A short description of the Gold Coast. - The kingdom of Guinea. - Expeditions sent by Pharaoh Necho and the Carthaginians. - F. Komer's reference to the kingdom of Benin. - Traditional accounts of emigration to this coast. - Different tribes, supposed to have been the aboriginal races on the coast, and their conquest. B.C. 600. 570. A.D. 1400-1700

Our continent obtained its name "Africa" from the ancients, a name derived, according to Bochart, from a Punic word, signifying ''Ears of corn."' It was represented by them as one of the three great continents of which they believed at that time the world to consist.

"It is," to quote the late Rev. J. Zimmermann, "the cradle of the Hamitic portion of mankind, having Egypt with the adjacent countries and deserts as her head and prototype, as the floodgate through which the Hamitic branch of the human family flowed into her southward as far as to the Niger Delta. Western Africa must have been peopled by the rivulets overflowing from the main current and turning westward, pushing each other forward in the different directions to the barrier of the Atlantic. Africa, in the beginning second only to Asia in the development of early civilization - the cradle of Israel, the people of God, and also the nursery and place of refuge of our Saviour in his, and of Christianity in her infancy - must begin to open her eyes now after a deathlike sleep of more than a thousand years, and to call again for her place in the history of the world."

Our object is the Gold Coast, situated on that western part of this great continent, which is called Guinea, divided into Upper and Lower Guinea. The Gold Coast (so called by Europeans from the immense quantity of gold obtained hence) is that portion of Upper Guinea, which is bounded on the east by the River Volta. The western border is traced from a point 20 miles to the eastward of the mouth of the River Asini on a meridian of W.long. 3˚ 10'(G.) and farther inland 2̊50', or in the Tanno valley, to a parallel of N. lat. 6̊20'. From thence the line of demarcation between Asante and the Gold Coast Protectorate bends east and southeast to the River Ofẽ near the town of Terebuom, follows that river down to its confluence with the Pra, and again ascends this river to the parallel of N.lat. 6̊30', from whence it [formerly] nearly followed that parallel to the River Volta.*) The boundary on the south is the sea with a shoreline of about 250 miles. The Protectorate has an approximate area of 20,000 sqr. m., and a population of about one million.

Several authors of former times have represented Guinea as a mighty kingdom, whose prince had subdued numerous countries and united the whole territory into one powerful kingdom, called Guinea. This representation has, however, been refuted by several other authors, who may not have seen any vestige of that mighty kingdom. They are in so far right, as that mighty kingdom had been split into several independent states shortly before the Portuguese formed their settlements here. But we on our part, after several researches, incline to give credence to the accounts given by the first authors, which we do by the authority of the accounts and traditions to be mentioned hereafter. The Phoenicians are supposed to have been the first people who visited this coast; for "Pharaoh Necho, one of the kings of Egypt, after having taken Sidon and subdued Phoenicia and Palestine (he must therefore have possessed considerable maritime power, nor was he less powerful by land, II Kings 23, 29), employed Phoenician mariners to circumnavigate Africa, an undertaking which they accomplished with success." This was done about the year 600 before Christ.

*) Concerning the western border of the British Protectorate on the Gold Coast cf. Burton and Cameron, to the Gold Coast for Gold II, 78. At present (1894) the Protectorate includes also the Safvvi country beyond the Tan no in the northwest. The northern frontier has been considerably extended on the east of Asante, including now Asante Akem, Agogo, Okwawu and Broh (Brono), in fact the whole corner between Asante proper and Nkoransa on the west and the River Volta on the north and east. - On the east the Protectorate comprises also some countries east of the lower Volta with the towns of Akwam, Anum, Peki, and Keta on the Slave Coast. The number of inhabitants of the Colony and Protectorate, excluding Okwawu and its above named neighbours, has officially, after a census taken in 1891, been computed at 973,822, that of Okwawu and British Krepe has been estimated at about 500,000. - Chr. Thirty or forty years after this, the Carthaginians, who were rivals of the Egyptians in commerce, must undoubtedly have explored a great part of the Western Coast of Africa, they may even have settled there. But according to the usual caution and monopolizing spirit of commercial states, it is probable that they concealed their discoveries from other nations. Only one important document seems to have reached our times, which demonstrates the enterprising spirit of that people.

It is an apparently abridged journal of a voyage to the Western Coast of Africa, undertaken by Hanno the Carthaginian. Hanno is said to have sailed according to the decree of his people with 60 ships of .50 oars each and a body of men and women to the number of 30,000, with stores and provisions. Their plan was to colonize or establish permanent garrisons upon the Western Coast of Africa. Hanno seems to have reached the Gold Coast, as may be seen from his own account given of the places they visited. They talked of having caught two women covered with hair, whose skins they brought to Carthage. These must have been some species of monkeys which abound in Africa. At one place during the night, they saw a lofty fire, larger than the rest, which seemed to touch the stars; but at daybreak they discovered this elevated fire to be a large hill, which they called "the Chariot of the Gods." These fires undoubtedly were the annual burnings of the dried grasses on the Coast during the Harmattan season.

Of much later times there is an account of Mr. F. Rỡmer, a Danish resident merchant of Christiansborg during the middle of the last century (1735 - 43), confirming the above statements about the kingdom of Guinea. He says, that the Gold Coast was a part of the western division of the great empire of the Emperor of Benin, which extended from Benin up to the river Gambia, and that it was governed by kings appointed by the Emperor. The eastern division of his empire is said by Rỡmer to have extended twice as far as that of the western. Such an extensive and large empire could not be established but by a" powerful king like the Pharaohs. In those ancient times there must have been a way for trade between Egypt and this coast. The mosaic beads known as aggry beads (Bosman calls them - Conte de Terra), found chiefly on the Gold Coast and Slave Coast, must have been brought hither from Egypt. The in signia of the kings of Akra were as those in use in Benin, and most of their religious ceremonies, e.g. killing the sacrificial animals with sharp stones instead of knives, in order to avoid the animal being defiled, were also in use at Akra.

We now come to the traditional accounts of the natives of the Gold Coast which seem to confirm and prove Romer's statement concerning the empire of Benin. The first instance is, that the kings of Lagos were formerly appointed from Benin. The second instance is the following tradition which is generally and universally believed among our people. The ancestors of the tribes of Akra, Late, Obutu and Mowure are said to have immigrated from the sea; they arrived on the coast one tribe after another.

The Akra King Ayi Kushi (perhaps Ayi the Cushite) and his son Ayite with their subjects, the tribe of Tungmawe, now Abora, had in their company a prince with a few bodyguards, who had the commission to rule over the Tshis in the interior. The two princes, i.e. the Akra and Akem sovereigns, proposed to send out one man each to spy out the land. They had to run a race, and he who first discovered land should claim pre-eminence for his sovereign. The racers started, but the Akra, perceiving his antagonist outstripping him, pretended to have got a thorn run into his foot. He thereupon asked the Tshi to spare him a knife to remove the thorn; but he replied, "Where came a thorn on this rock?" Upon stooping, however, to get him the knife, the other forthwith took hold of his shoulders and jumped over him with these words "It is I who first saw God!" And there and then both became the twin rocks known as Akwete and Akuete on the rock Tumo on the beach behind the Basel Mission Factory at Ussher Town, or Dutch Akra.

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The tribe of Gbese*) arrived first with two powerful priests, Amugi and Anyai. These with their people took possession of the site now occupied by the Ussher and James Towns' people. After their arrival King Ayi Kushi and his own tribe of Tungmawe with the Obutus and the Ningowas also came out. Wyete, the king of Obutu, arrived, although late, yet very grand, having plenty of gold ornaments on his person; hence it was proposed by the Akras, that he should be the king of all the immigrants. Upon refusal to accept that offer, the Akras took hold of one of his arms, his people holding the other arm, which very unfortunately was plucked off; he therefore retired into the sea. The numerous body known as the Asere tribe thereupon requested to have the ruling power; and that so offended the King (Ayi Kushi) that he also retired into the sea, after he had handed his sword to prince Ajite, who at his father's request marched with all the Akras, Obutus, and the Tshi prince, to Ayawaso, and there established his capital on the hill known as Okaikoi or Kplagon. The Aseres settled at Amonmole, the Obutus on the west of that hill, and the Akem prince went to the interior to assume government over the people there. - The ancestors of Mowure also are said to have come out of the sea very numerously, so that a man seeing them and being astonished to behold such a host of people coming out of the sea, gave a cry, which deterred the rest still in the sea, and those became rocks.

In reference to the above, we give the following account from the "Western Echo". "The founder of Asãbu, it is traditionally reported, was Amamli, a giant, who with his sister, accompanied by Kwagya, another giant, are said to have come from the sea with a great number of followers. On their way from the sea, which took them five days, they were observed by a certain huntsman, who on seeing such a large body of men, is said to have clapped his hands and exclaimed, "how numerous!" At this the line of people emerging from the sea was suddenly cut off, and became petrified and transformed into several shapes and postures, which till now may be seen in clear sea extending to some distance.

These two giants with their retinue travelled on together till they arrived at the Iron Hill and descended to the road which leads to the base of a hill called Abere-wanfo, the literal signification of which has reference to the difficulty of the ascent for old women. Here they parted, and Amamfi and his sister, taking the road that leads to Akọtekua, made for the interior, finally making their abode in Asabu. Kwagya on the other hand took the road leading to the beach side, until he arrived at the brow of the promontory now known as Mownre, and finding the place to be well situated for fishing, he and his men halted. They immediately set to clearing the bush, which was completed on the sixth day after their arrival, probably on Monday."

The above traditions appear to be mere folklore, yet there may be some truth in them. In the first instance, our people, being illiterate, could not keep the accounts of their emigration in writing. For what they say of coming from the sea could be easily explained by the common expression daily in use of coopers, carpenters, employed to the Bights, "Ete ňŝọň = he is gone to the sea; ‘Edŝe ňŝọň'' = he comes from the sea. Hence the immigrants may have come by big canoes or ships to this coast.

The tradition of immigration from the sea is also among the Tshis: the Adanses and the Tafos in Akem; and the Asantes say to this very day, that there arc certain people among them whose ancestors came from the sea.

The third instance to prove the statements of Mr. Romer is that of a prince for Akem coming from the sea in company with the Akras. That throws a great light on Romer's acconnt of kings appointed by the emperor of Benin to rule his subjects on this part of his empire.

The last instance is the peculiar dress worn by the chief priest of Akra. A close inspection of the priest in his officiating garb leads to the conviction that his worship must be of foreign origin. As there is no African nation or tribe ever known to have so advanced in their religious views as the Akras, one is inclined to suppose that the Jewish system of worship in the Old Testament style has been either introduced by or imitated from the people who came out first to this coast. If that be not the case, it may be found probable that those peculiarities are to be derived from the Portuguese Catholics, who established several churches on the Coast, and whose religion, after their expulsion, may have been mixed up with fetishism.

As to the question whether the Carthaginians [or other people that came from the eastern coast of Africa round the Cape] settled on the (Gold Coast, and what became of them, it may be observed that the descendants of the colonists, being left here for nearly 2000 years before the Europeans came, and having no communication with the parent state for such a length of time, must certainly have lost their nationality, knowledge, civilization, and even their language, and have been assimilated, in every respect, to the aborigines.

Having traced this so far, we come to another tradition, which says that the Akras and the Adangmes emigrated together from Tetetutu, or, as some say, from Sãme, in the east, between two large rivers. After crossing the Volta, they dispersed over the country; the Krobos stayed on the Krobo mountain, the Shais on theirs, and so forth; but the Akras reached the Coast and formed their settlements. The Akras and Ningowas were marching in a body; during one night the former hastily started and left their dough behind them, hence their surname 'Mãshi" = those that have left their dough. The Ningowas, being left behind, were called by the former 'Wo" i.e. sleepers.

The aboriginal race all along the seacoast and inland, at some points 15, 20, 30 and 40 miles northward, were nearly all of the Guan, Kyerepong, Le and Ahanta tribes, speaking different dialects of the Ahanta, Obutu, Kyerepong, Late (Le) and Kpeshi languages. - They seem to have extended from Asini down to Tema; thence to the Volta were the districts of the Lẽs, speaking Adangme, the mother dialect of Gã. In the interior were the Tshi or Fante tribes, who, as we suppose, when the Moslem invasion of Western Europe was stemmed, and the Christians reasserted their superiority in Spain, were driven by the Moors from central Africa into the low lying countries between the Kong (Kpong) mountains and the river Pra. Hence the tradition of the Fantes about their emigration to the coast, that they separated from the other emigrants and were called Ofãtewfo i.e. the portion that has separated from the main body. We suppose this to be more the real meaning than "Efan-tewfo" pickers of "efaň" i.e. vegetable or potherb. The emigrants from the interior, after crossing the river Pra, travelled along it to the coast, and either subduing the aborigines or driving them along the coast, they settled in the country between Sima (Chama) and Dwomma (Gammah, Mumfort) along the seacoast as well as in the interior. The Dankeras and Tshuforos crossed the Pra, leaving the Ahanta and Guan aborigines on the south from Sima (Chama) to Asini, and on the east from Dwomma (Dshiienma, Mumford, Montfort) to Lanyma or the Cook's loaf.*)

*) The only way, we suppose, of finding out the different tribes which compose the whole Gold Coast population, is by knowing those people who perform the following different customs tor their marriageable girls. In the whole, there are three principal tribes, viz: the Guan-Broň tribe, the Ga Adangme tribe and the FanteTwi tribe. The Customs hitherto known to us are:

1. Tun-yỡ = camwoodgirl, indicates the pure Ga tribe.

2. Ama-yỡ = pitchgirl, the mixed LeGa tribe (the aborigines).

3. Asim-yỡ = elephant's tail wearing girl, the mixed Guan-Ga tribe (Kpesi and Obutu).

4. Otufo-yỡ = priestly hat and loincloth wearing girl, the Adangme tribe.

5. Nsowumo-yỡ = seawashing girl, the Fante tribe.

6. Bradsu-yỡ = menseswashing girl, the mixed Guan-Twi tribe.

7. Akỡ-yỡ = (red) parrot-feathers wearing girl, the Twi tribe.

The following account proves it. Amamfi, Asabu, and Kwagya with their numerous retinue had already settled in the country and had founded several towns, such as Asabu, the capital, Putubew, Amosima, Abora, Po-Ekrofo (Boropo-Ekrofo, which signifies sea people, that is, people emerged from the sea, Akumamba, Mainsu, Berebu, Mowure, etc.

"The Fantes, on arriving from Takiman, to settle among the former inhabitants of the land, encountered great opposition from Asabu. It is reported that the Asabus, previous to the settlement of that portion of Fante called Abora, lived where the latter now dwell. The Asabus looked upon them as intruders, and consequently did all they could to make their stay in the places they occupied as far from peaceful as possible. To show how far the Asabus tyrannized over the Aboras, it may be remarked, that it was not an uncommon thing for their chief Amamfi, to try his bill hook on any one of them he came across after he had sharpened it. But the Aboras soon gave evident signs of their unwillingness to endure such insults. A number of battles ensued, in which the Asabus, though numerically inferior, were invariably the victors by reason of Amamfi's extraordinary strength. The Aboras having so often failed in their attempt to dispossess the Asabus, and the latter having continued to be more and more troublesome, the former combined to make one strenuous effort to put them down.

They asked their highest fetish Nananom, what sacrifice they should offer to ensure success, and by his advice buried a certain creeping plant called by the Akras "akpatrokpo" in a pot near the enemy's town. The consequence was, that all the warriors of Amamfi and Asabu, as well as their chiefs themselves, were soon laid down by an attack of guineaworm, effected by the influence of that sacrifice. The Aboras then gave battle to the Asabus. Ofisadu, nephew of Asabu, and captain over the Asabus' forces, was ordered to fall in to meet the enemy. Amamfi and Asabu, as a matter of course, were unable to join their people. They very soon discovered the great probability of the Aboras winning the day; finding themselves in great peril, they, with great. effort, got up and approached the scene of action. On finding that the people were no longer able to make a stand and were actually retreating, it is said, they retired into the sea. Thus the Aboras got possession of the country." Such emigrations back into the sea should be understood as rather emigrating somewhere else.

As already remarked, when the whole Gold Coast was under the emperor of Benin and governed by kings appointed by him, there was peace throughout the whole extent of the country. But after the arrival of the Portuguese and the immigration of the Tshi tribes the unity was dissolved; hence we hear toward the end of the seventeenth century of eleven powerful states or kingdoms on the Coast, besides those in the interior. They are, according to Bosman, Axim, Ante or Ahanta, Adom, Gabi, Kommani, Afutu, Sabu (Asabu), Fante, Akron or Gomoa, Agona, and Akwamu.

The kingdom of Akra had already been destroyed by the Akwamus, hence the eleven states mentioned; else they would be twelve. Those immigrants by their conquest introduced their language among the aboriginal race, hence we see that Tshi is spoken in all the kingdoms or states forming the Western Province of the colony, although several states retain their mother tongues besides. We also enumerate those countries on the Coast as well as Inland according to the Rev. J. G. Christaller's dictionary of the Asante and Fante language (1881). The south-western group of states and districts of the Gold Coast are: Amanahia, from the lagoons and lower courses, of the river Tanno to the mouth of the Ankobra river (which the Portuguese called "Serpentine" on account of its intricate windings), Anwonwii(Awowi) north of Amanahia, Safwi, Ahanta, Wasa, Twiforo and Dankira. The Fante group, on the middle part of the Gold Coast, extending from 80 to 100 miles between the rivers Pra and Sakumo; Komane (Commenda) with Aguafo and Aberemu, Odena or Elmina, Afutu, Asabu, Abora, Fante proper (Onomabo and Fante Asene, Korentsel, Anyah etc.), Adwumako, Akumfi, Gomoa, Agona, Asikuma. The south eastern Akan group : Asen or Asenefufu, Akem Abuakwa, Akem Kotoku, Akem Dwaben, Akuapem, and Akwam with Kamana.

*) Although we have stated above that the Guan and Ahanta tribes extended from Asini to Tema, yet according to the political division.

*)As a north-western Akan Group he mentions inland countries which were then (1881) outside the British Protectorate ; but Okwawu, Asante Akem and Agogo have since been received into it, the tribes of Adanse, Nkwauta, Danyase and Kokofu have immigrated into the British Terri tory, Dadease is disinclined to serve Asante, and so this once powerful kingdom is reduced t9 Kumase, Bekwae in the S.W., Agona, Mampoh, Kumawu, Nsuta and Nkoransa in the N., and some minor dependencies. In the N.E. the Bron tribes placed themselves under British protection, and Nkoransa is likely to follow. The south eastern corner of the Gold Coast contains the Akra or Ga and Adangme country, see the beginning of Chapter 11.

The Le tribes, among whom were Kyerepongs, Kpeshis and Adangmes, extended from Mount Langma to the Volta. The Akras seem to have driven some of those tribes to the Akuapem mountains and beyond the river Volta. What the Lates say of having had 30 towns, and the Kyerepongs, also 50 towns, may be true of that time. Thus we see that the tribes of Late, Anum, Nkonya, and even the Bowure people in Krepe, emigrated from this coast to the other side of the Volta.*) The Bowures are reported to have emigrated from Mowure in Fante. There are, however, some remnants of the aboriginal race of the Les, Kpeshis and Obutus mixed up with the Akras. - To prove that the Kpeshis may have occupied the land from Tema to the Volta, we give the following reasons. All the lagoons from Laloi near Kpoh (Poni) on the east to the river Sakumo and the lagoon Sakumo in Apã(Apam) on the west were owned by the Kpeshis and Obutus or Afutu-Berekus; the first lagoon they named Sakumo nukpa (the elder) and the river they called Sakumo fio (the younger). The lagoons which the natives worship as their fetishes have all their religious songs in the Obutu or Kpeshi dialect. This shows that the Obutus and Kpeshis were the first settlers on this tract of land.

There is, however, a tradition which says, that the lagoon Sakumo nukpa (Tema Sakumo) was the property of the Ningowas, who in their wars with the Labades pawned it to Adshete Ashabara, king of Tema. The Ningowas are said to have shared the tract of land between the river Sakumo and Laloi with the Akras; the boundary was the lagoon Kolete at Christiansborg. This shows that they may have shared the land between themselves after the conquest of the Kpeshis, knowing, according to tradition, that these two tribes, Akra and Ningowa, emigrated together to this coast. The other settlers were the Les, as we find mentioned the family of Lakote Aduawushi = Kote of Le, who is known to have been on the coast with his people before the Akras removed thither.

The brother of Lakote with the name Leteboi was acknowledged by the Dutch Government, by an instrument drawn, which was afterwards carved on the silver-handed cane of the priest of Nai, as the king of Akra in 1734. Likewise we see that one Tete Kpeshi was the chief of James Town, whose brother Kpakpo Anege*) was acknowledged by another instrument drawn by one Mr. J. Hosey Besouth, agent of the Royal African Company of England, as the chief and successor of Tete Kpeshi on the 16th January 1737; and was paid a stipend of $4 per month. The coast and the inland of the Eastern Province, i.e. from Mount Cook's Loaf (Langma) to the Volta, hare been the seats of powerful kingdoms and states, as there have been such in the Western Province. They were the kingdoms of Akra, Obutu, Le or Ningo or Adangnie, whose king had the title Ladingcour or Lãnimo (see Bosman page 327), of Shữoyi near Sasabi, and several other states.

*) Very likely these tribes were driven over the Volta by the Akwamus, when that tribe subjugated the Kyerepongs on the Akuapemhills.

CHAPTER II

Definition of Ga; its boundary; the first powerful kingdom formed by the Akras on the Coast. The first three kings. Akwamu, the first Tshi refugee, and the formation of his state and power. - The Portuguese and other Europeans forming settlements on the Gold Coast for the purpose of slave-trade. - The expedition to Aharamata by King Mankpong Okai. - The tyrannical reigns of Queen Dode Akabi and her son Okai Koi, whose reigns caused the destruction of the kingdom of Akra Ity the Akwanms. 1500-1660.

'"Ga" is the name particularly applied to the people and country bounded on the east by the lagoon Tshemu near Tenia, west by the river Sakumofio, south by the sea, and north by the Akuapem mountains. It is, however, generally applied to the people and land from the Cook's Loaf or Langma to the Volta. The seven towns forming the Akra proper are: 1. Ga, English or James Town (British Akra); 2. Kinka (Kanka) or Ussher Town (Dutch Akra); 3. Osu or Christiansborg (Danish Akra); 4. La or Labade; 5. Teshi ; 6. Ningowa or Little Ningo; 7. Tema.

The GaAdangme coast towns are: Kpong or Poni; Gbugbra or Prampram; Nungo or Ningo and Ada. The inland Adangme towns are: Shai, Krobo, Osudoku and Asutshuare.

The reduplication of Ga is gaga, which is a kind of the big black ants which bite severely and are formidable to the white ants.

*) Onigi is an Obutu name for Guinea fowl, and Kpakpo being very handsome was called by that name.

The natives designate themselves 'Loeiabii (Loiabii)". Loei is the Ga name for another species of the black ants, which wander about in great swarms and thus invade houses, killing and devouring every living thing that comes in their way. These ants are called ''nkran" by the Tshis and Fantes. The Portuguese coming to this part of the coast may have' brought down Fante servants, who must have told them, the place is Nkran. As foreigners, they' could not pronounce it so properly, but called it "Akra" (which the English spell Accra). As their name designates, they must have been a very numerous and powerful wandering tribe who very easily subdued the aborigines. Fourteen big towns are said to have existed inland of Ussher Town, one as large as our present James Town and Ussher Town but together four times, of at least 40 - 50,000 inhabitants. It is said that all the inland elevations or hills, such as Akpadegong, Pletekwogong, Muko, Amonmole, Fanofa, Dokutsho, Kushibiete (Legon) etc. had big towns on them formerly. James Town, Christiansborg, and Teshi were then not founded. The tribe of Ningowa or Wo had several towns: Wodoku, Kpatshakole, La-shibi, Koko nyaga, Wokple, Wodode, Woshagba, Wo-Akwamu, Wo Bobo etc., with Wodoku as the capital.

The Labades were then on the Aboasã hill and near the river Nsaki, whilst Ashijaote, the priest of Lakpa, resided on the Adshangote hill. The tribe of Tema or Kpeshi likewise had several towns: Tebiano (Yege, Kpla), Podoku, Atshebidoku, Alagba, Lakanmabi, Takinmabi*)etc. There was a large town with several other towns near Sasabi known as Shuoyi. All these tribes and people, as well as the Adangmes and Les or Agotims down to the Volta, the Obutus, Akwamus, and Akuapems were tributary states to the king of Akra. In short, the whole extent of the kingdom is said to have reached as far down as Aharamata, north of Little Popo on the east, and to Akan near Obutu on the west.

We have obtained only a few names of the first kings of Akra with a few scanty notes about them. The first king was Ayi Kushi who retired into the sea(back to Nubia). The next was Ayite, who established his capital at Okaikoi near Ayawaso. The third was Ni Koi Nalai or Nikoilai, and the fourth Mankpong Okai, surnamed Owura Mankpong; all we know about him is, that he used to ride in a carriage, which shows that in his days the Portuguese had settled here, perhaps about 1483, because the Portuguese took possession of Elmina and built the Castle St. George de Elmina in 1481.

*)Lakanmabi is now called Ashaman, and Takinmabi = Awuduui, they are now quarters and no more towns.

During his reign the following incident may have occurred. Mr. Romer says: "Two princes in the interior fell in love with a noble woman. They agreed to ask her to make choice of one of them, upon which one was chosen. The one not chosen one night called upon and made off with her. By travelling six weeks they arrived at Okaikoi and took refuge with the king of Akra, then at Ayawaso. The name of that prince was Akwamu, which after wards became the name of that tribe and kingdom. He staying with the king as a servant, got two children, a son and a daughter, with his wife, and in the course of time he obtained a piece of land as a grant from the king, and built his own village 4 miles off. When he was removing to his new place, he left his son at the king's court to be educated. Akwamu, being a Tshi prince with their known inherent wits for ruling, easily managed to collect a good number of other fugitives about him, so that, after the lapse of 50 years, he could form a small state at the foot of Akem Peak (Nyanawase), yet was under the king." King Mankpong Okal appears to have married the Obutu princess Dode Akabi (Akai\ who seems to have been a granddaughter of king Wyete. She was the mother of Okaikoi, who was named after her royal family's name - Koi, but being the son of king Okai, he got the full name Okai Koi, as the ancient Akras used to name their children - the father's name preceding the son's name, similar to the Jewish fashion in naming their children.

Our connection with Europe seems to have commenced a little earlier, prior to the reign of King Okai. After the lapse of exactly 2000 years from the supposed Carthaginian settlement on the Western Coast of Afrika, no nation explored the Coast; though some French authors have tried to prove that a French company of Dieppe and Rouen built the first fort in 1383, which afterwards was rebuilt and got the name St. George della Mina by the Portuguese in 1481. We leave that dispute to the two nations and proceed on the generally accepted supposition that the Portuguese were the first nation on the Coast.

Prince Henry of Portugal, the navigator, was the first to direct attention to the West Coast of Africa, and it was explored as far as Sierra Leone, under his auspices. He always urged his navigators to bring home some of the natives, that he might have them baptized, educated, and sent back, so that the Portuguese might afterwards be able to open a commerce with them in their own country. Gonzales Baldeza in 1442, returning after a voyage of two years, brought 10 slaves and some golddust. Prince Henry presented the Negroes to the Pope Martin V., who thereupon conferred upon Portugal the right of possession and sovereignty over all the countries that might be discovered between Cape Bojador (S. of the Canary Islands) and the East Indies. But at Prince Henry's death in 1463 discovery had not yet advanced beyond Sierra Leone.

King John II. of Portugal, in 1481, despatched Don Diego d'Asam buja, with a force of 700 men, to the Gold Coast. He landed at Elmina and built the Castle of St. George, in spite of the opposition from Karamansa, the native king of Fetu (Afutu), then the power ful state in Fante. (Karamansa may be Okoromansa, a name often joined to the name Amoa, or Okara Mansa.) The discovery of America by Columbus, and the commencement of the West African slavetrade attracted other nations to visit Guinea.

After the Portuguese, the Dutch followed. They built Fort Nassau at Mowure and settled in other places, as will be shown hereafter. The English so long ago as the reign of Edward IV. had proposed to establish themselves in these regions, but were restrained by fear of infringing the rights of Portugal under the Pope's grant. In the latter part of Edward the Fourth's reign, private English adventurers traded to the Coast, and the first commercial voyage from England to Guinea was performed in 1536. But the Government's support extended by Portugal, and then by Holland, to their subjects, placed the English adventurers at great disadvantage. James I. extended some support to these traders, and a Fort was established at Koro-mante (Cormantine) in the year 1624.

Cape Coast Castle (the Castle at Cabo Corso) was built in the year 1652 by the Swedes. The foundation was laid by its commandant Isaac Miville, a Swiss from Basel. The first name of the Castle was "Carolus-burg" (Charles'fort). In 1658 it was taken by the enterprising Heinrich Karloff, a native of Sweden, then in the service of the Danish Company, and thus it fell into the hands of the Danes.

The Danes built the forts Fredericksborg near Cape Coast and Christiansborg near Osu in 1659, as well as those at Anamabo and Takorari. In the same year the Danish African Company obtained the privilege of trading on the West Coast from king Frederick III. of Denmark and Norway. But unfortunately Immanuel Schmid, the succesor of Karloff, surrendered the Castle of Cabo Corso and those in Anamabo and Osu to the Dutch in 1659. After this the natives of Fetu (Afutu) besieged Cape Coast Castle and took it in 1660; but the Swedes retook it from their hands and kept it from that year to 1663, when the Fetus retook it from the Swedes by surprise and treachery. Now the English, Danes, and Dutch respectively endeavoured to get possession of it by negociation, but all failed. On the second of May 1663, however, the Fetus voluntarily surrendered it to the Dutch. It had not been one year in their possession, when it was attacked by Admiral Sir Robert Holmes by land and by sea and captured on the third of May 1664. (The author of the "British Battles" places the event in the year 1661.) The English have ever since kept possession of Cape Coast Castle, though the illustrious Dutch Admiral De Ruyter tried with thirteen menofwar to capture it in 1665.

In 1685 the Danes sold to the English Fort Fredericksborg, named by them Fort Royal, but now Fort Victoria. .James Fort at Akra was built by the English in 1662, in which year a chartered company was formed, ''the Company of Royal Adventurers of England trading to Africa". In 1672 "the Royal African Company of England" succeeded them, and in 1752 "the African Company of Merchants" took their place.

Not only Portugal, Holland, and England formed companies for the purpose of trading to the Gold Coast, but also Denmark, Brandenburg, Sweden, France, with the sole object of obtaining from our kings and chiefs the superfluous population or their captives in war as slaves for the cultivation of the American plantations. From Apollonia down to Keta (Quittah) we find about 35 Forts built by them, most of which are now in ruins. For the interest of our young readers we give the names of these forts, beginning from the east:

• Quittah (Keta) Fort Prindsensteen  1784 Danish
• Addah (Ada) Fort Kongensteen  1784 Danish
• Ningo (Nuno) Fort Fredensborg 1735-41 Danish
• Prampram (Gbugbra) Fort Vernon English
• Teshi Fort Augustenborg Danish
• Osu Fort Christiansborg 1659 Danish
• Dutch Akra (Kinka) Fort Crevecoeur Dutch
• English Akra,or James Town (Ga, Enilesi) Fort James 1662 English
• Seniah (Sanya) Fort Bereku Dutch
• Winnebah (Simpa) Fort Winnebah 1694 English
• Apam (Apa) Fort Lijdzaamheid(Patience) 1697 Dutch
• Gamma (Dwomma) Fort Mumfort English
• Tantvim (Tuam) Fort Tantanquerry English
• Cormantine Fort Cormantine 1624 English
• (Koromante){ Fort Amsterdam 1665 Dutch
• Anamabo (Onomabo) Fort Anamabo 1753 English
• Moree (Mowure) Fort Nassua Dutch
• Fort Carolusburg 1652 Swedish
• Cape Coast (Ogua) Fort Cabo Corso 1658-63 Danish & Dutch

-

• - Fort Cape Coast Castle 1664 English
• - Fort Frederiksborg 1659 Danish
• - Fort Royal, now Victoria 1685 English
• - Fort Williams English
• - Fort Macarthy English

.

• Elmina (Odena) Fort St.George d‘Elimina 1481 Portuguese/Dutch 1637
• Fort St.Jago(Koenrandsburg) Dutch
• Commenda (Komane) Fort Vredenburg 1688 Dutch
• Commenda (Akataky) Fort Commenda 1688 English
• Chama (Sima) Fort St.Sebastian (Portg.)- Dutch
• Secondi (Sakune) Fort Orange 1680 Dutch
• Seconde (Sakune) Fort Secondee 1685 English
• Tacorady (Takorade) Fort Witsen Dutch
• Bootry (Butiri) Fort Batensteen Dutch
• Dixcove (Mfuma) Fort Dixcove 1691 English
• Akoda (Akwida) Fort Dorothea Dutch
• Takrama Fort Takrama 1682 Brandenburg
• Montfort (Manforo Fort Friedrichsburg 1725 Dutch
• Axim (Asem,Sem-brofo) Fort St.Antonio (Portg)Dutch
• Apollonia (Benyin) Fort Apollonia English

.
These forts were not only built for defence against hostile indigenous tribes, but also against European neighbours and powers. In 1637 the Dutch took the famous Castle of St. George d'Elmina from the Portuguese; they planted their cannons on the hill on which St. Jago was afterwards built, and obliged the Castle to surrender. The Portuguese were finally expelled by the Dutch from the Gold Coast in 1642. Bosman says: "The Portuguese served for setting dogs to spring the game which as soon as they had done was seized by others."

The Portuguese being thus expelled, the Dutch, English, and Danes became possessors of their forts or built new ones. The Dutch had 16, the English 14, and the Danes 5. But the Danes ceded their possessions to the English in 1850, and the Dutch in 1868 and 1872, so that now, over the whole coastline of 250 miles, the Union Jack alone waves supremely.

Rule, supremely rule, Britannia, rule,

They acquired colony on the Gold Coast!

Protected from the Tyrant and the Slaver

By blood of thy noble sons shed on fields,

Besides thousands and thousands of pounds!

Destined by Heaven to have the rule,

Godly, justly, fatherly therefore rule!-

The old kingdom of Akra, as already remarked, extended on the Coast to Aharamata, north of Little Popo. The chiefs there, being tributary subjects to King Mankpong Okai, sent him regular annual tributes and presents. They often asked the Akras to defend them against their enemies; hence in after times, when the power of Akra was broken, the Akras also sought an asylum there. Being their allies, the Akras traded with them by bartering European goods from the Portuguese for ivory, aggrybeads, bluebeads etc.

The king sent his people with large amounts of goods, and other traders, under one Lamte, had to go with the kings people. While they were trading there, a war broke out between the allies and some tribes whose king was so cruel as to kill people. The Akra traders joined in war against that king, but he was too strong for them; so messengers were sent with the traders to report it to the king.

A large army was ordered to march against the enemy of the allies, in which Labades, who were then not yet separated, had to join. For the safety of the fetish Lakpa it was arranged to harbour it in a dense forest, now known as Lakpako, which afterwards became the site of the town Teshi. The army suffered great hard ship at Aharamata from want of provision, bad ways etc, and had to subsist solely on palmkernels and the clay of the whiteant hillocks. Consequently a good number of the warriors died. That wicked and cruel king was, however, captured, brought to Akra, and beheaded. The aged chief of Labade died on their return home; hence the second chief, whose successors afterwards separated to Teshi, instructed the votaries of Lakpa in the ceremonies connected with its worship.

After the death of King Okai, Dode Akabi (Akai), an intelligent and masculine woman and Princess of Obutu, having obtained possession of the kings property, usurped the government, knowing that after her death the young Prince Okai Koi might aspire to the throne. Dode Akai, whether to avenge the ill-treatment given to her ancestor Wyete, or whether it was her nature, ruled both the Obutus and Akras with a rod of iron. It was she who invented the Akra face-cut marks, although some are of opinion that the first Akra emigrants had those marks in their faces. She also forbid men the use of the abusive expression "bulu" or brute to a wife, upon pain of death. Her injunctions were very foolish and cruel, such as to catch a lion or tiger alive for her! In the execution of such orders many a life was lost. Before giving the order to build her palace, not thatching it with grass, but with clay, she is said to have commanded all the young men in her dominion to do away with all the old and elderly men.

The young folks complied with that wicked injunction; but one family alone harboured their father instead of killing him. When she was hardly pressing the people to build the palace and to use swish-strings in thatching it, they were at a loss how to manage it. The old man harboured advised his sons to demand a sample of the old swish twine with which the palace of her predecessors was thatched, so as to imitate it. This being asked, she perceived at once that one of the elders must be alive, and forthwith ordered the people to tell her the truth. Which being told, the old man was ordered to be fetched, who had such a demonstration with her, that she gave up at once that idea of roofing a grass house without the natural materials.

This was the origin of constituting seven elders as counsellors to advise kings and chiefs in every town. Her death is said to have been brought about by an order to sink a well in the hill known as Akabikeiike, now corrupted, Akaeke (Akabi's hill). The people, having no proper instruments, were compelled to sink a well some hundred feet deep! Their rigid task masters were hard upon them, as the Egyptians on the Israelites. At last the poor, oppressed and afflicted people conspired against the life of the Queen. To carry out that design, it was announced that water was being discovered, but there was a man found in the bottom of the well, who forbade their digging any farther. Upon which the wicked Queen with her numerous women retinue returned to the spot, arrogantly demanding, who the man was that forbade the digging? "He is in the bottom of the well below" was the reply. In a passion, she ordered herself to be lowered down to see the man who durst oppose her injunction. She was accordingly lowered down, when the people exclaimed, "This is your abode!" In the twinkling of an eye a multitude of stones and sticks were thrown into the well to fill it up. All the workmen engaged at the well, as well as those in town, carried stones and threw them in. Those coming late had to throw their stones in heaps all around, which are seen to this day. Thus ended the wicked and cruel reign of Dode Akabi, which is still remembered by two proverbs :

"Blemakpa no atsaa" = Twine is twisted according to the sample of the ancient; "Ke oyi tamoo Tete yi le, otoo Tete sama" = Never cut your hair like that of Tete, when your head has not the same shape as his,- referring to the Queen, who was not of the royal blood of Akra and should not have assumed the supreme power. The mode employed to kill her has been since connected with religious ceremonies: - whenever an epidemic, war, death or any other misfortune is impending, a small hole is dug in the ground, into which a cat or any other cruel beast is placed. The parties on whose behalf the sacrifice is made, have to pick up three small stones each, wheeling simultaneously each stone around the head, and then cast it in to the hole. After which the animal is buried, while the parties standing or sitting around the hole say, "The wicked one is now being buried." Owing to this murder, the Tshis called the Akras "Nkran pon wose ye du". (The great Akra, whose saying is the tenth i.e. who fulfil what they say.)

Prince Okai Koi was very young when his mother was buried alive; on coming to age, he desired to know who his mother was, as well as her name, but none durst tell it. Hence the Akras have this expression, "Moko lee moni fo Okai Koi", i.e. No one knows the one who begat Okai Koi. At last an old woman told him all the circumstances connected with his mother's death. He, therefore, ascending the stool, ruled the subjects with a rod of iron. In his days the Akwamus, Akuapems, Obutus etc, were under him as before. As he was a tyrant, his sons Tete Antie, Ayi Fufoo, Tete Ablo, Ayai, Ashangmo, Okai &c. imitated their father. They often murdered the sons of the chiefs and deprived the people of their newly married wives; ordering people to climb up trees, they then shot an arrow at them, or when stabbing anyone with a dagger, they wiped off the blood on the person and said, "You have defiled my knife!" The worse among the sons were Tete Ablo and Ayai; and the only mild one was Tete. The king used to tell him, "My son, do what you please and show your dignity while l am alive; when I am dead, your time to reign is past". The mother of that Tete was from Shai; his younger brother paid a visit there, and behaved very haughtily, having illegal intercourse with a married wife; but her husband dashed out the offender's brains with an axe. The report of the murder of the King's son reached Akra, and forth with Okai Koi put himself at the head of an army to punish the Shais. The king of Shugyi, however, objected to Okai Koi's marching to Shai in person; but, after persuading him to return home, went down with his army, and chastized the murderers.

On account of the cruelties of the king and his sons, Nikoilai, the great chief of Asere, and his wife Kuoko Adshemang, kept their son Nikoite (Amoʼn) at home till he reached the state of man hood. Nikoi had several times expressed his desire to be allowed to come out, or at least to accompany his father once to visit the capital, but was not allowed. At last, at his repeated and urgent request, the father consented to go in his company to the said place, where he was kept close to the father when at court. By chance the youth, escorted by his father's retinue, went out of court to discharge water. When he had done so Prince Tete Ablo shot an arrow and killed him on the spot. The attendants were struck with horror. The chief showed the dead body of his son to the king and reported the wicked deed of the prince. The only reply was, "Never mind, your wife will get you another son, before she has passed her age."

To get Okai Koi into trouble for all his wicked deeds, the chiefs conspired to advise him to have the Akwamu Prince (then staying at his court, cf. above page 13) circumcised, as he himself well knew that uncircumcised persons were strictly forbidden by the great fetish to attend his courts. On the other hand they knew that circumcised people were never allowed to ascend the stool (or throne) of Akwamu. Prince Odei underwent the operation, to his great delight, as several Akra princes, who were his comrades, had been circumcised that year. No sooner had the Akwamu Prince been circumcised, than the great chief Nikoilai with several others told the Akwamus what had happened.

During those days a son of the king of Labade came to the capital and stayed with the young princes of the King. While the boys amused themselves with shooting arrows about, an arrow of the Prince of Labade went straight into the king's harem. He wanted to go there and get back the arrow, but his comrades dissuaded him. He persisted, was caught by the eunuchs, brought before the king, and, by his order, at once beheaded. This shocking report was brought to the king of Labade, who quietly submitted to this ill-treatment and attended the yearly festival of Okai Koi as usual. But when the time for celebrating the festival of Labade came on, Okai Koi ordered the great chief of Gbese, whose duty it was to join the Labades in their religious festivals and ceremonies, not to attend, as he was determining to fight them. The chief obeyed, and assisted with his army in attacking the Labades, who were defeated and driven to Shai; some say to the Coast, when one half of the people stayed at Ladoku, the rest at Nyedueshi, where they dug the well there.

The Akras, being now tired with the wicked king, advised the Akwamus to refuse paying the annual tribute. They asked, "How are we to do so?" The reply was, "Since the king has circumcised Prince Odei, who should become your king, you may take up that as a cause of revolt. We shall support you!" The Akwamus accordingly invited the Prince to the capital. Here, while washing himself with soap, he was perceived to be indeed circumcised,

whereupon they refused to pay the tribute. About this time the king of Akwamu died, and Odei was denied the right of succeeding to the vacant stool. Embarrassed as he was at that time, he sent repeatedly to Okai Koi to restore the foreskin, a demand contrary to reason! He threatened to attack the Akras, if the foreskin were not forthcoming; but they being twenty times more powerful than the Akwamus, no notice was taken of it. Ansa Sasraku (who seems to have succeeded to the stool instead of Odei) persisted in this demand, so Okai Koi assembled his generals and great chiefs and consulted them what to do. They replied, ''Send only one great chief to plunder them!" European arms and ammunition were very rare in those days, so that every general had but one gun and ten rounds each; the warriors used bows and spears. The Akwamus had nothing of that kind, but bows and spears; they had, however, hired the Agonas and Akrons (Gomoas) in the Fante country, promising them a box of gold dust each, which four men could scarcely carry (but which the Akwamus never paid).

The war was declared and the field was taken. But the great chief Nikoilai with the majority of Okai Koi's warriors had arranged with the enemy to fire without bullets. Thus they did in several engagements, till, on being found out, they actually deserted the king, placed at their head Prince Ashangmo, the son of the king's brother Okai Yai, and marched to Mlafi. On account of this desertion of Okai Koi, the annual dance of the king and the people known as Berebe got the name "Oshi" : 'oši otše, oši onye" i.e. you deserted your father and mother. After several engagements with the rest of the warriors and his bodyguard, most of whom had been slain, the poor king was driven from the capital to Nyantrabi. Here his son Tete said deeply moved to his wicked father: "This is what I always told you, father, if all your people were present, I should not have so much to fight alone!" They advised the king to put an end to his life rather than submit to such a disgrace. He therefore painted his face and front with white clay and his back with charcoal, mounted his royal stool and again enquired: "My people, do you wish me to commit suicide?" The warriors replied: "Yes, we won't have any king to govern us." The poor king then prayed that no glory should ever accompany any exertion of his subjects who had deserted him, and then shot himself dead.

He fell upon his face, which bore the sign of justification, and so the glory departed from the Aseres, but we say rather from the whole Akra, - as ever since this event, which took place at Nyantrabi on the 20th of June 1660, hardly any exertion or military exploit of the Akras for Europeans or otherwise has been fully successful or duly appreciated. The king's sister with two Princes, the royal stool and few of their people, fled for protection to Tong (Little Popo). It appears that the defeated Akras, when pressed by the Akwamus, took with them the head of Okai Koi, expecting thus to be left in peace; but this rather encouraged the enemy to ask their submission. The Akras attributed their conquest by the Akwamus to the Portuguese converting the lagoon Kole into a salt-pit, a profanation which, they said, provoked the vengeance of their fetishes upon them.

In concluding this chapter, we must briefly speak of the appellation given by the Tshi people to this small Ga tribe. It is ''Nkrãn poʼn wose yḛ du, ketekere, odom nni amamfo", which means, the great Akra, whose saying is the tenth (true) and is durable, carrying on warfare without desolation. If we ask, at which time was such a high name given to this tribe, and what induced the Tshi people to do so, although there is an old desolation of theirs at Ayawaso.

A reply to this question is, the appellation given to the Ga tribe during their glorious days; yet it is applicable for all times, for the present as well as for the future.

1. The Tshi nation may have found that the Akras are a divinely favoured tribe, when they consider how from time immemorial they had been trying to extirpate and root them out from the place divinely allotted to them, by different inroads, expeditions, invasions and wars, without obtaining their object.

2. They apply the title to them, because they had succeeded in establishing their power fully over the aboriginal races of Fante and other places, whilst with them they had failed.

3. By nature the Akras are mild and inoffensive, yet unconquerable, independent and not easily governed. Wherever an Akra man goes, he is not only respected on account of his national prestige, but by his personal abilities and qualification, able to endure any hardship and privation thrice better than any one of another tribe. In wars, in travelling, in voyages, in times of epidemic, they are divinely more preserved than any other nation. When two or three Akras would die in any of the above emergencies, the loss of any other tribes in their company is counted by dozens.

4. From the beginning, when not corrupted by the Tshi people, they were strict observers of their religious rites - a religion which appears a Jewish one, but now corrupted by fetishism; they were entirely forbidden to have anything to do with human blood. Even when a drop of blood is being shed in an assault, or by boys throwing stones, the king and elders are bound to make a sacrifice by way of purification, and the parties are fined. We say a Jewish one, which we prove by a few leading facts in their system of observances.

a) A kind of baptism of children a week after their birth, when the father chooses the best characters among his relations or friends to fetch the child from the room into the yard; there he throws a few drops of water on the roof of the principal room in the family compound, which he receives again in small drops and throws thrice on the child and then names it.

h) Children are named after their grandfathers, grandmothers or fathers. The father's precedes the son's name, as for instance Ayite Okai, Okai Koi, Okang Ngmashi, Teko Dedei. When the child's name precedes the father's, it is by way of respect to superiors e.g. Akoitshe Adotei, (Okaitshe Ayite, Ngmashitshe Okang. In all the pure Akra names of male and female children, the father's name is called first: Ayi Dede, Ayi Kokg, Ayi Kai, Ayi Tshotsho, Ayi Fofo, now Ayile (Ayele), Ayiko (Ayoko), Ayikai, Ayitsho, Ayifo. Besides that, children are the heirs to the estate of the parents, and not nephews.

c) The circumcision which every male child of six to ten years of age is to undergo; - slaves of that age are also circumcised. This practice admits them to the courts of the principal fetishes ; an uncircumcised person - may he be a king of any nation - is never allowed to step into the yard of the fetish, but is kept out side, when any ceremony is to be performed by him. Neither are persons having superfluity of members and menstruous women permitted to go inside.

d) At the yearly harvest feast called Homowo the door posts or walls are painted with red clay, similar to what the Israelites did at their Passover, - at which time all differences existing in a family must be settled in peace, with several other things which we can adduce, but shall treat of in the customs of the Akras.

e) Their government is patriarchal, and the ruler is styled Lomo or Priest, - Lomo is now slightly corrupted for Lumo i.e. a king or governor. When it shall please the Divine Protector, who has placed such a small tribe amidst the numerous populations on the Gold Coast, to remove the present superstitious blindness from their minds, and bring them to Christianity in masses, they will be seen among the tribes as really a favoured people!

CHAPTER III.

King Ashangmo's defence of the country against the Akwamus. - His being repulsed with the Akras to Little Popo and Tetetutu, and his wars with the Dahomians and Angulas. - New settlements and towns formed on the coast by the Akras, and emigrants from Dankera, Osu doku, Angula and Fra. 1660-1680.

The majority of the warriors of Akra with king Ashangmo at their head, hearing at Mlafi the death of Okai Koi, returned home, engaged the Akwamus, and drove them to Fante. The poem composed by them at that time was:

Owu a okum Ukai Koi Adu nui ani.

Owu a okum Ansã Aku wo ani.

Yerebao, yerebao, yerebesi !

The death which killed Okai Koi Ada has no eyes (i.e. is inglorious).

The death which killed Ansa Aku has eyes (is glorious).

We are pressing on forward to gore!

Ashangmo with his army kept up fighting with the Akwamus for 20 years, but could not establish his power over them again. The treachery of the generals, who were aspiring to the kingship, was a source of constant discord and exposed the country to the attacks of the Akwamus. This obliged Ashangmo in the year 1680 to retire to Little Popo with all the Akras from Labade down to Ningo. The people of Lakple in Angula were at that time in Prampram; they also fled to that place. It was at that general movement, we suppose, when king Anno of Tema or Kpeshi composed this poem, after his brother Annokoi had removed to Obutu.

Kpeshi Aung mitere wo e, Kpeshi Anno mitere wo.

Labioko Atsẽmfo e, Kpeshi Anno mitere wo.

Ya nyeyaa lo, ba nyebaa lo, Kpeshi Anno mitere wo.

Kpeshi Anno is starting off tomorrow.

Labioko Akemfo, Kpeshi Anno is starting off tomorrow.

Are you for starting or staying, Kpeshi Anng is starting tomorrow.

The main body separated from Ashangmo's men and emigrated back to Tetetutu, while he and his people marched towards Little Popo. When the Angulas joined his army, he fought with the people of Bei, then subjects of the king of Dahome, drove them beyond Popo, took possession of the place and made his capital at Gredshi. The king of Dahome, who had been informed by his people of what Ashangmo had done, despatched an overwhelming army to attack him in his capital. Hearing of such an army coming against him, Ashangmo concealed his small force in the bush behind the river Momo and allowed the Dahomian army to pass up towards the Volta in search of him. Then he contrived means of cutting a deep trench between the two rivers Ngmaka and Momo and the sea, and shut the Dahomian army in.

He then attacked them openly on their returning from the Volta and gained a complete victory over them. He sent one of the prisoners back with one of his eyes and ears plucked out, to report the disaster the army had met with to the king. Akpo was astounded at such a signal defeat by a fugitive, and was obliged to make up with Ashangmo. He invited him to the capital Abome, and made him the first general of his forces. Ashangmo, being' thus elevated, cunningly gave his sister Ayite in marriage to the king, through whose means he escaped all the plots formed, either by the king himself or his generals, against the life of the victorious Akra king, and at last retired safe to his capital. That signal defeat of the Dahomian army became a byword of the Akras: "Asanmo egbe Akpo", Ashangmo has defeated Akpo, when success crowns an undertaking anticipated to be difficult. The successors of king Ashangmo kept up continual war with the Angulas, who were known to Bosman as the Kotos, a name still applied to them as "Anglo Kotoe". At that time the kingdom of Angula was very inconsiderable, the Akras in Popo were not very numerous either, but, as Bosman says, very warlike. They finally compelled the Angulas to sue for peace, only to gain time to form alliances with other tribes, or to ask the aid of the Akwamus, old enemies of the Akras.

During the period when two kings were ruling the kingdom of Akwamu, the Akras in Popo asked assistance from the old king, and the Angulas, that of the young king. The Akwamus were, however, very cunning to assist the weaker one in order that neither the one nor the other be destroyed. Sometimes both parties were supported by Akwamu warriors. In the year 1700, the king of Popo surprised the Angulas and drove them from their country. But as Akonno, who was the king of Akwamu in 1702, took a greater interest in the Angulas, he reinstated them again in the country. This proves that the alliance between the two countries had existed for a vevy long time; hence their grudge against Akra is understood. Those who think that the alliance between Akwamu and Angula was made after the expulsion of the former from the Akem Peak, must by the above statement be convinced of their mistake.

One of the kings of Popo was Ofori, who appears to have been the father of king Obli. (He must not be confounded with Ofori Dosu, of whom we shall hear in the Danish expedition in 1784.) He is described by Bosnian as very brave, feared and respected by all the neighbouring kings. The king of Ofra once rebelled against the king of Dahome, whose tributary chief he was, and not only threw off his allegiance to him, but killed a Dutch factor Mr. Holwert. King Ofori, hired to punish the rebel, invaded his country with an army, and conquered it without difficulty. The offenders were apprehended and delivered up to the king of Dahome. After this victory he was asked not to return until he had conquered the Whydas. He marched against them and encamped in their country, waiting for a supply of ammunition from the king; of Dahome under a good convoy. The Whydas attacked this convoy with a strong force and captured the whole supply of powder. Ofori, having spent his shot and powder, was obliged to retreat home, which saved him from the Whydas, who had proposed attacking his camp, as they knew he was short of ammunition. The Whydas, being informed of Ofori's retreat, did not trouble themselves to pursue him, being glad to have got rid of such a dangerous enemy.

The Angulas had prepared to attack Ofori as soon as he should give battle to the Whydas. On his way home, hearing of their intentions, he attacked them, although by this time the Angulas had formed alliances with other tribes and were stronger than himself. They gave him a warm reception and slew a great number of his men. Enraged at this loss, he rushed into the thickest of the enemy, and was, after a desperate struggle, slain with many of his followers.

Bosnian says, ''the present king, though more peaceable and mild, yet prudently revenged his brother's death on the Angulas - always attacking them in their weakest condition, which measure he pursued so long as to drive them out of their country."

In 1672 (not 1662) the English came to Akra,*) got a piece of land and built James' Fort. The owners of the land selected for the building were Adote Ni Ashare and his brother Tete Kpeshi, who before were staying in Kinka (Dutch Town) with their brethren, when unexpectedly an incident took place which obliged them to remove to the elevation of ground west of the lagoon Kole, where they settled. Adede Molai Kroko, the Priest of Oyeni, was returning from Osu (Christiansborg) one night with a number of his people. Upon seeing a certain black figure supposed to be a hyena moving in the bush, he fired at the figure, which, to their great astonishment, turned out to be an old woman. This led to an uproar and quarrel, in consequence of which they removed to that spot after paying the customary fines.

The English asked the piece of land from Adote and his brother Tete Kpeshi, though the site selected was the sacred grove of their fetish Oyeni; but the brothers gave up the land on condition that they should be allowed access to the spot to offer their annual sacrifices; and thus the Fort was erected.

The forts of the Dutch, English, and Danes at Akra, during those days of dissension between the Akwamus and Akras, invited the latter, to flee to the coast for protection from the oppression of the Akwamus. Of the Asẽrẽs and Aboras, who came down to the coast to join the people living there before, the following names are still in the memory of the people: Saku Olenge, Akotia Owosika, 0shamra, Ayikai, Siahene, Osu Kwatei, Anyama Seni, Amantiele Akele &c. Ayikai Siahene with his people settled near James Fort and founded Akangmadshe and Mereku i.e. Bereku quarter. Adote Ni Ashare and Tete Kpeshi with their people removed from their site beyond the lagoon Kole and settled by the fort, whose descendants also composed the Sempe and Brohung quarter.

Dankera having been conquered in the year 1700 by the Asantes, a quarrel about the succession to the royal stool broke out among the royal princes of that state. A Dutch officer was consequently sent there to restore peace. He brought the following headmen and noble women to Dena (Elmina) to be protected: Afrifa, Korankyi, Amo Panyin, Amo Kuma, Kwaw Nsia, Korama, and Nsiawa, with several others. Some of them returned back to Dankera, when peace was restored. Korama seems to have been a nearest relation of the royal family; she had a son named Otu, who in consequence of the recent conquest was surnamed "Ahiakwa", one who met with or got nothing i.e. born when their glory had departed. He, being an intelligent youth, was employed as a servant by the above mentioned officer who was shortly after appointed commandant of the Dutch Fort Crevecoeur and brought down both Otu and his people already named to Akra. The Priest of Nai being then the chief on the coast, to whom a monthly stipend was paid by the Dutch Government, the Dankera headmen and women were consigned to his care.

After some years' residence, a piece of land was obtained from the priest through the influence of the commandant, on which Otu and his people built houses. Being free and intelligent trading people, they acquired riches in a short time, and enlarged their quarter very rapidly with the refugees from Dankera, Akwamu, Akem and Akuapem. Bobiko, a relative of Korama, then at Akem, heard of the prosperity of the Dankeras, and sent her son Amo Nakawa to Akra to ascertain the truth of it. Satisfied with the condition of his relatives, Bobiko and her people were by their advice induced to join them at Akra.

But an incident took place while Amo Nakawa was on the coast. His wife Ahwanjabea of Akwamu went on a visit to her parents at the place, where the king tried in vain to seduce her, and Akonug, being defeated in his object, in revenge applied a burning tobacco pipe to the back of her innocent child Dako. The child was brought down to Akra with the whole family of Amo Nakawa, when the sad case was told him by his wife. He (hereupon made a solemn vow of revenging himself one day on the king of Akwamu for that cruelty to his wife and child. Hence afterwards Amo Nakawa became the zealous chief among the Ambassadors of Akra when negotiating with the kings of Akem, whose relation he was. He prevailed on the Obutus and Agonas to throw off their allegiance to the king of Akwamu while the latter was threatened with war.

All the Europeans established on the coast had their own labourers; some were free people, and the rest their own slaves as the property of each company, who were designated Alatas, a Fante name for people of Lagos, Yoruba &c. Thus we have Kinka or Dutch Alata, English Alata, and Osu or Danish Alata. These Alatas in each town formed their own quarter in connection with the towns' people, and were acknowledged as citizens of the place by joining the established band in the towns.

The elders among them had the right as citizens to become grandees or counsellors of the king or chief in a town. Thus the headman of the English Alatas was one Osho or Odshoe (not Kodsho), surnamed Wets he, i.e. housefather, who being a very intelligent and powerful man by his connection with the English, grew very rich, had numerous slaves himself, besides the Alatas, and having been in the country since the English established themselves here in 1672, became the king of James'Town. He had been instructed in the Tshi style of managing a state, and had a stool also made and consecrated to him by Chief Oto Brafo of Kinka (Dutch Akra). There appears no one to have been appointed then as the successor of chief Anege; even if there was one, he was more the priest of Oyeni, than a king. Odsho's successor Kofi Akrashi, a native of Dutch Akra, easily raised the power and fame of that family very gloriously. It was the same with a Fante chief, named Kwabena Bonne, who was brought to Osu (Christiansborg) with a large family by the Danes. He, although a free government agent, had to build his house close to the Castle in the Alata quarter. Chief Ahene of Dena (Elmina) also emigrated with a large family to Akra, and made his permanent stay with the Dutch Alatas in the Dutch Town.

The people of Osudua or Christiansborg also emigrated in company with the different Adangme tribes from Sãme in the East, and having crossed the Volta, they settled with the main body on the Osudoku hill. Before their emigration to this place there was a single family of one Tete Manydi and his brother Tete Bo and his sister Dede Mosa from Dutch Akra settled here, before the Portuguese arrived. The family fetishes of Tete Manyoi are Leniogbe, i.e. a fetish of the Les, and Nyankumle, which claims pre-eminence of Osu. The former is a piece of a round white stone, now lying neglected at the west corner of the Basel Mission Chapel.(at the time of writing 1889).

An incident is said to have taken place at Osudoku, after the time when the Danes had come to this coast, which caused a certain family to emigrate to Osuyokpo near Shai, thence to Osu ko near Kwabenyang, who were seeking the protection either of the Akras or the Danes.

Tradition differs as to the real cause of that family's emigration. Some people say, that the Les or Agotims, who were driven from Poni and Lahe, did not cross the Volta at once, but settled near the bank of the river. Being a warlike tribe, they kept up fighting with the Osudokus, that one chief, named Noete, came with the view of asking the aid of king Okai Koi to fight his enemy. The king sent an ambassador, Tete Boako Aforo by name, who escorted the chief to the Danes. Noete, having obtained protection, sent for his brother Naku Tete and their people, and founded the seven huts known as Butaiateng in Christiansborg.

Another tradition is: An Otufo custom being performed {by a woman named Namole for her daughter) at Osudoku, some precious beads were borrowed, as people usually do on such occasions. A fowl picked up one of the beads and swallowed it, but none saw it. In returning the beads, one was found missing; so the owners refused to accept the rest. They offered to replace it with another bead, or even to pay seven persons for the single bead, as was the law at that time; yet the owners declined, consequently a quarrel ensued. Namole and her brother Noete Doku with their people travelled to Osuko, and found there a hunter of king Odoi Akem of Labade, named Kadi, who conducted them to the king.

They asked the king's arbitration in the matter, but being then engaged in settling a dispute between the Akwamus and the people of Berekuso, he had no time at once to decide their case. But one Noete Shai, the interpreter of the Danes, happened to meet some of the women who came to sell pots at the Adshiriwa market, who told Noete what was the cause of their emigration to Osuko. Through his agency Namole and Noete Doku were brought before the Danish Governor, who undertook to protect them and to settle their case.

The name of the Governor, as the natives called him, is Erisen, which, we suppose, was Erik Oehlsen, who died in 1698. Odoi Akem at last came to Christiansborg and told the Governor what he was asked by the people to do for them. Their enemies, hearing at Osudoku of what the white men would do for them, gave the case up and fled from the country. The bead lost was at last found in the gizzard of the fowl when killed by the remaining family of Noete and Namole on the day they were to quit Osudoku for Christiansborg. The gizzard was cut into very small pieces, dried and brought down with them, when every member of the family took a piece and ate; hence the custom that the gizzard of a fowl is never eaten by a single person, but by a whole company sitting around a dish prepared of a fowl.

The town Osu increased rapidly by people removing from Dutch Akra, Labade, and several other places to reside there as labourers to the Danish Government, as well as by affinity with the two towns above named. It consists of three quarters, Kinkawe, Ashante, and Alata.

The byname of Osu is Abosha and a nickname is Kadigbo, of which the latter alone can be explained by guess - they being escorted to the place by the hunter Kadi, hence they are called Kadigbo, which means, the guests of Kadi. The word can, however, be defined by Kadi and gbaʼn; in old Ga, ''kadi" means a balance, and "gbaʼn", big i.e. the big balance. They, although emigrated later than the other Akras, had the fortune of becoming the illustrious among the Akra towns by their connection with the Danes. Yet the most probable signification of that name is "Carrier or Carli gbo'", after the name of a Portuguese or Frenchman, being an old coaster, who may have brought those emigrants to the Governor.

La or Labade (Labadai). - The people of La were originally a portion of the numerous tribe who seem to have been the first settlers on this coast, known as the Les, as the name indicates. The people of Gbese in Dutch Akra, the Lates in Akuapem, the Lakples who removed from Prampram to Angula, the inhabitants of Poni, known as the Agotims, as well as the former inhabitants of Osu, were all of the same tribe. Names of persons and fetishies with La or Le as the first syllable, are of this tribe, showing where they may have settled before, such as Lannia (Langma), Lashioko, Lashiele, Lafa, Laniogbe, Lakpa, which are names of fetishes belonging to this tribe; Late, Late, Lakote, Lateboi &c., names of persons.

The byname of La is Bonne, which shows their emigration from Bonny; they are said to have come to that part of the world with the Akras. They emigrated from the interior to that place in consequence of war, and at Benin and Bonny the same warfare was carried on, till they were obliged to quit the place for this coast. They also apply the emigration from the sea to themselves and say that they landed at Lagu or Dago, the Akras landing in the morning, and they in the afternoon. Staying together for some time, the Akras left for Laňma. (It may be that the Las first left for that place, as their name was given to that hill as Langma or Lamafi i.e. the abode of the La people.) Thence they emigrated to Aboasa, Adshangote, Nsaki, and Gbese by the river near Mayora, and the Akras also to Ayawaso &c. A good road was made between the two tribes to facilitate intercourse. Yet the La people entered into alliance with the Akwamus, which in king Okai Koi's time was avenged by beheading the young prince of La. Once, detaching the people of Gbese, the brother tribe of La, from participating in their yearly feast, Okai Koi attacked the Labades with great slaughter.

The Gbeses, however, went between the hostile parties and brought peace again; the Akwamus, who were allies of the defeated, and who might have helped them, came too late, when peace had already been made. The Akras, not favouring the alliance between the Labades and Akwamu, commissioned a party of men to waylay the Akwamu Queen, who had attended the celebration of their feast, and was killed on her way to attend the feast of the Labades. As the act was cunningly perpetrated close to their town, they were charged with the murder, attacked by the Akwamus, and sustained heavy losses. To keep up their friendship in spite of the recent war, the Labades wisely had recourse to a prophecy that Lakpa had predicted the utter destruction of the Akwamus by an unknown power, unless they obtained an absolving ablution from him.

By that means they were again united. The Tshis, who are not very obliging to fetishes, easily declared war after this against the Labades, in which, according to La history, the Akwamus were defeated and driven beyond the Volta; the Labades pursuing them had to stay for several years at Krobo, intermarried between themselves and then removed to Ashimanti on the Akuapem hills. They heard of the Akwamus having returned to their country and preparing to fight them; but the fetish Lakpa objected to their doing so and peace was restored. From Adshimanti the Labades proposed joining their brother tribe of Gbese, but Lakpa objected to this too, wherefore they removed to Shai and settled at Ladoku.

We suppose the contrary of what the La history says. The Akwamus were never driven from Nyanawase but once, and that in 1733. The Labades may have been driven rather to Krobo by the Akwamus. At Ladoku they formed alliances with several neighbouring tribes, among whom were the Shais and Agotims. They entered into an agreement with them that whoever should be found guilty of an intrigue with another man's wife, should be delivered up to the injured party, and in the presence of both parties the culprit should have his brains dashed out with an axe. A Labade man was the first who was found guilty, and was brought to justice. The next man was a Shai, the son of the king, whom his people refused to deliver up to the Labades to be executed. The consequence was a war, which raged for some time, till the Labades were fain to seek assistance from the Akwamus, The latter willingly complied, and rested not till they had driven the Shais to Shaigodshei.

After this a war broke out between them and the Abonses, who were defeated and made to serve Lakpa. The people of Gble (Berekuso) were also defeated and treated like the Abonses. Not long after this, king Odoi Atshem I. of Labade died and was succeeded by Adshei Onano, in whose reign they removed from Ladoku to Podoku near Tema.

The Temas or Kpeshis had been weakened by the combined army of Akra and Shuoyi, and knowing their weak state, they asked the Labades to make a covenant with them to avoid future hostilities.

The strategy employed by the Labades was, to select seven chiefs from each tribe, who were to meet at an appointed place to take fetish-oath together to cement the peace between them. The representing chiefs had to bring their own fetish to administer to each party simultaneously. The Kpeshi chiefs brought their chief fetish Afutuoko to the spot, not knowing that the Labades had laid an ambush thereabout, so both the seven chiefs and Afutuoko fell into their hands. This great war-fetish being captured, the majority of the Kpeshis fled from the country. Two songs of that time refer to the war with Shai and the capture of Afutuoko.

Ogbe keke wiilo kejatsua §ai lurag,

Sai lurao ni yeo dsidsi le, le eke efeg "Kpa" lo ?

Ogbe (fetish; Lakpa) assumed a pheasant and shot the Shai king.

Shai king, who lives on "dshidshi" (country food), does he excel "kpa" ?

Kpesi Afutuoko, otsole Kpesi, oke ootsole La lo ?

Temanyo Afutuoko, otsole Kpesi, oke ootsgle Lji lo?

Kpeshi Afutuoko, thou reposest on Kpeshi, couldst thou repose on La?

Temaman Afutugko, thou reposest on Kpeshi, couldst thou repose on La ?

By their connection with Akwamu the Labades acquired much of the Tshi character, hence they got this appellation "Dade ye Twi", Labades are Tshis.

We suppose rather that Qda or Ada is the name given to this place by king Firempong after the name of his capital Da or Oda. When the Akwamus were expelled from this side of the Volta, Firempong is said to have appointed one of his own captains, and another captain of the Kamana refugees then at the place, with a body of armed men, and stationed them there, with strict injunctions to protect the boundary from Akwamu invasions. The descendants of those captains composed the Kabiiawe (Kabubiiawe) quarter, viz., Kabiiaweyum of the Kamana refugees, who had settled there long before, as shall be seen hereafter, and Kabiiawḛtshu, of the other captain.

The Adas were still at Okohue when the Kamana refugees arrived, and before they were admitted to join them, a fence was made at the outskirt of the town, where they were kept until every male among them was circumcised. It was not very long after this Kamana, tribe had been naturalised an Adaʼnme tribe by the rite of circumcision, when the Akwamus came with force to claim them back. This led to a long obstinate war, until the known Akwamu stratagem was practised, the right thumb of their brave general Tshaji of Tekpebiiawe being cut off through Akwamu treachery.

The old venerable general defended himself and his ungrateful people for a long time, and then quitted the country. His son Amana was appointed general instead of his father, and it was he who proposed surveying the country to find a suitable place for an asylum against future invasions of the Akwamus. Accompanied by his nephew Okumo of Daʼnmebiiawe, he discovered the land between Okohue and the Volta. The uncle claimed all that part of land from Okohue to the seven date palms near Fo as his portion, and the land from that spot to the mouth of the Volta was given to the nephew. Thus the two quarters of Tekpebiiawe and Daʼnme-biiawe got the prerogative over the whole land.

There are other small families, besides those already mentioned, who emigrated afterwards from different places and settled in Ada. At Okoʼnmloku, one Loʼnmowe, a hunter of Loʼnmobiiawe, discovered lake Ngsho or Nyito, abounding in fish and frequented by game. Here he was met by a hunter from Agrave, by name Ahaviatshe. A dispute arose between the two hunters as to the ownership* of the lake. The Adaman, being cunning, proposed to decide the case by either of them getting fire from his town first to the spot. The town nearer to the lake would claim the ownership. Both started to fetch fire. Lonmowe prudently obtained fire by concussion of his firearm, and before Ahaviatshe could return with fire, he had cooked a dish, ate, and left some for him. The ownership being thus proved, Ahaviatshe became a friend to Lonmowe, and through them general friendship grew up between the Adas and the people of Agrave. A piece of land was consequently granted to the Adas, on which the present town Ada was built, on the bank of the Volta.

Ahaviatshe then proposed removing to reside with his friends, who were known generally to be unfortunate people, being often invaded, which caused them to wander about. Ahaviatshe was told by his friends, who opposed his removal, "You go to trade only in death", hence the Kudshragbe quarter got its name. - Ohwewem is another quarter, emigrants from Whenyi; Kogbo, from Kpele in Krepe land; Kponkpo is a portion of Kgbo; the Sega family are the Le refugees from Poni; the Gbese family from Osudoku ; and the Kpony family were refugees from Ningowa*. The Adas are composed of 11 (12) families, viz., Adibiiawe, Lonmobiiawe, Tekpebiiawe, (Danmebiiawe?) Kabubiiawe or Kabiiawe, Kudshragbe, Ohweweni, Kogbo, Kponkpo, Sega, Gbese and Kpoiuj. The ruling family was in Adibiiawe quarter, and the first king was Boi. Owing to more attention paid to agriculture and fishery by the royal family, the two Tshi families of Kabiiawe, who are traders and have the wit for ruling and settling cases, got the ruling power through the following incident. Ado somewhat neglected the old King Boi, his father, in old age, and the old man being properly attended by his nephew Dake of Kabiiawe, the stool was bequeathed to him...

...(continuation 1660 - 1860> on Page 43. Chapter-IV of over 360 pages Official Documents)