THE ASANTE CULTURE.

Asanteman flag.

The Asante community without doubt is regarded the citadel of Ghana's rich cultural heritage.They are mostly located in the central part of Ghana between Volta and Eastern regions. The Asante people are the major ethnic group of the Akans in Ghana, the most powerful and known to be fierce fighters.

The Asantes have a lot of beliefs and practices. They belief in the existence of the supreme God,lesser gods, ancestors and also believe that trees and animals have souls which others worship.Also, the belief that the golden stool is sacred and a great pride to them. As an Asante symbol,the golden stool represents the worship of ancestors, well-being and the Asante nation. As a symbol of nationhood believed to contain the soul of the Asante people, it is highly protected. In addition, the Asantes have a special way of greeting where you hold your left hand out. The explanation is; the left hand holds the shield and the right hand holds the spear. To show trust in someone, you put down your shield and have your left hand free to greet.

As part of identity, Asantes have their favorite dish to be fufu and light soup. This food is eaten by Asantes at least twice a week. In the aspect of recreation, importance is attached to the game called 'owari 'thus moving beads or stones around a wooden board that has cups similar to that of an egg carton.During festivals and important ceremonies libation is poured to thank both gods and ancestors, the traditional 'adowa' dance is displayed as the talking drums are played.Http://youtu.be/eYo0HtKHeeo

The talking drum

The Asantehene

The Asantes are known for their crafts namely weaving, ceramics and wooden sculpture.Historically these crafts villages were originally established centuries ago to produce regalia for the king and  his court.Today anyone who can afford those crafts can purchase them.Kente cloth weaving at Bonwire is a great tourist site. These clothes are woven in different patterns and colours with some adinkra symbols printed in it. Each cloth has its own name, sometimes the patterns represents one's social status, clan and a saying.Kente is worn on joyous and special occasions as festivals, marriage rites and the enthronement of a king but today not only is it worn to the above occasions but to religious worships and death ceremonies.

The elegant kente cloth

Adinkra symbol

Asanteman is credited with sculpture carved from wood. A case in point is the common fertility doll(Akuaba). This is used by an Asante woman as fertility figures especially if the woman has troubles becoming pregnant. She takes the doll to the shrine to be blessed then, she carries it every where she goes on her belly and this is to give her luck to get pregnant.In the field of ceramics, pots are mostly designed with adinkra symbols. Indeed, the Asane kingdom have contributed immensely towards the diversity of Ghanaian culture.