Do Africans Have a History?

The origins of the Ashante (Ashanti, Asante) remain unclear. They sppeak the Twi dialect of the Akan language within the Kwa sub-family of the Niger-Congo family. When and how the Ashante got to their present location is debatable. What is known is that by the 17th century CE Akan people were established north of Lake Bosomtwi, trading in gold and kola nuts, and clearing forest to plant yams. They built towns between the Pra and Ofin rivers. They formed alliances for defense and paid tribute to Denkyira. During the 16th century, Ashante society experienced sudden changes, including population growth due to the cultivation of New World plants such as cassava and maize, and an increase in the gold trade between the coast and the north.[113]

By the 17th century, Osei Kofi Tutu I (c. 1695-1717), with help of Okomfo Anokye, unified the Ashante into a confederation, with the Golden Stool as a symbol of their unity and spirit. Osei Tutu engaged in a massive territorial expansion. He built up the Ashante army based on the Akan state of Akwamu, introducing new organization and turning a disciplined militia into an effective fighting machine. In 1701, the Ashante conquered Denkyira, giving them access to the coastal trade with Europeans, especially the Dutch. In 1717, the year Osei died, the Ashante conquered the Akan state of Akim, an ally of Denkyira.[114]

Opoku Ware I (1720–1745) engaged in further expansion, adding the southern Akan states of Sefwi and Akwapim, allied with a revived Denkyira and Akim. He turned north adding Techiman, Banda, Gyaaman, and Gonja, states on the Black Volta. Between 1744 and 1745, Asantehene Opoku attacked the powerful northern state of Dogoma, gaining control of the important middle Niger trade routes. Kusi Obodom (1750–1764) succeeded Opoku. He solidified all the newly won territories. Osei Kwadwo (1777–1803) impose administrative reforms that allowed the empire to be governed effectively and to continue its military expansion. Osei...