Abstract

Abstract Atebubu was a west African traditional kingdom located in modern Ghana. It was carved out by some Guan fugitives from the Gonja kingdom led by three brothers by the names of Atta Kofi, Atta Bodae and Kata Gyan probably in the 16th century. The three established a centralized government whose first king was Atta Kofi; hence, the stool, a symbol of kingship authority was christened the Atta Kofi Stool. At the peak of its political power, it shared boundaries with Mampon, Nkoranza, Kumawu, Yeji and Krachi traditional kingdoms. Atebubu became a theater of influx of migrants notably, the Agona people from Saaman, the Trohwe and the Kenyasi fugitives. The Kenyasi fugitives are today referred to as the Amantin people. The Saaman group were led into the Atebubu country by Ohemaa (Queen)Yaa Tua who was accompanied by Donyina, her daughter and a few retinues of followers. Originally, all the settler migrants mentioned above owed allegiance to the occupant of the Atta Kofi Stool. But the British colonizers vested power in the hands of the Saaman group of which leader by the name of Owusu Asare, the son of Ohemaa Donyina became the first king of Atebubu to be recognized by the British colonizers. This occurred when Owusu Asare substituted the occupant of the Atta Kofi Stool and signed a treaty of protection and trade with the British in 1890. Similar treaties of protection were signed by the British with the kings of Wiase and Amantin which previously served Atebubu. In the early fifties, Wiase and Amantin initiated a bid to assert their sovereignty and identity in order to attract public goods to their traditional kingdoms during the period of the local government reorganization. This initiative generated constitutional and land dispute between Amantin and its Atebubu overlords. The latter claimed the total stretch of land on which the Amantin province was located while the Amantin people argued to have acquired the land by conquest. The land related rift which started in the early fifties reached its zenith when the Stool Land Boundary Commission of the Republic of Ghana intervened following the Kumasi High Court referral of the case to it in 1974. The Commission started its investigation in 1984 and ruled in favour of Amantin. But the Commission’s decision has not been challenged since 1984. This work traces the historical trajectory of the case by relating the origin of the Atebubu kingdom, and showing how it accommodated various immigrants. The work also discusses how the British colonial policy created a pattern of unnatural allegiance to the Owusu Asare stool of Atebubu. Attempt made by the Amantin people to break the unnatural allegiance to Atebubu resulted in constitutional and land disputes which is the focal subject matter of this work. The researcher gathered information from both primary and secondary sources. Data were sourced from the Public Records and Archives Administration Department (PRRAD) in Accra and Sunyani. Oral traditions were also sourced from knowledgeable informants. These sources mentioned supra were supplemented by a few secondary sources

Keywords

  • Colonialism
  • Chieftaincy
  • Constitution
  • Land Dispute
  • Atebubu
  • Amantin

References

  1. PRIMARY SOURCES
  2. I. Public Records and Archival Administration Department, (PRAAD) Sunyani, Bono Region
  3. BRG 1/20/61, Wiase Local Council Affidavit of Nana Kojo Osei, Amantenhene
  4. BRG 1/2/31, A letter from Kwamanghene’s office dated 17th September, 1951
  5. BRG 1/2/31, A letter No.259/24/41 from Kwamanghene, Barima Kyere Darko II dated 7th September, 1951 addressed to the CCA through the D.C of Mampon.
  6. BRG 1/2/31 a Report from the District Commissioner of Mampon.
  7. BRG 1/2/61, Wiase Local Council, a letter from Nana Kofi Baa, Wiasehene dated 26th November, 1957 addressed to the Minister of Local Government.
  8. BRG 1/20/59, Volta River Federation Local Council.
  9. BRG 1/20/61, Wiase Local Council, a letter written by Nana Kofo Osei, Amantinhene, sworn at the Magistrate’s court at Mampon, Ashanti on 13th February 1957.
  10. BRG 1/2/31, a letter form Atebubu State Council, dated 7th February, 1957.
  11. BRG 1/2/31 vol 2. Petition of Nana Kwaku Kwaa II, Atebubuhene dated 31st August 1962.
  12. BRG1/20/59, Volta River Federation Local Council.
  13. BRG 1/20/61, Wiase Local Council Treaty of Friendship and Freedom of Trade made at Atebubu this 21st day of December, 1893.
  14. BRG 1/20/61, Wiase Local Council, Treaty of Friendship, Freedom of Trade made at Wiase this 19th day of February, 1984.
  15. BRG 1/2/23 vol.4, Resolution of the Atebubu Traditional Council’s meeting on 27th November, 1968 Declaring Kwaku Tua, Asaasewura destooled.
  16. BRG 1/2/105, a letter from the Atebubu Traditional Council.
  17. BRG 1/2/138 Amantin District Council Minutes.
  18. II. Public Records and Archival Administration Department, (PRAAD) Accra
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  20. Interviews
  21. Nana Kwabena Owusu Asamoah Family Head of Ata Kofi’s family. He was interviewed at Atebubu on the 3rd of March, 2024.
  22. Nana Owudu Obeng, Kata Gyan family head, interviewed at Atebubu on 8th day of March, 2024
  23. Mr.Francis Ata Frimpon Junior, interviewed on the 13th day of March,2024.
  24. Nana Owusu Gyima, Ankobeahene Atebubu, interviewed on 8th day of March, 2024 at Atebubu.
  25. Nana Osei Gyan Ababio, Kyidomhene of Atebubu,interviewed on 4th day of March, 2024
  26. Obaapanin Kosua Gyedua, a Royal of Kata Gyan family, interviewed on 3rd day of March, 2024 at Atebubu.
  27. Nana Owusu Takyi, Odikro of Kokompe-Domase, interviewed on 8th day of March,2024 at Kokompe
  28. Nana Owusu Sarpong, Akyeamehene, interviewed on 10th day of March, 2024.
  29. Nana Owusu Ababio,Watro Dikro, interviewed on 12th day of March, 2024.
  30. Nana Asare Baffour,Ntotoyehene/Patudahene, HNo ADW 25,Driver, interviewed on 10th day of March, 2024.
  31. Nana Owusu Aduomi,Adantahene/Amanfrohene,52 years, HNo 34 ,Farmer, interviewed on 10th day of March, 2024.
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  36. Nana Yaw Owusu, Nyomoasehene,59 years, HNo 59, interviewed on 13th day of March, 2024.
  37. Nana Osei Gyan II,Kyidomhene Retired Police Officer,70 years,HN0.AWC7,Atebubu, interviewed on 14th day of March, 2024.
  38. Nana Kwaku Duah,Head of Ata Bodae Family,interviewed on 16th day of March,2025
  39. Ohenpon Yeboa Asiama, Omanhene of Atebubu, interviewed on 6th March, 2025 at Atebubu
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  51. Unpublished Thesis
  52. Nana James Kwaku Brukum, “The Northern Territories of the Gold Coast under British Colonial Rule 1897-1957 a study in Political change’’,PhD Thesis University of Toronto, 1997.