desecrate the Earth are avoided. Those who call
her Asase Efua observe this sacred day Friday.
Generally, on any given day, one will not manip-
ulate or agitate the land in any way without her
prior permission, gained exclusively through the
pouring of libation, because serious conse-
quences are believed to befall those who violate
protocol.
Asase Yaa is called in libations (the ceremonial
pouring of liquid), immediately after Nyame, and
it is with her name that the first offering is made
to the ancestors. Thus, because libation is the
vehicle through which the Akan initiate all rituals,
traditional ceremonies, and political proceedings,
Asase Yaa is essentially as prevalent in the spiri-
tual culture of the Akan as is Nyame.
Reverence for her is further manifest in a mul-
titude of Akan rituals. During an infant’s outdoor-
ing (naming) ceremony, once the complete name is
given, the child is placed on a mat to symbolize
thanksgiving to Asase Yaa for sustaining its life
and to the ancestors for their eternal protection
and guidance. During ayie (funeral rites), libation
is poured specifically to Asase Yaa not only to ask
her permission for digging the grave, but also to
ask her to accept and protect the body of the per-
son to be buried. Asase Yaa is also known as the
upholder of truth, and, as such, in everyday situa-
tions, those suspected to be less than truthful are
challenged to touch the tip of their tongue to the
Earth as evidence of their honesty.
There are no shrines dedicated to Asase Yaa
nor are their priests to serve her because she is not
an abosom (deity) whom people may consult
through divination. The Akan believe that every-
one has the ability to show her reverence,
whether through libation or simply keeping the
Earth clean, and that her abundance is accessible
to us all.
Yaba Amgborale BlaySee alsoAbosom; Akan; Nyame
Further Readings
Opoku, K. A. (1978).West African Traditional Religion.
Accra, Ghana: FEP International Private Limited.
Opokuwaa, N. A. K. (2005).The Quest for Spiritual
Transformation:Introduction to Traditional Akan
Religion,Rituals and Practices. New York: iUniverse.
ASHE
In the sacred creation narratives of the Yoruba
nation, in the spiritual tradition of Ifa, Ashe
(Axe, Ase) refers to the heavenly and godly force,
also called Olodumare, used to bring about the
universe. In renderings of traditional Yoruba cos-
mology, the first spiritual power that existed was
the energy of Ashe. Ashe, using thought, deter-
mined to take material form, thus becoming the
Creator, Olodumare. As God, Ashe then exists at
the center of all that is and all that will be in the
world. Olodumare thus willed itself into being
from its own divine essence (the self-existent
being). Olodumare uses its Ashe, which lies
at the core of its being, to create all things.
Olodumare infused this original force into the
whole of creation, including its own manifesta-
tion of equal male and female source energy
(Olodumare, male; Olorun, female).
Varying interpretations of the concept confirm
that Ashe is a primary example of an organizing
force that accounts for the origins and nature
of humans and the universe. Ashe is believed
to embody “divine power, authority, order, vital
force.” Ashe has been defined as a combination of
“grace and power.” Ashe is “God itself.
Everything that is shared in that divine essence
and is, as a result, sacred.” Ashe is a fluid concept,
in that it bridges the space between the seen and
unseen worlds. It exists in all things, yet it can be
an active or passive force. Ashe is always present
and cannot be destroyed. It is understood that a
priest or priestess could summon the presence of
the orisha to increase his or her Ashe. The concept
is also related to the idea of “soul” in the acquisi-
tion of the dynamic uses of power involving the
material world. In this African spiritual category,
Ashe exercises control over objects. One sees it as
the indwelling vital energy.
The Yoruba concept of Ashe spread outside of
the African continent through the enslavement of
African people during the 18th and 19th cen-
turies. European colonial restrictions on African
culture and religion were unable to suppress the
migration of intellectual and spiritual ideas. Ashe
may have been the most important phenomenon
to survive the Middle Passage. Within the legacy
of the transplantation of African culture in the74 Ashe