The Akuapem
is one of the few confederacies in Ghana. It consists of people of
Guan and
Akan descent. The Akuapem State has a total land area of . They reside mostly to the south of the
Eastern Region of
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
. They are indigenous, consisting of both patriarchal
Volta-Comoe-speaking Guans and matriarchal
Kwa-speaking Akans.
History
The ''Akuapem'' formerly referred to only Guan speakers, including the Anum, Boso,
Larteh
Larteh is a language of southeastern Ghana. It belongs to the Guang languages, Guang subgroup of the Niger–Congo languages and is spoken by about 74,000 people.
References
Guang languages
Languages of Ghana
{{kwa-lang-stub ...
,
Mamfe, Abotakyi,
Mampong
Mampong is a town and the capital of the Mampong Municipal District, Mampong Municipal in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. As of 2012, the town has a population of 42,037 people. The town is home to the ''Mamponghene'', Nana Osei Bonsu II.
Histo ...
,
Obosomase, and Tutu Guan blocks as well as the
Kyerepong (Okere) Guan blocks, which comprise
Abiriw,
Dawu,
Awukugua,
Adukrom, Apirede, and Abonse-Asesieso. The localities that speak
Akan Twi include the capital,
Akropong,
Pokrom Nsabaa, and
Amanokurom, which are home to immigrants from
Akyem
The Akyem Kingdoms (also known as Greater Akyem, Akim, Great Akim, or Akan Grande) were prominent Akan people, Akan kingdoms in precolonial Ghana, consisting of the three related states of Akyem Abuakwa, Akyem Kotoku, and Akyem Bosome. Located in ...
and Mampong, who are also from
Asante Mampong in
Ashanti Region
The Ashanti Region is located in the southern part of Ghana and is the third largest of Regions of Ghana, 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of and making up 10.2 percent of the total land area of Ghana. It is the List of ...
.
These multi-ethnic people were given the name ''Akuapem'' by Nana Ansa Sasraku I of
Akwamu
The Akwamu Empire was a powerful Akan state that rose to prominence in the 17th century in what is now southeastern Ghana. According to oral tradition, the Akwamu traced their origins to the Twifo-Heman area, but the earliest historical records p ...
, a renowned warrior king. The word () in Akan Twi is the source of the name. After the people overpowered his Akwamu invasion force, he gave them these names. The term was altered to ''Akuapem''.
See also
*
Momome
References
Akan
Ethnic groups in Ghana
{{Ghana-stub