ASANTE NATION UNDER OTUMFOƆ OSEI TUTU I (1st Occupant of the Golden Stool) - Part 2

After Otumfuo Osei Tutu l, was chosen to lead Asanteman as their official King, his first attempt was to avenge the defeat the states had suffered from the Dormaa people. He won't let them go scot free!

This was done without delay in a fearful battle. The Dormaa people were defeated and driven from Suntreso where they were staying, to a far away place. Their overlord, Dormaa Kusi was beheaded and his head was sent to Kumasi as trophy.

Though the state was defeated and annexed into the Asante Kingdom, their rulers became the soul washer of Asantehene. Giving post to a defeated Chief was a new strategy the new kingdom had adopted. Okomfo Anokye had ruled that any state they would defeat would not be called a defeated state and their people regarded as servants, would be treated as brothers, with their chiefs giving important position in the kingdom.

Their next task was to wage war against their masters, the Denkyira people. They had long found out that the Denkyira people had been treating them with contempt.

They were not satisfied with even the commodities they were asked to send to Denkyira every Akwasidae. All the commodities they allowed the Asante men to fetch to Denkyira were work for women. 

Firewood fetching was the work done by women.

Red clay was used by women for house decoration and this is not the job for men.

Plantain fibre was used as toilet article and that too was fetched by women.

So why would Denkyira ask the Asante men to carry them instead?

The Asantes therefore understood the issue of asking their men to send the commodities to Denkyira, as being regarded as women. All put together was an insult to the men of Asante.

Nanso, Mpanimfoɔ se; Otumifoɔ tumi wo a ɔworɔ wo kawa fa w'abatri Hmmmmm.

It was during the time when this debate was going on that Ntim Gyakari, the new king of Denkyira who succeeded the late Boseanti, sent messengers to them with some demands which sparked their anger.

The demands were: 

1. That they were to send the Golden Stool to him because he was the overlord

2. That they should dissolve their Union because they did not seek permission before its formation.

3. Each Chief was to cut off one of his fingers and add them to the gold dust to be sent to Denkyira.

4. That they should stop talking against Denkyira men who had sex with their women who went to Denkyira to serve, because it was a blessing for any young woman who becomes pregnant by a Denkyira man, since she would get a baby with royal blood in him who would be better fitted to occupy a stool in Asante.

5. That each Chief was to send his favourite wife to Denkyira to serve at the King's court.

To the Chiefs, the gold dust was not difficult, but the Golden Stool which contain the spirit of the nation. The demand for the Golden Stool they have vowed to protect. That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Again no maimed person was allowed to occupy stool in the Asante Nation, therefore, if the King was demanding their fingers, then he was destooling them.

They also viewed the demand for their wives to serve at the King's court as downright disrespect for Asante manhood. The Asante prefers death in war to such insult.

At this point they were silent for a while, then the Chief of Dwaben, Nana Adaakwa Yiadom, rose up and condemned the whole message and swore to avenge. All the other Chiefs supported him.

They therefore filled the brass basin with stones to be sent to Ntim Gyakari instead of the gold dust he was demanding.

They ordered executioners to cut the fingers of their messengers. .....and add them to the stones and to also kill the warrior among the messengers.

Their action meant that they had declared on Denkyira. What next?

Was there any possibility that they could match their overlord?

Part 3 of the history will tell.