Cultural History of the Lake Bosomtwe Communities

History of the Lake Bosomtwe Communities Introduction Biodiversity is a crucial part of our daily lives and livelihoods because it provides the resources both present and future generations depend on to satisfy our needs. Many of the activities such as bush burning, shifting cultivation, sand winning, harvesting of fingerlings, use of unapproved fishing nets, and deforestation undertaken by communities living around Lake Bosomtwe have a detrimental impact on the biodiversity of the lake and the surrounding ecosystem, yet to date little has been done to check these damaging activities. They continue as a result of the communities’ lack of awareness about their detrimental impacts. However, the bold step taken by Friends of the Earth-Ghana (FoE-Ghana) to educate the communities around the Lake about the negative environmental impacts of their activities is very positive. The livelihoods of all these villages depend on the lake, and if something is not done about the damaging activities, the future for both humans and wildlife will be bleak. It is an onerous task, but with the support of communities, chiefs and stakeholders, FoE-Ghana will have positive impacts that will enhance the development of the people within both local communities and the nation at large. The destruction of biodiversity in and around the lake has had many negative impacts on local communities as well as on the environment. Hunters and poachers set fire to the bush in search of bush meat as a source of protein and an income. This has drastically reduced the populations of species like antelope, grass cutters, zebra and other species. People sometimes use chemicals such as DDT to kill fish in the lake, rivers and streams, destroying local habitats and poisoning the lake. When the forests were at their best, they protected habitats of both the lake and its surroundings. These habitats were conducive to increasing populations of local wildlife species. However, lack of proper controls over which species can be caught has led to over-exploitation and destruction of the lake basin’s biodiversity. Traditional taboos and norms that controlled levels of resource use are often now ignored to the detriment of the local environment. Reptiles such as the monitor lizard, horned viper, African python, chameleon and puff adder were found around the catchment area of the lake, hence the naming of one of the villages as Kotrekrom meaning the den of lizards. However, the village is now devoid of such life. Construction and development of settlements and roads have also contributed immensely to the destruction of biodiversity in and around the lake. Shifting cultivation has led to environmental degradation and habitat loss as farmers set fire to both the forests and the cleared lands. As a result, wildlife such as Pelican, Sunbird, Owl, Parrot, Crow, Vulture and Butterflies which could have attracted tourists for revenue can no longer be found in the lake area. This research has examined the environmental impacts and also discusses how the people migrated from different places to settle around the lake, the social lives of the people and the economic activities of the communities. ANKAASE. CONTACT PERSON: NANA KWESI ASARE – AGE 100 YEARS. Ankaase is one of the communities around Lake Bosomtwe under the Amansie East District Assembly at Bekwai. The people are from Kokofu, also in the Amansie East District Assembly, with a population of a 1,050 people. It is under the Kokofu traditional council. The community is mixed with people from Akokofe, Apenkraa, Abooso Ahwiren, Beposo and Akyeremade. It is an important community with many scholars now in various ministries around Ghana. The people are predominantly fishermen who also produce small amounts of cocoa and cash crops to supplement their annual income. The community has a primary school and a Junior Secondary School. Botwiwaa is the only shrine in the village. It was once a river with three major tributaries: the Bruma, the Nsamansuwa and the Afretakera which flowed throughout the year. The people worshipped the shrine and put their trust in it. The area used to be covered in thick forest which sustained the river and its tributaries but, as a result of the farming activities around it that resulted in loss of the forest, both the river and its tributaries have now dried up. The people now violate the norms of the shrine: menstruating women could not fetch water from the river, but violation of this norm has contributed to the river drying up. Creatures like baboons, warthogs, lions, antelopes, anteaters, alligators, porcupines and hippopotami were once found in the thick forest. Varieties of butterfly and grasshoppers were once common along the banks of the lake. Birds, including the Eagle, owl, hawk, crow, vulture, sunbirds, parrot, and pelican, and snakes, like puff adder, python and mamba, were also found in the village but, due to the burning of the forest and destruction of their habitats, those creatures are no longer found there. ADJAMAM. CONTACT PERSON: NANA YAA ATAAH – AGE 110 YEARS Agyamam is under the Bosomtwe Atria Klanswoman District Assembly. Like Ankaase, the people here have migrated from various communities. Traditionally, the people from Apenkraa are always selected as chiefs. Agyamam has a population of 200 and their main occupations include farming and fishing. The village has one Primary School and various Christian churches such as Pentecost and Methodist which sing praises to their God. The village once had a fish sanctuary which, when filled with fish, always assured a bumper harvest for that year. However, the forest around it has been cleared for farming activities resulting in the loss of the sanctuary. The main tributary, the River Botwiwaa, and other small streams such as the Bruma and Nsamansuwa, which once supplied additional water to the lake, have now all dried up. The Atakwame Shrine used to be worshipped and out-doored by the community of Adjamam to ensure protection of the people, but they no longer worship it. Animals such as baboons, lions, gorillas, anteaters, porcupines, antelopes, hippopotami, and tortoises were found in the forest in the past. Birds including crows, vultures, owls, sunbirds, parrots, pelicans and eagles, snakes such as puff adders, python and mamba, and scorpions were also found there. But bush burning and other related factors have now destroyed their habitats. Mudfish and crabs were found in the lake, especially when the streams flooded. KUNTENASE and OBBO. CONTACT PERSON: OP. ATTA KWESI – AGE: 140 YEARS The village of Kuntenase is under the Bosomtwe Atria Klanswoman District Assembly which has its headquarters in that village. It is composed of people from various clans including Agona, Asona and Akuona, but the chief is always chosen from the Agona clan. The population is close to a thousand. Kuntenase has a shrine known as Taakwaku which protected the people in the past but, with the advent of Christianity, the shrine has been destroyed and the people no longer worship it. The first chief of Obbo was Kwasi Braman, with his wife Adwoa Ayewa. The village is under the Kokofu traditional council headed by Nana Offe Akwasi Oko Gyeasuo II, the Omanaene of Kokofu. Commercial activities here were booming during the colonial era. Surrounding villages converged there for trading activities which attracted many Nigerians known as Lagocians who were involved in commercial trading activities in the village. The Methodist Church was the first to bring a primary school to the village which was headed by Mr. Ansah. Obbo is a distance from the lakeside and fishermen have to walk about 50 metres to the lake for their fishing activities. There was once a thick forest along the waterfront which attracted animals such as the Bush Pig (Kokote), Tiger (Sebo), alligator and porcupine to the lakeside. However, the habitats of these animals have now been destroyed through bushfire and other related farming activities. Apoma and Akabre fish are some of the delicacies amongst the species found in the lake. Women were banned from bathing in the lake during their menstrual period and this was strictly adhered to by the women in the village. DETIESO. CONTACT PERSON YAW SARPONG, AGE: 72 YEARS Detieso is under the Asaman Stool land in the Amansie East District of Ashanti. People have migrated there from various villages including Asumgya-Kokofu, Ahwiren, and Akyeremade-Gyapadu but it is the Ekuona Clan who rule the village. The first chief of the village was Nana Asuming during whose reign much development took place in the village. The family of Sagyagyako, the wife of the hunter who discovered the lake, live at Detieso. The people in the village are predominantly fishermen who also undertake subsistence farming to supplement their income. The River Mosa was the only source of drinking water for the people but it has now dried up due to forest removal and unsustainable farming practices close to the river banks. This in turn has affected the water level of Lake Bosomtwe. The River Abrewa, which provided the village with water until more recently, has also dried up so they must now follow it upstream towards Dakabruso for water. The people do not worship any idol. There are several churches in the village including Methodist, Catholic, Pentecost, and Assemblies of God. Local taboos once existed: the villagers did not farm on Tuesdays and did not fish on Sundays. While these were being obeyed, the fish harvests were abundant. However, since these cultural norms have been ignored, the fish harvests have been declining. PEPPIE 1. CONTACT PERSON: OP. KWASI NIMO, AGE: 76 Peppie I is another village around the lake, but most people have now moved from here to New Peppie (now called Mim). The contact person, Kwasi Nomi, is one of the oldest of the Peppie I elders.

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