Elmina (State)
Elmina is the name of a historical state on the coast of what is now Ghana , which existed as an independent amalgamation of several villages around the city of Elmina from the end of the 16th century until the independence of Ghana, unless there was an assessment of colonial rule between 1874 and 1957 becomes.
The rule system practiced in Elmina in the past is, however, one of the characteristics in which the Elminaer differ from the other Akan peoples, although today they are counted among the Akan people of the Fante and also identify themselves as such.
On the identity of the Elminaer
The Elmina, more correctly Elminaer, are ethnologically counted in today's Ghana as part of the Akan people of the Fante, as they differ from them neither culturally nor linguistically significantly. Even the Elminaers see themselves largely as Fantis today. Nevertheless, the memory of a non-fantasy past has been preserved among the Elminaers to this day, which can also be recognized, for example, from historical documents of the Portuguese and Dutch. There are three main factors that point to a non-Akanic origin of the Elminaers from today's perspective: 1.) the structure of the political administration of Elmina in the colonial and modern times, 2.) the historical relationships between the Elminaers and their neighbors and 3.) the relations between the Elminaern and the Dutch until 1872.
The time of the Portuguese presence
Kwa Amankwa is traditionally considered the founder and first king of Elmina. Despite this founding king, there was no kingship in Elmina as in other Akan states, which was based on a succession within a royal family. Today there is a so-called “royal family” in Elmina, which includes the descendants of earlier kings, but here several Abusua (female bloodlines) are crossed with one another, a fact that is not otherwise found in the Akan kingship when one comes from Disregards cross-cousin marriage arrangements between two matrilineal family groups.
In the 16th and 17th centuries Elmina belonged partly to Eguafo (the area west of the Benya River, which flows through the place) and to Fetu (the area east of the Benya), which is why the place on Portuguese nautical maps mostly " the village divided into two “( Aldea das duas Partes ) was called. In the hinterland of Elmina in the 15th century, perhaps even earlier, a large empire "Adossen (i)" had been located, for example in the coastal hinterland between the area of the later Fante and the Cape of the Three Peaks up to the later Ahanta and Nzima extended into it. However, the majority of the population of Adosseni identified themselves as Adesi , i.e. H. as Guang , in which the Akanic cultural element only penetrated and flourished at a later time, probably as a reaction to the expansion of the Denkira Empire in the 17th century. However, at the end of the 15th century (at the time of the first Portuguese) Adosseni fell apart into several smaller states, the so-called "Adesi" states, which also included the three neighboring coastal states of Eguafo, Fetu and Sabou.
Despite a lack of royalty, in the days of the Portuguese there had been a local personality called Xerife da Mina , a post the Portuguese created in 1510 after tension between Elmina and Fetu. At that time, the Elminaers had asked the Portuguese for protection in order to evade the tutelage from Fetu and Eguafo and an alliance with the locals was also in the Portuguese interest. The Xerife of Mina was supposed to represent the African side of the alliance with the Portuguese and in this respect also be the local head of Elmina. One could see in him a king of Elmina, but with an area of power that was strictly limited to the city and also tied to the Portuguese presence. After all, the trade routes to Elmina ran through Fetu or Eguafo and in any case chiefs and wealthier traders of Elmina were allied with one of the two kings in the interests of their trade.
Before 1872, the real power in Elmina, and this is also emphasized in historical literature, lay primarily in the hands of the leaders of the Asafo companies in the individual districts. Without their support, the Portuguese would probably have had a very difficult time repelling the Dutch attacks that took place on Elmina between 1603 and 1625, and the Dutch would certainly not have succeeded in conquering Fort São Jorge da Mina in 1637 without support from Elmina and Kommenda .
In the 17th century three Asafo are mentioned, in the 18th century seven and from the beginning of the 19th century until today ten such Asafos exist, whereby the affiliation to one of the Asafo is patrilinearly inherited from father to son. Among them, the Enyampa is the Asafo from whose ranks a new Omanhene is elected, but which can only be installed with the consent of the other nine Asafo. This regulation still exists today.
When exactly one can speak of an independent Elmina is in the dark. The joint attack by Fetu and Eguafo on Elmina in 1570 can possibly be seen as an attempt to regain the sovereignty that has been lost. Dapper, a Dutch doctor, mentions around 1660 that as early as 1600 the blacks of Elmina had been isolated and lived like in a republic and that Elmina was a village independent of the other states. Neither the 17th century European authors nor the Dutch governors mention a King of Elmina. The political isolation of Elmina on the coast became even more pronounced when, shortly after the Ashanti Empire flourished, friendly relations between the Ashanti and the Elminaern as well as the Dutch developed.
The time of the Dutch presence
The royal title first appeared in the Dutch Dagregister in 1732 , when Codja Comma signed a contract with the Dutch as "Oberkönig". However, this was not a real position of power; he could be seen more as a figurehead. This is probably due to the numerous conflicts that the Elminaers had to fight out with their neighbors, especially in the 18th century. At least four of them, 1726, 1738, 1740 and 1782 were major attacks by the Fantis, which Elmina attacked in large numbers, partly with support from Eguafo, Fetu, Sabou, Abram and even Anomabu. However, it was possible to repel all these attacks, which is due not least to an extremely favorable situation from a military point of view. The greatest victory that the Elminaer had achieved in their history was that of 1740, when an army of about 5000 Elminas without Dutch support (!) Successfully defended the city against about 15,000-30,000 Fantis despite a siege lasting several months.
Since the beginning of their presence in Elmina, the alliance between the Dutch and Elmina has been, with a few exceptions, a very close one. The Dutch relied on the military support of the locals and had loyal allies in the Elminaern, for example, during their Kommendah War in the 1690s. The importance which had a military support from the locals for the Dutch, showed, for example, in the fact that the Ekuewessonhen , the civilian leaders of the Asafo companies, the days of Governor Daendels a Kostgeld of eight angel received monthly, the individual Companies each have five angels, while the Omanhen (king) only got four angels. The Elmina, for their part, benefited from the prosperity as well as from the military protection that the Dutch presence more or less bestowed on them. How weak the power position of the Omanhen von Elmina was, for example, is clear from the fact that in the 18th century jurisdiction in important matters was mostly transferred to the Dutch governor.
The Edina State
Edina State emerged in 1872 as a result of the Fanti Elmina War of 1868. However, several Edina State Offices were only created in response to the British bombing of 1873. According to the constitution, which was given to the Edina state by the British colonial power in 1928, the government of Edina, which essentially goes back to the structures of 1873, consisted of the following people: the king ( Omanhen ), the Omankyeami (an earlier hereditary position) , the Ekuewessonhen (the civilian head of the Asafo companies) and the wing commanders of the individual army divisions, who were chosen from among the individual village chiefs ( Ohen ) of the Edina state, which in their entirety formed the Edina state. In the wake of the Omanhen are still Besonfu mentioned, the official adviser to the king. Although the name is literally "seven people" (Ba-Eson), 24 Besonfu are mentioned separately in 1928 . The government also included twelve Amanfu , the king's assistants in religious and state affairs, the Supi , d. H. the commanders of the individual Asafo companies and the Mbaahimba , d. H. the assembly of aristocratic women including the female descendants of previous kings. In addition there is the Sahene , i. H. the military commander in chief of the army, whose appointment was only intended for times of war.
Ruler list
official ruler title: in the 15th century: "Caramansa" or just "Mansa" (a ruler's title from the Mandé language) , from 1510: "Xerife da Mina", later: "Omanhen" (plural: "Amanhin"), sometimes just " Ohen " (village chief)
annotation: In the following, only one of several lists will be given as a representative (Wartemberg, [1a]), but with the addition of the names mentioned in the Dutch registers [1b].
|
Elmina |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | time | Surname | source | Remarks |
| 1. | 1300-1355 | Kwa Amankwa | [1a] | |
| 2. | 1355-1390 | Kwegya Ansa I. | [1a] | |
| 3. | 1390-1426 | Ampon Kuma | [1a] | |
| 4th | 1426-1450 | Ebu I. | [1a] | |
| 5. | 1450-1475 | Amankwa II. | [1a] | |
| 6th | 1475-1510 | Kwamena Ansa | [1a] | |
| 7th | 1510-1545 | Kwegya Ansa II. | [1a] | |
| 8th. | 1545-1572 | Kofi Ahen | [1a] | |
| 9. | 1572-1605 | Donkey Kondua | [1a] | |
| 10. | 1605-1660 | Ntakudzi I. | [1a] | |
| 11. | 1660-1680 | Ampon (Dziedur) | [1a] | |
| 12. | 1680-1720 | Ohenba Ebu II. | [1a] | |
| 13. | 1720-1760 | Anowi Coedja Comma ? Andue, Annuwe, Amnue Aussie Andue (again) Aussie (again) |
[1a] [1b] [1b] [1b] [1b] [1b] [1b] |
ruled in May 1732 , ruled in November 1732, ruled 1735 and 1743, disaffected ruled 1746, disaffected 1748, re-enthroned 1748, died re-enthroned in 1749 , reigned 1750, died 1760 |
| 14th | 1760-1820 | Di Ewu Ahin, (Atjin) Quetja Ahin Quetja (again?) ? Quamin Ahin Quow Etja (Quetja) Quetja Coema Andowee Cobbina Ahin |
[1a] [1b] [1b] [1b] [1b] [1b] [1b] [1b] [1b] [1b] [1b] |
enthroned 1760, still ruled in 1772, reigned 1776, was disenfranchised for 6 months in 1777, signed 1781 treaty as king reigned (again?) 1787 died enthroned in 1794, reigned 1794, reigned in 1795, "temporarily disaffected" 1803, enthroned 1804, died in 1811, enthroned February 1811, died November 1811 ruled in 1816, died in 1824 |
| 15th | 1820-1868 | Kwa Amankwa Kwamena Anowi Diawu Kobina Condua Kobina Gyan |
[1a] [1b] [1b] [1b] [1b] |
enthroned in 1826, dislocated in 1831, enthroned in 1831, died in 1863, enthroned in 1863, disconcerted in 1869, enthroned in 1869, deported by the British in 1873 |
Footnotes
- ↑ In the following, the people of the Elmina (s) are understood to mean the inhabitants of the coastal region around the town of Elmina of the same name . It should also be mentioned that today's city of Anecho , the former Little Popo on the Togo coast, was founded in the 1670s by a group that emigrated from Elmina, with later or simultaneous admission of Ga and Ewe groups after the fall of the Ga Kingdom of Accra 1677/81. The coastal area around the city of Anecho was therefore also called the Mina Coast in earlier times.
- ↑ also: Commany, (Groß-) Kommenda, Commende u. Ä.
- ↑ called "Great Vandrig" in the Dutch reports
- ↑ Engel, also Ackie, Ache, Achtjen, Agtie, Angle, Angel, Acke, Ake and others. Ä. was a gold weight in historical Europe, which served as a sub-unit of the ounce . It was equivalent to 16 ackies = 1 ounce until the 17th century. However, the Dutch introduced the regulation in the 17th century: 1 ounce of gold = 16 angels (in Africa) and 1 ounce of gold = 20 angels (in Europe). At least the Danes adopted this rule some time later.
- ↑ According to the constitution of 1928, the Ohen von Simao den Adontihen (commander of the great center), the Ohen von Holländisch-Kommenda den Bekumhen (commander of the left wing), the Ohen von Brenu Akyinum den Nifahen (commander of the right wing), the Ohen of Ampenyi the Chafohen (commander of the vanguard) and Ohen of Attabadzi the Chidomhen (commander of the rear guard).
swell
- [1] David P. Henige, Kingship in Elmina before 1869: A Study in 'Feedback' and the Traditional Idealization of the Past , in: Cahiers d'Études afrcaines , 3 e Cahier, 14 (55), 1974, p. 499 -520
- [1a] with reference to J. Sylvanus Wartemberg, São Jorge d'El Mina: Premier West African European Settlement, its Tradition and Customs , Ilfracombe 1950
- [1b] Mentioned in Dutch reports from Elmina
- HM Feinberg, Who are the Elmina? , in: Ghana Notes and Queries , 11, 1970, pp. 20-26
- Richard Gray (Ed.): The Cambridge History of Africa. Volume 4: from 1600 to 1790 , Cambridge 1975
- A, Teixeira da Mota, PEHHair, East of Mina. Afro-European Relations on the Gold Coast in the 1550s and 1560s , Madison 1988