African Architecture and Identity: the 19Th Century Asante Palace in Kumasi, Ghana Royal Palace Structure of Memory Making and Meaning

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African Architecture and Identity: The 19th Century Asante Palace in Kumasi, Ghana Royal Palace_Structure of Memory Making And Meaning

Area of Research

The making of objects and symbols in society since antiquity define the purpose of existence in many cultures all over the world. Making was the fundamental idea of communicating the intangible elements of the mind into tangible objects of meaning. The Asante used gold the plentiful earth mineral of the region to create elements of wealth, power and spirituality of the culture. The most significant objects of the Asante are the Golden Stool and the Kente Cloth. They relay a message to the people to create unity in the nation. These were essential ritual elements that was apart of the Asante king’s procession into the Asante Palace.

The Golden Stool and the Asantehene Sir Osei Agyeman Prempeh II wearing a kente cloth robe. The Golden Stool, which takes precedence of the Asantehene, is lying on its side in its own chair of state, the upper surface facing the spectators. ( Ward, 1958).

The Golden Stool, Sika Dwa Kofi, has Palace of Asante King in Kumasi Ghana facing a center courtyard. The building was destroyed by the British during the Anglo-Asante War in 1896. (Lisapo Ya been the symbol of power in Asante Kama, 2020). Kingdom since the 17th century. According to oral tradition, Okomfo Anokye, a High Priest and one of the two founders of the Asante Confedera- cy, conjured the Golden Stool, decorat- ed with golden bells, and caused it to descend from the sky where it landed at the feet of Osei Tutu I, the first Asante- hene, King of Asante. The Asante have believe that the Golden Stool houses the soul of the Asante nation. The Stool, is made of gold, stands 18 inches high, 24 inches long, and 12 inches wide. It was cut and carved from a single tree and overlayed with gold. It is never allowed to touch the ground and con- sidered so sacred that no one is allowed to sit on it. Each new Asante king is lowered and raised over the Golden Stool without touching it to establish his authority as the leader of the Asante nation. (Ewusi, 2018). The Golden Stool (Sika’ dwa) in it’s chair with ceremonial bells of protection (Ewusi, 2018) Ornament in red clay on the King’s Palace (Ramseyer and Steiner, 1901). The Adinkra The national flag of Asante the yellow symbol on the plinth is called Dwenini aben/ symbolize the gold mineral wealth, Humility and Strength. Dwenini refers to a the green represent the rich rainforest “ram” and it signifies humility. Aben refers ecozone, and the black represent the to “horns” and it signifies strength (Asmah, people with the Golden Stool in the mid- 2009). dle representing unity and the ultimate KUMASI symbol of power.

Ghana, which means Warrior King, is 1 of 54 countries in the continent of Africa. The country lies along the Greenwich Meridian 0 degrees longi- Adinkra is an Akan word King’s Palace at Kumasi, entrance to the courtyard (Ramseyer and tude. It is located in the north west coastal region of Africa bordered by that means farewell or Steiner, 1901). the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean. Ghana is bordered on land by Cote good-bye. It is a group of d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to symbols created by the the east. Ghana is located in a tropical climate zone with wet and dry sea- Asante as a writing sys- sons (Adjaye, Alison, 2016). The country has two main rivers the Black Vol- tem. Each symbol can be ta flowing north-south on the western border of Ghana and the White Volta associated with an apho- that flow north-south in the center of the country. The rivers merge into rism that offers insight to Lake Volta the largest artificial reservoir in the world formed by Akosombo the Akan way of life. The Dam. From the dam the Volta rivers flow into the Gulf of Guinea. The dam Adinkra and their accom- generates electrical energy for Ghana. There are over approximately 19 panying proverb was and languages spoken in the country. The capital of Ghana is Accra, which still is a form of commu- means “ants” or “soldier ants” referencing the large anthills in the region. Map of Kumasi city drawn by Thomas Bodwich in 1817. The map displays the organization of significant houses, nication system that pre- The area of research is Kumasi, the second largest city of Ghana and streets and zones in association with the Asante Palace.(Bodwich, 1819) serves and transmits the know as the foundational heritage city of the traditional Asante nation. The cultural and spiritual values name Kumasi means “under the kumnini tree” established by the Asante of the Asante. These sym- King. In this area the most native languages spoken are Ga of Ga-Adange- bols were also used on the 1 be and Twi of the Akan Asante. facade of buildings de- signed by the Asante. On the facade of the Asante Palace Adinkra symbols was carved into the structure to display a message The traditional methods of construction in various regions in Africa not only registered sociocultural identity but also of meaning (The Spirituals Project, 2004). demonstrated sustainable practices and the innovative use of local materials. Some of the local materials used in Africa Drawing of the Asante Palace by Thomas Bodwich that displays a thatch roof, carved ornamental in various countries consist of laterite, textiles, bamboo, mosaic, mat stones, dye, timber, tusks, snail shell, cow dung, system of symbols on the facade above a series of open bays on a red clay plinth foundation located in part of a Piazza in the palace (Bodwich, 1819). cowries’ cane and mud (Adekunle, Odeyale, 2008). Tectonically, the buildings and material elements address climatic conditions within the region. Historically, the urban fabric of various building types was the measure of technological ad- vancement and references of power in the landscape. Culturally, the embodiment of social identity is inscribed in build- Left: Adinkra symbols by Professor Ablade 2 Glover, Accra Ghana and Stools with Adinkra ings to mark the measure of existence. symbols .(image by author) Right: Man uses wood comb to make parallel lines on a Adinkra cloth (Ventura, 2012) In the 19th century, missionaries and European officials took ethnographic surveys of the Asante palace in Kumasi, Gha- na that was destroyed during the colonial period. However, the findings do not address the phenomenological experience, ritual practice, holistic architectonic structure, or socio-cultural expression of the Asante Palace. This dissertation 2 examines as a case study the archival records of 19th century Asante palace of Kumasi, Ghana to reveal the culture and materiality connections to the identity of the Asante. “African traditional textiles are a visual representation of history, philosophy, ethics, social conduct, The research draws from both anthropology and architecture to define space and place narratives. From an anthropolog- 5 ical point of view, collective memory, symbolization, ritual praxis, political and social organization explains the culture and religious beliefs, political thought and aesthetic principles” - Abra- embodied meaning of the identity of the Asante. Additionally, the architecture of the palace defines traditional methods ham Ekow Asmah (Asmah, 2009). of construction, sustainable practices, cultural identity elements and their meaning to the structural phenomenological The narratives of Kente cloth and experience, and spatial narrative to interpret the social landscapes. Kente weaving vary in measure 3 and degree. Kente weaving is an indigenous technique dated far The oral traditions of the Mande speaking group the Soninke (or Sarakulle) in the Western Sudanese empire, the origin of back as the 16th century in Gha- Wattle and Daub construction a typical wall assembly used to create buildings by the Asante using local materials. It consist of a wood Ghana. Historically the records of events, traditions, ceremonies, royal coronations, births, deaths, marriages, battles of na, The Asante people pioneered framework, builders craft a woven lattice of horizontal and vertical Kente weaving in Ghana, having branches or wood posts, upon this system wet laterite balls are victories and defeats were stored in the minds of historians called doma-dieli or ‘keepers of memories.’ Every village and pressed onto the lattice surface at a thickness ranging from 6 to 9 an aged story of two brother, Nana inches ( ANO Institute of Art and Knowledge, 2020). clan had a doma-dieli before their was a written language. In the accounts of establishing memory of the history of Gha- Kuragu and Nana Ameyaw, who

na overtime and the expansion of the kingdom of Ghana the doma-dieli explain the transition of the city-states named learned the noble art by observ- References Adekunle, Timothy & Odeyale, Timothy ‘Seyi. 2008. Innovative and sustainable local Wagadu (“ place of herds”) to Ghana (“ warrior king”) (Ki-Zerbo,1981, McKissacks, 1994). The Asante empire of the ing a spider spin its web on a material in traditional African architecture –Socio cultural dimension. ch113.e farm they visited. Each geometric Adjaye, David, and Peter Allison. Adjaye, Africa, Architecture : A Photographic Survey coastal country of Ghana likewise have grafted cultural traditions, methods of making and meaning into the structures of of Metropolitan Architecture. New York, NY : Thames & Hudson, 2016. ANO Institute of Art and Knowledge. “Vernacular Architecture: The Indigenous shape has a symbolic meaning Materials And Construction Techniques Of Ghana. The Cultural Encyclopaedia”. 2020. https://www.culturalencyclopaedia.org/vernacular-architecture-the-indigenous-materi- buildngs that reflect traces of memory that tell the narrative of the past. collectively revealing a hidden 4 als-and-construction-techniques-of-ghana-entry Asmah, Abraham Eskow. 2009. “Cultural Symbiotic In Asante Traditional Textiles”. message. The technique of weav- PhD, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Bowdich, Thomas E. 1819. Mission from Cape Coast Castle To Ashantee. Cambridge: The objective of this research is to materialize and define the connection between the 19th century Asante palace of ing is also displayed in the con- Cambridge University Press. Cassiman, Ann. 2011. Architectures Of Belonging: Inhabiting Worlds In Rural West struction of traditional buildings Africa. Antwerpen: BAI Publ. Kumasi and the socio-cultural identity of the Asante to ameliorate damaging effects of colonization on traditional Ewusi, Philip. 2018. “The Golden Stool (17Th C.- )”. Blackpast.Org. https://www. through the woven lattice walls blackpast.org/global-af-rican-history/golden-stool-17th-c/. structures. called wattle and daub and the Ki-Zerbo, Joseph. 1981. Methodology And African Prehistory. London: Heinemann. Lisapo Ya Kama. “Ashanti Civilization”. African History”. 2020. https://en.lisapoyaka- thatch roof system. ma.org/the-ashanti-civilization/ McKissack, Frederick and McKissack, Patricia. 1994. The Royal Kingdoms Of Ghana, Detail Drawing of the Asante Palace Facade Mali, And Songhay. New York: Square Fish. pp 5-18. Ramseyer, Friedrich A. L. and Steiner, Paul., 1901. Dark And Stormy Days At Kumassi, 1900; Or, Missionary Experience In Ashanti According To The Diary Of Rev. Fritz Kente cloth Right: Weaver in a loom making Kente cloth in Accra, Ghana. 1. Thatch roof 2. Ornament brise soleil system 3. Wattle and daub Ramseyer. London. (image by author) The Spirituals Project at the University of Denver. “African Tradition, Proverbs, and Sankofa”.2004.https://web.archive.org/web/20110420131901/http://ctl.du.edu/spiritu- wall construction 4. Plinth with “ram and horn” Adinkra symbol als/literature/sankofa.cfm 5. Column with base “ram and horn” Adinkra symbol Ventura, Carol. 2020. “File:Ntonsoadinkracomb.Jpg - Wikimedia Commons”. Com- mons.Wikimedia.Org. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NtonsoAdinkraComb. jpg.image.

Ward, W. E. F. 1958. A History of Ghana. [Rev. 2d ed.]. Allen & Unwin.

Drawings Analytical Making and Meaning by author

Detail of Asante Palace Facade by author

African Architecture and Identity: The 19th Century Asante Palace in Kumasi, Ghana Author_ Ph.D Student_ Architecture | Amie Edwards _ Falcuty Mentor | Dr. Charlie Hailey