The Katamanso War, also known as the Battle of Dodowa, was a war that several tribes united with the British, fought and prevented Ashantis from dominating the coast in 1826. Numerous tribes in the Gold Coast such as the Fantes, Ga, Akyems, Adas were led by the British army to fight the Ashantis. It is classified as one of the "

Anglo-Ashanti Wars The Anglo-Ashanti wars were a series of five conflicts that took place between 1824 and 1900 between the Ashanti Empire—in the Akan people, Akan interior of the Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast—and the British Empire and its African ...

" according to historical evidence at the National Archives.

History

The Ashanti King or

Asantehene The is the title for the monarch of the historical Ashanti Empire as well as the ceremonial ruler of the Ashanti people today. The Ashanti royal house traces its line to the Oyoko (an '' Abusua'', or "clan") Abohyen Dynasty of Nana Twum and ...

(

Osei Yaw Akoto Osei Yaw Akoto ( – 21 February 1834), was the seventh King of the Ashanti Empire reigning from 1824 until his death on 21 February 1834.T. C. McCaskie, ''State and Society in Pre-Colonial Asante'', Cambridge University Press, 2003, p. 69-70 Bi ...

) at that time, furious at the

Ga-Adangbe The Ga-Dangbe, Ga-Dangme, Ga-Adangme or Ga-Adangbe are an ethnic group in Ghana, Togo and Benin. The Ga or Gan and Dangbe or Dangme people are grouped as part of the Ga–Dangme languages, Ga–Dangme Ethnolinguistics, ethnolinguistic group. The ...

for aiding the Fantes in the

Battle of Nsamankow The Battle of Nsamankow was a battle between the United Kingdom and the Ashanti Empire that took place in 1824 as part of the First Anglo-Ashanti War. The British force under Charles MacCarthy was defeated by an Ashanti force. Background In l ...

of 1824, proposed to punish them. He decided to pursue them, even if they escape into the belly of ''kanfra'' (a small flat fish). On 7 August 1826, the war began also known as the "Battle of Dodowa". However he met a coalition of other indigenous forces allied with the Ga-Adangbe of

Prampram Prampram is a coastal town in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The town is located in the Ningo Prampram District. Prampram (Gbugbla), the capital of Ningo-Prampram, is 15 minutes' drive from the port city of Tema and 45 minutes from Accra, t ...

, Ningo and

Ada Ada may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle'', a novel by Vladimir Nabokov Film and television * Ada, a character in 1991 movie '' Armour of God II: Operation Condor'' * '' Ada... A Way of Life'', a 2008 Bollywo ...

people under their Monarch King Tackie Kome.

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

and Danish forces all together not more than 60, aided in the war with new weapons after an attack on

Cape Coast Cape Coast is a city and the capital of the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly, Cape Coast Metropolitan District and the Central Region (Ghana), Central Region of Ghana, Ghana. It is located about from Sekondi-Takoradi and approximately from Ac ...

in July 1824. The Asantehene amassed an army of 40,000. An alliance of British with Ga-Adangbe,

Fanti Fanti is an Italian surname. Notable people with this name include: * Bartolomeo Fanti (1428–1495), beatified Italian Carmelite priest * Fausto Fanti (1978–2014), Brazilian actor, comedian and musician * Franco Fanti (1924–2007), Italian Olymp ...

Denkyira Denkyira (also known as Denkira, Denchira, Inguira, or Dinkira) was a powerful Akan kingdom that rose to prominence in precolonial Ghana, dominating large parts of the forest zone in the south-central Gold Coast. Centered around its capital at ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

s at Katamanso near

Dodowa Dodowa is a town located in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, it is the district capital of Dangme West district, now Shai Osudoku District Shai Osudoku District is one of the twenty-nine districts in Greater Accra Region, Ghana Gha ...

faced the Ashanti army. The Akyems were led by the

Okyenhene Okyenhene is the title of the Tribal King of Akyem Abuakwa (also styled Okyeman), an old traditional kingdom in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The Okyenhene is also referred to as the Kwaebibiremhene as his traditional territory is an area of a dens ...

Nana Afia Dokuaa Nana Afia Dokuaa was the first and only woman to hold the office of ruler, or Okyenhene, in the history of Akyem Abuakwa in present-day Ghana. She ascended the Ofori stool in 1817 after her uncle Kofi Asante, and ruled until 1835. She was a noted ...

, the only woman ruler of a major state. But the allied forces fought gallantly and overcame the Ashanti Army with a devastating victory which paralyzed the Ashanti Empire and was a factor in the loss of its former glory. This contributed to the British power and prestige rise on the coast. The Ashantis held their position for nine hours (6 AM to 3 PM).

Effects of the war

The effects of the war included: * Smooth trading activities with less fear of invasion. * Unity of Ga-Adangbe. * Accra became famous and their influence spread. * Foreign countries and strangers traded with the coast for commercial purpose.{{Cite web, title=GRIN - The Anglo-Asante-Wars and its political effects, url=https://www.grin.com/document/366987, access-date=2020-08-09, website=www.grin.com, language=de

Historical facts

The King was made to swear an oath as the '''ka ntam''' (Akan for swear), '''na su (Akan for cry) = Corrupted into Katamanso. The hair style worn by the Asante women called Gyese Nkran''', (except Akra), vulgarized as Densinkran, was introduced to mourn the Asante dead in the Katamanso war.

References

19th century in Ghana 1826 in Africa Conflicts in 1826 Battles involving the Ashanti Empire