Following the peaceful and solemn burial of our dear Daasebre Osei Bonsu II (Mamponhene), an extract on Mampong Stool Affairs has been circulating online and garnered wide attention and commentaries.
Interestingly, the said extract which outlines the list of male occupants of the Mampong Stool since 1600 has elicited two key questions, namely:
- Why is it stated that the 5th Mamponhene, Nana Boahen Anantuo died in 1699, while oral traditions indicates that he led the Asante war against Dankyira at the Feyiase war which ended in 1701?
- Why is the 12th Mamponhene Nana Owusu Sekyere Panin (1777-1796) said to have “turned into a cat”?
In addressing the questions supra, I will rely on verifiable, scholarly accounts.
Ref 1:
It is worth emphasising that various scholars have written on the role of Nana Boahen Anantuo in the Asante independence war against Dankyira; otherwise known as the “Feyiase War”.
Unbeknownst to many, the Feyiase war did NOT start in 1701. It was a three-year war which started in 1699 and ended in 1701.
The Dutch, the colonial powerhouse of the time, got intelligence that there was relative calm in the interior and thus dispatched David van Nyandael in October 1701 to pay homage to the new Asantehene Osei Tutu.
Consistent with oral traditions, Nana Boahen Anantuo led the war and died out of gunshots. As was the practice then, his nephew Akuamoa took over in the war. Nana Anantuo was declared a martyr after the war ended in 1701, and the Mampong Stool was rewarded with the “Silver Stool”.
Ref. 2:
Scholarly accounts by Robert S. Rattray and Ivor Wilks described Nana Owusu Sekyere Panin as a man possessing ‘mystical powers’. He felt untouchable and showed gross insubordination towards the Asantehene Osei Kwame.
The Asantehene encouraged Gyamase, Afidwase and Edwera to rebel against their immediate overlord, Mamponghene.
The Asantehene then dispatched the famous Ankaasehene Yaw-Amoa Ponko to lead warriors against the rebellious Nana Sekyere who apparently fled to Yeji and escaped arrest and purportedly vanished into a cave.
The phrase “turned into a cat” is a metaphor used to describe his mystical ‘agility’ to evade capture. Oral tradition also recounts a similar incident with the Tafohene (Safo Akonton or so) who is described as having turned into a cricket (akatakyire) while under attack by Nana Osei Tutu I.
References:
“Ashanti Law and Constitution” by Robert S. Rattray.
“Asante in the nineteenth century” by Ivor Wilks.
*The writer is a member of the Royal Society for Asante Culture and History (ROSACH).
