Ashanti Kingdom

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             The Akan people had lived and ruled their land for thousands of years before they experienced consecutive disruptions by Arab, Portuguese, Dutch, and British invasion and domination. The first contact between Europe and the Ashanti dates from 1471 when a Portuguese expedition landed. Instead of focusing on the cultural, spiritual, and rich history of the land that they had invaded, the Portuguese focused on the material abundance of the land, and named the region the "Gold Coast." As more and more people began to hear of the "Gold Coast," European countries started to fight over the control of its natural resources. Soon, Europeans realized that the money was not in the trading and selling of the natural resources, but in selling the Africans as slaves. Therefore, for the next four hundred years, "black gold" (the Africans) became the interest of Europe. .
             Ashanti believe in the aphorism "Unity is strength" (project 1). The stool helps to achieve this because all have the common bond of full allegiance to the Stool. Before the Ashanti Kingdom could emerge, the Akan states were formed in order to establish trade routes so that gold could be moved throughout the region. At the end of the 18th century, however, the Ashanti Kingdom emerged in the central forests of Ghana. The Ashanti dominion was extended by military action and political skill. The first Ashanti invasion of the coastal regions was in 1807. In 1811, the Ashanti moved south again, and yet again in 1814. These invasions oftentimes interrupted and threatened the European forts and trading ports in the area. This, in turn, led to many wars with Britain. From 1826 until 1900, the British fought a series of campaigns against the Ashantis. The British army captured Kumasi, the major city, in 1873. In 1901, after one last uprising led by Yaa Asantewaa, Ashanti came into British Protection, and finally became a region of the Gold Coast colony.