Gyaman (also spelled Jamang, Gyaaman) was a medieval

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–Congo ...

state, located in what is now the

Bono region The Bono region is one of the 16 administrative regions of Ghana. It is as a result of the remainder of Brong-Ahafo region when Bono East region and Ahafo region were created. Sunyani, also known as the green city of Ghana, is the regional c ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

and

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 is ...

. Gyaman was founded by the

Bono people The Bono, also called the Brong and the Abron, are an Akan people of West Africa. Bonos are normally tagged Akan piesie or Akandifo of which Akan is a derivative name. Bono is the genesis and cradle of Akans. Bono is one of the largest ethnic gr ...

, a branch of the Akan, in the late 15th century. The Bono then proceeded to conquer the Kulangos,

Nafana The Nafana are a Senufo people living in the central north-west of Ghana and the north-east of Côte d'Ivoire, in the area east of Bondoukou. They number about 45, 000 (SIL/GILLBT 1992) and they speak Nafaanra, a Senufo language. They are sur ...

s, Ligbis, and other ethnic groups of the area."The impact of Colonial rule on the Gyaman State" written by J.K. Agyemang, A.E. Ofosu Mensah & E.Y. Gyamerah Before European colonial administration in the late 19th century, the Gyaman king, known as the Gyamanhene, sat in Amanvi, although four provincial chiefs held the kingdom's real power. The economy centered on the capital

Sampa __NOTOC__ The Speech Assessment Methods Phonetic Alphabet (SAMPA) is a computer-readable phonetic script using 7-bit printable ASCII characters, based on the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). It was originally developed in the late 1980s for ...

and the Dyula market town of Bonduku in modern-day Ivory Coast. The adinkra symbols are originated and designed through the handiwork and tireless effort of Bonohene Nana Kwadwo Agyemang Adinkra of Gyaman. In the 19th century, Gyaman was subjugated by the

Ashanti Empire The Asante Empire ( Asante Twi: ), today commonly called the Ashanti Empire, was an Akan state that lasted between 1701 to 1901, in what is now modern-day Ghana. It expanded from the Ashanti Region to include most of Ghana as well as parts of ...

. It regained its independence following the Ashanti defeat by the British. In 1888, Gyaman king Agyeman signed a treaty of protection with

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

, but the French failed to establish a post in the kingdom, leaving it vulnerable to Samori's 1895 invasion. The French later expelled Samori in 1897, incorporating western areas of Gyaman into French West Africa.A Profile of Bono Kyempem (Essays on the Archaeology, History, Language and Politics of the Brong Peoples of Ghana), Edited with Introduction by Kwame Arhin. Senior Research Fellow, Institute o f African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon.

References

* Countries in medieval Africa History of Ivory Coast French West Africa History of Ghana States and territories established in 1450 Akan Former monarchies {{Ghana-geo-stub

See also

References