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Akyaama
Biography
Akyaama is a descendant of the Oyoko clan , daughter of Aberafi Yaa, granddaughter of the third Asantehemaa Akua Friyie. Her childhood and her history are very fragmentary because she was the subject of a significant dynastic erasure by Konadu Yaadom from 1780. This Asantehemaa cannot be found in the official genealogy and is only identified through historical research. It characterizes a period of significant dynastic unrest which pushed his successor, Konadu Yaadom , to reshape the genealogy as a result of banishment.[1] Historians rely on European reports to demonstrate the existence of Akyaama, named Akjaanba in Dutch reports.[2] She is married to the head of the Mampong Metropolitan District , the Mamponhene.[3]
Her accession to the throne probably took place in the 1750s since a first document, dating from 1758, identifies her as the aunt of King Kusi Obodom[2] . His reign will be marked by a major conflict which opposes him to the new Asantehene , Osei Kwadwo , in 1766 as evidenced by a British report.[4] And it ends with a very serious fault which makes her a yafunu (banished). Some sources suggest that it was banned around 1770.[5][4] A British document from 1780 confirms that his erasure and dismissal is already effective and that the new Asantehemaa, Konadu Yaadom, is responsible.[6]
Akyaama represents a lost genealogical link because she is the grandmother of Kwaku Dua I through her daughter Amma Sewaa, the mother of Osei Kwame Panyin and the adoptive grandmother of Adoma Akosua.[2]
Akyaama's precise identity remains undetermined, as does the cause of his banishment. She reigned during a period of significant internal unrest which subsequently led to the dismissal of Osei Kwadwo [ 5 ] .
Banishment
The consequences of the banishment extend to all of Akyaama's descendants who no longer have the right to practice within the royal districts or to claim a title. However, this sanction was lifted in 1807.[4] The simple fact of pronouncing the name Akyaama is then prohibited.[4] Genealogical modifications transfer the motherhood of children from Akyaama to Konadu Yaadom.[6] The dismissal of Akyaama provokes a succession of forfeitures and maneuvers aimed at removing Akyaama's descendants from the golden throne. For almost a century, the banishment of Akyaama was seen as the “worm in the fruit” of the Kumasi royal lineage. The survivors who descended from Akyaama found refuge in Juaben. [3]
The dynastic conflict taking place in the Empire is well known to Europeans but is not a sufficient reason for the decline of Akyaama. One track evokes the transition of the throne of the Asantehema, hitherto linked to the Oyoko of Kumasi, and then moved to Kokofu , another dynastic branch.[5] Indeed, until then, the throne of Asantehemaa was one of the only two thrones spared by the reform of Okomfo Anokye during the establishment of the golden throne. With the fall of Akyaama, a new throne and a reevaluation of functions are required.[4] There is indeed a throne of Akyaama in Pampaso, a district of Kumasi, and which could well be the throne of the deposed queen, excluded from the possibility of joining a mausoleum [ 7 ]
ref
- ^ Prempeh I; A. Adu Boahen (2003). The History of Ashanti Kings and the Whole Country Itself and Other Writings. British Academy. ISBN 9780197262610.
- ^ a b c Ivor Wilks (1989). Asante in the Nineteenth Century: The Structure and Evolution of a Political Order. CUP Archive. p. 339. ISBN 9780521379946.
- ^ a b Pescheux, Gérard (2003). Le royaume asante (Ghana): parenté, pouvoir, histoire, XVIIe-XXe siècles. Paris: KARTHALA Editions. p. 582. ISBN 2-84586-422-1.
- ^ a b c d e McCaskie, T.C. (1995). "KonnurokusΣm: Kinship and Family in the History of the Oyoko KɔKɔɔ Dynasty of Kumase". The Journal of African History. 36 (3): 357–389. doi:10.1017/S0021853700034460. JSTOR 182467. S2CID 162608255.
- ^ a b Northwestern University (Evanston, III) (1977). Asantesem: The Asante Collective Biography Project Bulletin. Program of African Studies, Northwestern University. pp. 6–7.
- ^ a b McCaskie, T. C. (2003). State and Society in Pre-colonial Asante. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-89432-6.