Okomfo Asare appeared from the depth of River
Birem with red clay on his body and charcoal
marksonhisshoulders,itsignifiedabadomenfor
the state in the year to come, including, but not
limitedto,frequentdeaths.Theywouldpourliba-
tions and make spiritual consultations and offer-
ings to the spiritual forces until Okomfo Asare
had dived into the depth of River Birem and
emerged with white calico on his body, as well as
merekenson on his shoulders. Okomfo Asare per-
formed these sacred rites until his mysterious
departure.
Inhis lastdays, OkomfoAsare called theelders
and king together and said to them: “Now that I
haveguidedandprotectedyoutofindapermanent
settlement, I may not come back to you the next
time I go under River Birem.” But he told them to
continuecelebratingOhumyearlyandthenpassed
on his role to theOmanhene(Paramount) king of
Akyem at Tafo. He also gave some divine instruc-
tions regarding the acquisition of merekenson for
the launching of Ohum. Thus, because nobody
could go under the river to bring the merekenson,
they should go to the afriye or asoreyeso at Bunso
withaladdertojerkthemerekensonthreetimesto
pluck it for the Ohum rites.
Post-Okomfo Asare RitesSince the passing away of Okomfo Asare to the
spiritual world, a team ofahenemma(sons of the
kings, past and present) goes to the sacred site
at Bunso each year with a ladder and places it
against one palm tree. This is followed by a liba-
tion, after which one of them mounts the ladder
topullthemerekensondownwardfromthetopof
the palm tree. A second libation is poured to seek
permission from Onyame (the almighty God),
Asaase Yaa (Mother Earth), River Birem, and the
legendaryOkomfoAsaretopluckthemerekenson
for Ohum rites; thereafter, they jerk it three times
to sever it from the palm tree and take it to Tafo
to commence the launching of Ohum. If the
plucking proves unsuccessful, they go to the sec-
ond or third palm tree. If the third attempt fails,
the elders offer prayers, make divine consulta-
tions, and give offerings to the ancestors and
deities to prevent any calamities that the coming
year might bring to the state. From then on, the
team of ahenemma goes to Bunso for the second
time to pluck another merekenson, which they
hang on theOhumdua(Ohum tree) at Tafo for
the launching of Ohum.The Launching of Ohum
The launching of Ohum on Tuesday is marked by
a procession of the King of Tafo and elders pre-
cededbytheswordbearerstoabontenkesemu(the
place of public meeting). A libation is poured and
is followed by the sweeping of the sacred ground
to drive away evil spirits. A consecrated bed is
made of a white pillow, white blanket, and other
rich ornaments. Abomo(a spiraled rich fabric)
enfolded with a loincloth is laid between the
swords and akyeampoma (Okyeame staff) and
covered by a rich, silky fabric cloth like kente.
Thisisfollowedbytheahenemmaprocessionwith
the merekenson on their shoulders. They herald
their arrival by chanting the names of the
almighty God and River Birem. After that, the
king of Tafo faces the consecrated mat with
themerekensoninhishandsandhitsitthreetimes
while calling on God, Mother Earth, River Birem,
and the eight Akan abusua to usher in the new
year with blessings to the Akyem state and
citizens. Next, the king of Tafo, through the
Okyeame, officially proclaims the launching of
Ohum to the public, after which the elders pluck
pieces of the palm leaves to adorn the fronts of
their houses.
The observance of Ohum is ushered in by an
official 2-week prohibition on noisy activities and
actions. These include public burial and funeral
obsequies, drumming, crying (including infants),
whistling, seeking of payments, firing of guns,
poundingoffufu(the principal meal) in the night,
and sex between couples. This prohibition pro-
vides a congenial atmosphere for meditation con-
cerning the welfare of the sate and quality of life
in the coming year.The Week of Ohum
On the Monday after Akwasidae, the people
(mostly farmers) go to their farms to make their
end-of-the-year harvest. On their way home, they
tie a few of the crops with knots, place them at
their junctions or loading stations, and say good-
bye to theirs farms.484 Ohum Festival