Kwahu

Kwahu is an Akan group and area, dubbed Asaase Aban or the natural fortress, in view of its national position as the highest habitable elevation. Kwahu lies in the Eastern Region of Ghana, on the west shore of Lake Volta. They share the region with their fellow Akans the Akyems, the Adangbe-Krobos and a small sect of migrant Ewes in the Afram Plains area who double as fishing experts and caretakers in the waterfront zone. There are two common spellings of the name, Kwawu and Kwahu. The "w" spelling is the official spelling from the African Studies Centre, University of Ghana, and more resembles the pronunciation. The "h" was put in by Swiss missionaries from Basel, who added the "h" to ensure that Kwa, the first syllable, was not pronounced as "eh." The "h" is not separately pronounced in the name. For Anglo-Germanic speakers, Ku-A-U may be an easier pronunciation help whilst Franco-Roman natives would say KoU-AoU with ease.

The term Kwahu also refers to the variant of Akan language spoken in this region and to the Kwahu people who come from the region, there are about 65.000 Kwahus. Except for a few variations in stress, pronunciation and syntax, there are no markers in the dialect spoken by the Kwahus, who are originally of Ashanti stock, having separated and then migrated from the Sekyere-Efiduase-Mampong area to their present settlement, joining a few others from Akyem and other ancestral Ashanti heartland The Mamponghene, who is next to the Ashanti King in hierarchy, and the Kwahumanhene, are historically cousins, hence both occupy Silver Stools with the salutation of Daasebre.

The name derives from its myths of origin, "The slave (awa) died (wu)," which was based on an ancient prophecy that a slave would die so the wandering tribe of Akan would know where to settle. The myth was part of the historical stories of the Agona matriclan, the first paramount lineage of Kwawu, and was later adopted by the Bretuao-Tena matriclan (Twidan) who later replaced them.

The paramount chief and the royal matrilineage of the Kwawu reside at Abene, north of Abetifi on the banks of the highlands. The strategic location of Atibie and a dreaded militia that guarded the route was led by Akwamu warriors who fiercely repelled attempts by colonial forces to capture the Omanhene. Even today, the road from Abetifi to the small enclave housing the king is plied with some unease, given the stories recounted . Until their leaders seized upon the opportunities presented with the Bond of 1844, Kwahu was thus an integral part of Ashanti Kingdom and attested by available maps of the period. It is also worthy of note: Ashanti waged punitive and protracted wars against fellow Akans including Denkyira, Akwamu, Akyem, Fanti, Assin but never fought Kwahu. Abetifi (Tena matriclan) is the head of the Adonten (vanguard). Obo (Aduana, Ada, Amoakade) is the head of the Nifa (Right Division) Aduamoa (Dwumena, Asona) is the head of the Benkum (Left Division).

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