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Vibrations of Kormantse in the African Diaspora in the Americas E. Kofi

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Vibrations of Kormantse in the African Diaspora in the Americas E. Kofi Vibrations of Kormantse in the African Diaspora in the Americas E. Kofi Agorsah Portland State University Abstract: Resistance history in many parts of the New World appears to suggest the role of ancestral legacies or heritage of Kormantse (real or imagined) in empowering the enslaved, who passed through Kormantse, as they fought in the New World to define their power relations, restore justice, their traditional values and consolidate their achievements, successes and survival. It is speculated that the presence and participation of Kormantse descendants or their conjured spirits in both colonial or modern areas of the African Diaspora, provided the spirit of endurance, hope for victory over enslavement. Memories of Kormantse, archaeological sites and spiritual references appear to have guided and guarded Africans through the colonial experience as Kormantse sparked fear among enemies and raised pride and empowerment among the enslaved. Spiritual connections alone would drive many Africans, including those who were not necessarily “Kormantse”, to survive centuries of war against enslavement. This paper examines the extent to which historically visible structural features observed from a recent historical and archaeological investigation of historic Kormantse, Ghana, help explain these speculations, the possible processes involved and the “magical” impact of Kormantse on freedom fighting in the African Diaspora. Résumé: L'histoire de résistance dans beaucoup de régions du nouveau monde semble suggérer le rôle des legs héréditaires ou l'héritage de Kormantse (vrai ou imaginé) en autorisant asservi, qui a traversé Kormantse, car ils ont combattu dans le nouveau monde pour définir leurs relations de puissance, justice de restauration, leurs valeurs traditionnelles et pour consolider leurs accomplissements, succès et survie. On spécule le que la présence et la participation des descendants de Kormantse ou de leurs spiritueux créés dans des secteurs coloniaux ou modernes des Diaspora africains, si l'esprit de la résistance, espoir pour la victoire sur l'asservissement. Les mémoires de Kormantse, d'emplacements archéologiques et de références spirituelles semblent avoir guidé et les Africains gardés par l'expérience coloniale pendant que Kormantse suscitait la crainte parmi des ennemis et soulevait la fierté et l'habilitation parmi asservi. Seuls les raccordements spirituels conduiraient beaucoup d'Africains, y compris tels qui n'étaient pas nécessairement « Kormantse », pour survivre à des siècles de guerre contre l'asservissement. Ce document examine le point auquel historiquement les dispositifs structuraux évidents ont observé d'une recherche historique et archéologique récente sur Kormantse historique, Ghana, aide à expliquer ces spéculations, les processus possibles impliqués et l'impact « magique » de Kormantse sur le combat de liberté dans les Diaspora africains. Resumen: La historia de la resistencia en muchas partes del nuevo mundo aparece sugerir el papel de herencias ancestrales o la herencia de Kormantse (verdadero o imaginado) en la autorización de la haber esclavizado, que pasó con Kormantse, pues lucharon en el nuevo mundo para definir sus relaciones de la energía, justicia del restablecimiento, sus valores tradicionales y para consolidar sus logros, éxitos y supervivencia. Se especula que la presencia y la participación de los descendientes de Kormantse o de sus bebidas espirituosas conjuradas en áreas coloniales o modernas de la diáspora africana, con tal que el alcohol de la resistencia, esperanza de la victoria sobre el avasallamiento. Las memorias de Kormantse, de sitios arqueológicos y de referencias espirituales aparecen haber dirigido y los africanos guardados con la experiencia colonial mientras que Kormantse chispeó miedo entre enemigos y levantó orgullo y la capacitación entre esclavizado. Las conexiones espirituales solamente conducirían a muchos africanos, incluyendo los que no eran necesariamente “Kormantse”, para sobrevivir siglos de guerra contra el avasallamiento. Este papel examina el grado a el cual históricamente las características estructurales visibles observadas de una investigación histórica y arqueológica reciente de Kormantse histórico, Ghana, ayudan a explicar estas especulaciones, los procesos posibles implicados y el impacto “mágico” de Kormantse en la lucha de la libertad en la diáspora africana. 342 Introduction Kormantse and the problem of Cultural Identity “Kormantse”, as the modern people of the village call it, was a small fishing settlement located on a hill approximately a kilometer north of Fort Amsterdam at Abandze on the Accra- Cape Coast main road. The name and its associated events and people have been perceived as very powerful and in colonial days was almost synonymous with bravery, power and the best of the African. However, reference to the name has created considerable ambiguity in the identity and interpretation of the history and culture of Africa and the African Diaspora. Although the location of the original fort built by the English in the 1630s at Kormantse, was moved to its new site of Abandze and re-named Fort Amsterdam, when the Dutch took over the fort in 1665, the name “Kormantse” has become stuck to the identity and traditions of groups of people, who passed through that location. Reference to Kormantse in many parts of the New World cultural definitions cut across ethnicity, art and artistic expression, stereotypical behaviors and other forms of cultural identities which have been central to many recent scholarly discussions (Eltis and Richardson 1997, Thornton 1998, Northrup 2002, Lovejoy 1997, Ogundiran and Falola 2007). The paper examines structural features, traditions and practices, associated with Kormantse as a geographical or cultural entity and how it impacted perceptions about Africa and the African Diaspora. Resistance history, particularly marronage, in many parts of the New World appears to suggest that religious and cultural conceptualization of the Kormantse heritage in the African Diaspora, empowered the enslaved, who passed through Kormantse colonial settlement, as they fought to define their power relations, restore justice, their traditional values and consolidate their achievements, successes and survival. The presence and participation of Kormantse descendants or the spirits of their ancestors in events continue to be recognized in colonial or modern areas of the African Diaspora. Mention of Kormantse would spark fear, pride and empowerment. Without anything else, the spiritual connection alone would drive many, including even those, who were not necessarily “Kormantse”, or come from that and adjoining areas, to survive centuries of wars against enslavement. Physical features at the historic site that leave signatures of its past include shrines (abandoned) and in current use), grinding stones, lots of piles of iron ore and slag, burial grounds, fragments of what was left of the ruins of the first European lodge and standing walls of traditional houses from colonial times. Oral family and clan traditions of the over seven hundred years old settlement also recollect known boundaries or demarcations and clan or ethnic sections of the settlement. Migration stories also refer to historical connections with some ethnic group areas of the northern region of the Gold Coast. Festivals currently celebrated in Kormantse and other traditional areas of the northern sections of modern Ghana, claim relationships in historical times. Historical documentations such as description of festival celebrated in colonial and modern Caribbean countries such as Grenada and the Grenadines corroborate speculations about past connection with Kormantse and its impact on the history and culture of those islands. J. D. Elder (1983) provides information that indicates that connections between Kormantse in the Gold Coast and the African Diaspora as follows: “At the Nation dance festival… the head nation to be greeted and pacified is the Cromanti people… During the Nation Dance opening ceremony at which all Kromanti ancestors are invited, the circle of devotees is opened and two towels are laid crossed on the ground – an opening is left in the circle so that the old people (ancestors) may enter as the music is played. This music is made by a single drum, a used weeding iron hoe 343 struck like a bell. It is said that those who have second sight can see the old warrior ancestors as they enter the free ring. This ceremony is repeated at midnight and is called Cromanti cut neck” (Elder, 1988:33). However, the historic site of Kormantse has never saw any archaeological investigation of these connections until the launching of the Kormantse Archaeological Research Project. The Historic Kormantse Site The Kormantse community sense One question that arises from the Kormantse factor in the activities of Africans in the Diaspora is: what is it about Kormantse that created these historical and cultural references? Archaeological exploration of the original site of Kormantse appears to be pointing to possible experiences of the thousands of enslaved Africans, who came from or passed through Kormantse, that spiritually and physically helped them through the ordeal of the middle passage. An interesting observation about Kormantse is the number of shrines identified relative to the size of the site and other structures. Clan (Asafo) shrines are very special community domain. Locally referred to as posuban, which are mainly civic monuments and shrines of para-military groups,
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