Historical BackgroundThe Asante Nation was composed of several clans
ruled by individual kings. There were many petty
wars between the various states, which weakened
the Asante Nation. As a result, the neighboring
Denkyira Nation conquered the Asante and
forced them to pay tribute to her until 1701. The
Denkyira controlled vast amounts of gold mines.
This helped establish the nation’s power.
Under the leadership of theAsantehene(king of
the Asante) Nana Osei Tutu, several Asante clans
were consolidated through conquest, and the
Asante Nation eventually defeated its Denkyira
overlords. The Asante nation was on its way to
becoming a powerful force in the region. It was
now in control of what would soon be called by
the British, the “Gold Coast.” Through diplomacy
and conquest, the Asante defeated other king-
doms, further expanding the Asante Empire.
Osei Tutu’s celebrated priest, Anokye, created
the Golden Stool, which was believed to possess
the spirit of the nation. The Golden Stool became
the symbol of Asante national unity and remains
so to this day. Kumasi became the center of the
Asante Nation. Nana Opoku Ware succeeded
Osei Tutu in 1719. Opoku Ware reigned for 30
years and was responsible for expanding Asante
boundaries even farther.
The Asante nation was so powerful that, dur-
ing the early part of the 19th century, European
powers that occupied forts along the coast paid
rent to the Asante king. European visitors were
immensely impressed with the Asante Nation’s
size, wealth, and the complexity of its government
and social systems. After developing an economic
and military alliance with the British, the Asante
came into conflict with these “friends” in 1806
for the first time. The Asante and the British
would engage in several wars that became known
as the 100-Year War.
On January 17, 1895, under the leadership of
Nana Prempeh I, the Asante prepared to submit to
British rule. To the surprise of the Asantehene, he,
the Asantehema (queen mother), several members
of the royal family, and several chiefs were
arrested and sent into exile. Adding to this insult,
in 1900, the British governor demanded to occupy
the Golden Stool, the soul of the Asante nation.
Already shamed by allowing their king to be
arrested, the Asante were strengthened by this
arrogant and disrespectful demand.
Nana Yaa Asantewa, who was a queen mother,
assumed the leadership of the Asante because no
male chief was willing to do so. Nana Yaa Asantewa
led the Asante army in what became known as the
Yaa Asantewa War. The British governor, his sol-
diers, and their families were held up in the fort at
Kumase until their escape in June of that year. After
3 months of fighting, British reinforcements arrived
and subdued Nana Yaa Asantewa and her army. In
March 1901, Nana Yaa Asantewa and 15 others
were sent into exile and joined Nana Prempeh at the
Seychelles Island. Thirty-one others were impris-
oned in Elmina Castle. The British officially
annexed the Asante Nation in 1902.
Nana Prempeh returned from exile in 1924 as
a private citizen, but was nonetheless received by
the Asante as their king. In 1935, the British gov-
ernment restored the Asante confederacy. This
confederacy would remain strong and agitated for
self-rule.Religious Beliefs
For the Asante, like all Akan peoples (or all
African peoples for that matter), religion is at the
center of their existence. The Asante involve reli-
gion in all aspects of life. Religion is deeply
embedded in Akan culture because there is no
dichotomy between the sacred and the secular.
Life is a profoundly religious experience and
phenomenon. Religion, in the Akan context, is
also characterized as being communal and not
individual.
Well before the arrival of Europeans and their
Christian religion, the Akan developed a belief in
a supreme, omnipresent being. The Asante believe
in a single God that created everything in the uni-
verse, including the lesser deities. They call the
supreme god “Nyame.” The creator is referred to
by using many titles: the Great One, the Great
Spirit, the Great Ancestor, Omnipotent, Infinite,
and so on. The spiritual presence of Nyame is in
all things. As such, the Asante venerate the spiri-
tual presence in rivers, trees, rocks, and so on.
However, they do not worship those objects, but
only the spiritual entities that use those objects as
their abode.70 Asante