Akan

Total population
over 20 million Ethnic Akans
Regions with significant populations
Ghana ~12 Million  Côte d'Ivoire 8 Million  Togo unknown  Burkina Faso unknown  Nigeria unknown  Benin unknown  Liberia ~41,000  United States unknown  United Kingdom unknown  Canada unknown  Jamaican Maroons [1] unknown Other Caribean countries unknown  South America unknown
Languages
Various Akan dialects, English, French
Religion
Christianity, African traditional religion, Islam
Related ethnic groups
Akan

The Akan people are an ethnic linguistic group of West Africa. They speak the Akan languages.

This group includes the following sub-ethnic groups: Ashanti, the Akwamu, the Akyem, the Abron, the Aowin, the Ahanta, the Anyi , the Akropong-Akuapem, the Baoulé, the Chokosi, the Fante,the Kwahu, the Sefwi, the Wassa the Adjukru, the Akye, the Alladian, the Attie, the Avikam,the Denkyira, the Ebrie, the Ehotile and the Nzema peoples of both Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. From the 15th century to 19th century, the Akan people dominated gold mining and gold trade in the region. Akan art is wide-ranging and renowned, especially for the tradition of crafting bronze gold weights, which were made using the lost wax casting method. Branches of the Akan include the Abron and the Afutu. The Akan culture is the most dominant and apparent in present-day Ghana.

Some of their most important mythological stories are called anansesem. Anansesem literally means 'the spider story', but can in a figurative sense also mean "traveler's tales". These "spider stories" are sometimes also referred to as nyankomsem; 'words of a sky god'. The stories generally, but not always, revolve around Kwaku Ananse, a trickster spirit, often depicted as a spider, human, or a combination thereof.

The Akan people follow matrilineal rules of ancestry and inheritance. Goods are inherited directly through the mother. The inheritance also involves societal status. The title of being a local chief or important person can be passed on via inheritance.If a male earns property through means that doesn’t involve the family wealth then, he can pass it to whomever he pleases.

[edit] Elements of Akan culture

• Adinkra
• Akan names
• Akan Chieftaincy
• Akan Calendar
• Akan art
• Abusua
• Adamorobe Sign Language
• Bono state
• Kente
• Sankofa

[edit] See also

• Rulers of the Akan state of Asante
• Rulers of the Akan state of Akyem Abuakwa
• List of rulers of the Akan states of Akwamu and Twifo-Heman
• List of rulers of the Akan state of Denkyira
• List of rulers of the Akan state of Bono-Tekyiman

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Kasahorow Akan Dictionary The Dictionary of Standard Written Akan
• Akan gold trade