt and cosmopolitan centre linking merchants from across West Africa and North Africa. Operating from the northern forest savanna transition zone, just like Bono Manso, it seized new economic opportunities and cross-cultural interactions through expansion as a commercial hub. Before the Europeans arrival in 1471, Begho was initially contacted by Muslim merchants who spoke Mande from the Mali empire. Outside the town limits, these merchants frequently founded permanent outlying settlements. By the 17th centuries, the Europeans who fostered key interests in gold and silver trading, harboured displeasures towards the Juula with an attempt to put them out of trade. Begho’s progress was attributed to the proximity of Akan goldfields from which gold reached Djene and Timbuktu as well as other ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guinean Forest–savanna Mosaic
The Guinean forest-savanna, also known as the Guinean forest-savanna transition, is a distinctive ecological region located in West Africa. It stretches across several countries including Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, and Cameroon. This region is characterized by a unique blend of forested areas and savannas, creating a diverse and dynamic landscape. It is an ecoregion of West Africa, a band of interlaced forest, savanna, and grassland running east to west and dividing the tropical moist forests near the coast from the West Sudanian savanna of the interior. Setting The Guinean forest–savanna mosaic covers an area of , extending from western Senegal to eastern Nigeria, and including portions of Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Cameroon. The Cameroon Highlands of eastern Nigeria and Cameroon separate the Guinean forest–savanna mosaic from the Northern Congolian forest–savanna mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mande Peoples
Mande may refer to: * Mandé peoples of western Africa * Mande languages, their Niger-Congo languages * Manding, a term covering a subgroup of Mande peoples, and sometimes used for one of them, Mandinka * Garo people of northeastern India and northern Bangladesh * Mande River in Bosnia and Herzegovina * Mandé, Mali Surname * Hendrik Mande (d. 1431), Dutch mystical writer * Jerold Mande (b. 1954), American nutritionist and civil servant See also * Mand (other) * Manda (other) *Mandean (other) Mandean or Mandaean may refer to: * Mandaeism, a Gnostic religion * Mandaeans, the ethnoreligious group who follow the Gnostic religion * Mandean, the language family in West Africa known as the Mande languages See also * Mandaic (other) ... * Mandi (other) * Manding (other) * Mandinka (other) {{disambig, geo, surname Language and nationality disambiguation pages ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gur Languages
The Gur languages, also known as Central Gur or Mabia, belong to the Niger–Congo languages. They are spoken in the Sahelian and savanna regions of West Africa, namely: in most areas of Burkina Faso, and in south-central Mali, northeastern Ivory Coast, the northern halves of Ghana and Togo, northwestern Benin, and southwestern Niger. A few Gur languages are spoken in Nigeria. Additionally, a single Gur language, Baatonum, is spoken in Benin and in the extreme northwest of Nigeria. Three other single Gur languages, the Tusya language, Tusya, Vyemo language, Vyemo and Tiefo language, Tiefo languages, are spoken in Burkina Faso. Another unclassified Gur language, Miyobe, is spoken in Benin and Togo. In addition, Kulango, Lomakka language, Loma and Lorhon language, Lorhon, are spoken in Ghana, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. Additionally, a few Mossi language, Mossi speakers are in Senegal, and speakers of the Dagaare language are also found in Cameroon. The Samu languages of Burkina F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adinkra Symbols
''Adinkra'' are symbols from Ghana that represent concepts or aphorisms. ''Adinkra'' are used extensively in fabrics, logos and pottery. They are incorporated into walls and other architectural features. ''Adinkra'' symbols appear on some traditional Akan goldweights. The symbols are also carved on stools for domestic and ritual use. Tourism has led to new departures in the use of symbols in items such as T-shirts and jewellery. The symbols have a decorative function but also represent objects that encapsulate evocative messages conveying traditional wisdom, aspects of life, or the environment. There are many symbols with distinct meanings, often linked with proverbs. In the words of Kwame Anthony Appiah, they were one of the means for "supporting the transmission of a complex and nuanced body of practice and belief". History Adinkra symbols were originally created by the Bono people of Gyaaman, Gyaman. The Gyaman king, List of rulers of the Akan state of Gyaaman, Nana Kwad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bondoukou
Bondoukou (var. Bonduku, Bontuku) is a city in northeastern Ivory Coast, 420 km northeast of Abidjan. It is the seat of both Zanzan District and Gontougo Region. It is also a commune and the seat of and a sub-prefecture of Bondoukou Department. Bondoukou is situated near the border with Ghana, just across the border from the Ghanaian town of Sampa. The city lies at the junction of the main A1 highway, with roads to Sorobango to the north and Ghana to the east. History Founding The area that would become Boundoukou was originally inhabited by the Gbin, Loro and Nafana clans. The town was founded by Soninke Wangara merchants (the ancestors of the Dyula people) in the mid 18th century shortly before or immediately following the destruction of Bighu at the hands of the Ashanti Empire. Bonduku became the "premier settlement of the Bighu Juula after the collapse of the older town." "This town was established by the major part of the inhabitants of Bego...the Hausa have given i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Banda State (Ghana)
Banda was a multiethnic polity that emerged in the aftermath of the collapse of the mercantile center of Begho during the early 18th century. Situated in present-day Bono Region of Ghana, Banda evolved as a frontier society shaped by migrations, warfare, and trade, and was later incorporated into the Asante Empire and eventually restructured under British colonial rule. History Origins and Ethnogenesis The Banda polity emerged around 1720 in the political vacuum following the decline of Begho. According to the *Kitāb Ghanja* (Gonja people, Gonja Chronicles), the Banda chief referred to as Sie Taki (Shytaq) died in 1751 after a reign of approximately thirty years. This dating supports the view that the state was established by the 1720s. The early polity was populated by diverse groups, including Nafana people, Nafana, Ligbi people, Ligby, Kuulo people, Kuulo, Ewe people, Ewe, and others, many of whom migrated into the region due to conflict, famine, or accusations of witchcraft. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abusua
Abusua is the name in Akan culture for a group of people that share common maternal ancestry governed by seven major ancient abosom (deities).Changing Funeral Celebrations in Asanteman ''books.google.com''. The Abusua line is considered to be passed through the mother's blood (). There are several Abusua that transcend the different ethnic subgroups outside of the ancient seven. People of the same Abusua share a common ancestor somewhere within their bloodline, which may go back as far as thousands of years. It is a taboo to marry someone from the same Abusua. The different Abusua are the Agona (parrot), the Aduana (dog), the Asenie (bat), Oyoko (falcon/hawk), the Asakyiri (vulture), the Asona (crow), the Bretuo (leopard), and the Ekuona (bull). |
Bono People
The Bono, also known as the Brong or Abron, are an Akan people of central Ghana and northeastern Ivory Coast. They speak the Bono Twi and form one of the largest matrilineal Akan groups. Historically, the Bono were the first Akan to develop a centralized state named Bono state with the core political centers located at Bono Manso and Begho. The Akan people trace their origin to the Bono state based on history and oral tradition. Traditionally, Bono is the hub of Akan culture as various key elements of the culture emanate from. Bono is often highlighted as the cradle of Akan civilisation. The Bono became prosperous at Bono state through gold discovery, trade and commerce from neighbouring partners and across Africa. As part of commercial transactions, gold dust were used as currency and gold weights as a measure of value. In 1471 when the first European-Portuguese visited Gold Coast (now Ghana), Bono Manso and Begho were an urban cities in West Africa. Begho at its peak had a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of cities in Ivory Coast, city and economic centre is the port city of Abidjan. It borders Guinea to the Guinea–Ivory Coast border, northwest, Liberia to the Ivory Coast–Liberia border, west, Mali to the Ivory Coast–Mali border, northwest, Burkina Faso to the Burkina Faso–Ivory Coast border, northeast, Ghana to the Ghana–Ivory Coast border, east, and the Atlantic Ocean's Gulf of Guinea to the south. With 31.5 million inhabitants in 2024, Ivory Coast is the List of African countries by population, third-most populous country in West Africa. Its official language is French language, French, and indigenous languages are also widely used, including Bété languages, Bété, Baoulé language, Baoulé, Dyula language, Dyula, Dan language, Da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
