The Asante, also known as the Ashanti, are a people residing in the south-central region of Ghana, as well as in adjacent areas of Togo and Côte d’Ivoire. The majority of the Asante population is concentrated in and around the city of Kumasi, which served as the capital of the former independent Asante state. The Asante people primarily speak the Twi language, which belongs to the Kwa branch of the Niger–Congo language family, and they are considered a subgroup of the Akan people. While some Asante individuals have migrated to urban centers for employment opportunities, they continue to maintain strong ties to village life. The Asante are predominantly engaged in farming activities, cultivating crops such as plantains, bananas, cassava, yams, and cocoyams for local consumption, as well as producing cacao for export purposes.
The social organization of the Asante is based on matrilineal descent, wherein lineage members trace their ancestry through a common female progenitor within a localized segment of a clan. Members of the lineage collaborate in various communal activities including construction of dwellings, agricultural work, path clearing, and participation in funeral ceremonies. Additionally, the Asante recognize paternal descent, which governs membership in exogamous divisions associated with specific religious and moral responsibilities.
Leadership within the Asante community is vested in the head of the lineage, who is selected by senior male and female members. Due to menstrual taboos prohibiting contact with sacred objects, females are excluded from holding this position. The lineage head assumes responsibility for maintaining internal harmony, managing relations with other lineages, and serving as the custodian of lineage stools that embody the spirits of ancestors. Furthermore, every significant lineage head possesses a stool as a symbol of their authority. Village chiefs are chosen from specific lineages, varying from village to village, and are tasked with resolving disputes within the community in consultation with a council of elders.
In the traditional Asante state, villages were organized into territorial divisions, with the chief of the capital village holding the paramountcy over the division, and their village council functioning as the division council. The paramount chief of the national capital, Kumasi, held authority over the confederation. The Golden Stool served as a symbol of unity among the Asante people, believed to have descended from the heavens and revered by all chiefs as a symbol of allegiance. The queen’s mother, often the chief’s sister, played a crucial advisory role and was considered an authority on lineage kinship relations, responsible for nominating candidates to fill vacant chief positions. While the chief’s traditional duties encompassed religious and military aspects, in contemporary times, the role has evolved to include economic administration and provision of social welfare services.
The Asante people have preserved their rich cultural heritage and continue to uphold their traditional social structure while adapting to modern developments. Their unique matrilineal system, agricultural practices, and intricate leadership hierarchy are integral components of their identity and contribute to the vibrant tapestry of Ghanaian society. Although there are Christian and Muslim converts among the Asante, the traditional religion, based on belief in a distant supreme being, a pantheon of gods and lesser spirits, and the ever-present spirits of ancestors, remains the basis of the Asante conception of the universe. See also the Asante empire.