Takyiman State Book
The Book, which was launched on 14th March, 2014 in Takyiman was published and produced by Ghana State Book Project in collaboration with the Takyiman Traditional Council. The book contains histories of the Traditional area including Histories of the Paramountcy, the divisional royal families, the sub-royal families, the affiliate royal families, service stools, Adikrofo, etc.
The book also contains histories of towns and villages in the Takyiman South Municipal and Takyiman North District, churches, schools, the Muslim Community and important personalities one has to know in Takyiman.
Section of the Book also captures Family Tree which are used to determined lines of succession of the various royal families in the Takyiman Traditional Area.
Takyiman Traditional Area is situated in the central part of Brong Ahafo Region and shares common boundaries with Offinso in the Ashanti region, Wenchi, Kintampo and Nkoranza all in the Brong Ahafo Region.
Takyiman Traditional Area comprises Takyiman South Municipality and Takyiman North District with population of over four hundred thousand (400,000) people. It has more than 300 towns and villages. Agriculture and related activities constitute the major occupation in the Traditional Area accounting for about 55%. A significant proportion of the economically active population is engaged as sales workers. Production, transport operation and menial labour constitute about 14%.
The location of the traditional area with contrasting ecological zone of forest and the savannah, almost placed at the center of the country, makes it a converging point for major roads in the country.
The predominant ethnic group in the traditional area is the Akan with over 64% followed by Grusi, Guan, Ewe, Mende, Gurma and other tribes.
The chains of rocks, caves and wildlife within the environs have made the traditional area a tourist destination in recent times. Some of the potential tourist attractions include the world famous Buoyem Bbat Santuary at Buoyrm, the source of the sacred river Tano, the Tanoboase sacred grove believe to be the cradle of Bono civilization, the Boten Shrine, etc.
Takyiman traditional area remains the true replica of the old Bono Kingdom with rich culture and traditions including their unique chieftaincy institution, Apour and Yam festivals.The role of Bono Hunters
While at Bono-Manso the hunters started exploring more comfortable abodes through their hunting expedition. Among these great hunters were Nana Kwadwo Takyi alias Kwadwo Baffour who discovered the Kabrema land for the Bono King around 1600 who subsequently became the Asougyahene. Owusu Kwakuru also ‘picked-up’ the Bouyam land for the Bono King in the 1680s, a place that served as a hideout for many people during the Bono-Asante wars. This place also served as a treasurery where most of the ornaments including gold and stools belonging to the Bono king and that of some individual families were kept. Among the things kept in Bouyem for safety included the two golden stools for the royals of Bouyem. It is orally narrated that during the Bono-Asante war one of the stools was taken away by the Asantes. There is little evidential proof, however, to confirm this claim. Takyi Fri and Koko Tipo were part of the group of great hunters that discovered the present day Tanoboase for the Bono Kingdom in the 1650s. It was around this period that “Taa Kora” the first god of Tano for the Bono people was discovered. Various rituals performed for this deity, including drumming, distorted the continuous hunting expeditions. This was because the playing of the drums for the deity hounded away animals deep into the forest. This compelled Takyi Fri to move further to settle at the present day Takyiman around the later part of the 1690s. From the Tuobodom royal family, Nana Drobo and Nana Tuo separately played vital roles in various regimes as brave hunters.
The Bono-Asante War
During the reign of Kwakye Ameyaw I, the kingship of Bono-Manso had reached its climax of recognition. It is believed that people from other ethnic backgrounds came to pay homage to the Bono king. One significant mark of remembrance was the endorsement of his richness. For example, Akwamu Empire which was full of deadly warriors, The Bono Kingdom, however, was known forits of richness in gold and trade.
Baafo Pim and Bono relationship
During the reign of the Bono ruler, Nana Kyeremeh Pambour,the oral traditions of Takyiman assert that a cordial relationship existed between Bono-Manso and Amakom, a place currently under Asantes. Historyis, however, silent on how this relationship was built up; it is believed that trade might have facilitated it. Amakom also existed as small independent state during the time of Bono –Manso Kingdom. The chief of Amakom succeeded in fostering good friendship with the Bono King.
A war broke up between the Asantes and the Amakom people during which the latter was conquered by the former. Some of the royal members of Amakom fled and came to Bono-Manso to seek refuge. Among these elders was Opanin Adu Donyina whose sister had been takencaptive by the Asantes. This woman was later given into marriage to the Asantehene, Osei Tutu I. Among the children they brought forth was Bafo Pim.
When Opanin Doyina and his people arrived in Bono-Manso they were received into the waiting arms of the then Bono ruler. Througha kind gesture, the Bono ruler offered them a place to settle. The place they settled was called, “Nkokora Miensa” which literally means the three old men. “Nkokora” means the old men; “Miensa” also means three. It was believed that the place was first settled by these three old men, Sene Diamin, Ampofu and Dasi. Nkokora Miensa was later shortened to Nkoranza. Opanin Adu Donyina and his people stayed there permanently and served under the authority of the Bono-Manso ruler.
After twenty years in their stay at Nkoransa in Bono-Manso Kingdom, Bafo Pim connected to his uncle Opanin Adu Donyina. Upon his visit to Bono Manso, as had been arranged, Bafo Pim was introduced to the Bono Manso ruler. This, according to Casiman (2012), created the relationship between the Bono and the Asantes. The writer also believed that the fall of the Bono-Manso Kingdom also began from this point.
According to oral traditions of Takyiman, Bafo Pim took over the leadership role after the death of his uncle Opanin Adu Donyina. As tradition demanded, in every festival, people staying on the land of Bono King were paid homage to the King. In one of such festivals, during the reign of Kwakye Ameyaw I, the entire cabinet of the ruler waited for Bafo Pim and his people all day. In the process of waiting, Boyempirisi, who was the son of the Bono chief and also chief of Nkyiraa got angry and decided to drive his horse towards Nkroansa to learn why Bafo Pim had kept his father waiting all day long. On his way to Nkoransa, he met Bafo Pim and his people and confronted them, a situation that madehimslap the face of Bafo Pim.
Information on this incident got to the Bono King. The Bono King ensured peace, and apologized on behalf of the son. Bafo Pim was compensated with a container full of gold gold-dust. However, Bafo Pim was so bitter to let go the incident, so he decided to plan revenge. He, therefore,planned to exchange a present between the Bono King and the Asante King. Oraltraditions suggest that he bought some goods with the gold dust he was given and presented it to the Bono chief on behalf of the Asantehene. In reciprocating this perceived honour from the Asante King, the Bono ruler gave Bafo Pim some containers of gold dust to be presented to the Asante King.
Bafo Pim again used this gold dust to purchase gunpowder, and sent it to the Asante King. The interpretation of this gift was that the Bono King wanted to wage war on the Asantes. Opoku Ware I and his elders consulted Okomfo Anokye to confirm their prospective victory over the Bono people. In 1722, the Asantes invaded and destroyed the Bono state. The people of Bono- Manso got scattered. Some fled to Gyama, Denkyira, Kumasi, the north, and various places. Bafo Pim, the son of the Asante King, was rewarded with more than half of the land that belonged to the Bono-Manso kingdom.
The Captivity of Ohemaa Dwammara
During this period, Nana Dwammara Akenten, the then Queen Mother of Bono-Manso was taken captive to Kumasi. The lineage of this Queen Mother is linked to the present Bouyem Oyoko royal family. That is to say those royals of the Bouyem stool trace their lineage to Dwammara Akenteng. She became Queen Mother from 1724 to 1740 and was considered as a very wealthy person who never experienced poverty. A story was told that during Ohemaa Dwammera’s stay in Kumasi, she was given a container, “Sonnie” to fetch water from a stream. This stream was perceived to be a traditional stream, where customary rites were performed for the Asantehene in the olden days. Oral traditions assert that Nana Dwammera tried countless times to fetch water with the Sonnie but could not. During that trying moment in the stream, she was directed by an unknown person, believed to be a linguist to the Asantehene, to put leaves in the receptacle. This helped her to fetch a small amount of the water for the Asantehemaa, Nana Serwaa Nyarko. According to oral tradition, Nana Dwammera presented the water to the Asantehemaa and lamented in a song as below: “ye ee Odwammera Kenten mina ade ahia me ene ee eeeee!“odwamena Akenten mena ade ahia me
“ade ee ehia me meso etudro kwadum nadea aye me ampa ooo !!
“odwamena Akenten mena ade ahia me
This literary means she has now encountered poverty. The Asantes were very kind to the Queen Mother and treated her as a royal in the Asante Kingdom.
The State of Kwakye Ameyaw; Before and after Bono-Asante War Oral tradition claims that Nana Kwakye Ameyaw, the Bonohene, settled at three different main places: Manso, Bouyem, and the present Takyiman. It is believed that Nana Kwakye Ameyaw first settled in Manso before moving to Bouyem with his mother, Nana Dwammara Akenteng. During his stay in Bouyem, his direct sibling, Nana Owusu Kwakuru, the great hunter for the Bono-Manso, was also the leader for the Bouyem Oyoko royal. After sometime, Nana Kwakye Ameyaw, the then Bono-Manso chief, moved to settle in the present day Takyiman, where Takyi Firi had already erected his hut. Others who had already settled there included Ameyaw Gyare, an ancestor of the current Akwamu family from Bono-Manso and a brother of Nana Kwakye Ameyaw. It was around the later period of Nana Kwakye Ameyaw at Bono-Manso that Nana Gyaaheema and her entourage also arrived from Akwamu Aweweneso due to chieftaincy conflict. Nana Kwakye Ameyaw I was very happy with Nana Gyaahemaa and thus warmly accepted the Aduana strangers. Nana Kwakye Ameyaw I married Nana Gyaahemaa and gave birth to Ameyaw Kaako.
The prophesy of Taa Mensah
It was around this period that Taa Mensah Bosomfour also prophesized about the evil woman who would come to seduce the Bono King. In the book titled, Small City, Global Scopes Anthropoly of Urban Change in Takyiman by Ann Cassiman there is this narration as follows: TSBQ 1.2:
Spiritual and Political Struggles
(….) When a high a priest of Tano, most likely the priest of the Taa Mensah shrine in Takyiman, warned the Bonohene about a mysterious dangerous woman with an evil mindset, the Bonohene chose to ignore the advice and laughed it away. Instead, Ohene Ameyaw listened to the advice of the priest of the Ntoa shrine in Nkoranza, where Baffo Pim dwelled (…) Oral tradition asserts that this evil woman eventually came to seduced Nana Kwaky Ameyaw I to have an affair with her. This brought down the decline of the Bono spirit to pave way for Baffo Pim’s agenda in collapsing the Bono Manso. Cassiman (2012) narrated the assertions of Meyerowtiz (1962) by stating that the woman vanished in the following morning. They believed that the woman might have escaped with the ‘backing spirit’ of the Bono-Manso Kingdom. Historic facts do not point out exactly where the woman emerged from and the spiritual connotation to this act of seducement. It is however believed that the woman came purposely to weaken the ancestral spirits behind the Bono-Manso. Taa Mensah chief priest again prophesized the fall of Bono Manso in forty days, which came to pass. It took the Bono warriors seven day and nights to fight the Asantes, starting from the present Forikrom, yet they were defeated. The traditions again indicate that most of the elders and the warriors were not ready to fight the Asantes, a situation that portrayed the anger of the people towards Ohene Kwakye Ameyaw I, the Bono ruler. During this period there were betrayals who had decided to support Bafo Pim in order to eliminate the Bono King, hence the phrase ‘Ameyaw anya ne koo a onko, literally meaning thatAmeyaw should fight his own war.
Barriers of Guns
There is an assertion by oral traditions of Takyiman that Baffo Pim, having prepared the grounds for war between the Bono-Manso kingdom and Asantes, came to deceive the Bono King and his people to bury their guns in water. Other writers suggested that Baffo Pim succeeded in convincing the BonoKing and his warriors to bury their guns (Meyerowitz 1975 and Reindorf 1895). There are three key issues that make this story quite difficult to confirm. Firstly, the BonoKingdom was full of warriors who had engaged in several wars with the Mossi people and other groups before seeking refuge in the Amowi Caves thus knew the consequences of burying their guns in water. Secondly, the Bono Kingdom was not under crisis, which probably could have pushed the King to give in to the persuasion of burying the guns. Again, if the Bono King was aware of the instigated war, it would be difficult to persuade him to bury the guns. And thirdly, Gyamfi (1975) pointed to the fact that the Bono Kingdom was full of brave hunters who knew definitely that guns could not function if water entered them. That notwithstanding people still believe that there was an act of the burying of guns during the Bono war.Was Kwakye Ameyaw I Captured?
Oral traditions have little to say with regard to whether or not Ohene Ameyaw I was captured by the Asantes during the Bono-Asante war. The works of Wilks (1975) explain how the Asante created Fotosanfohene in the Asante Kingdom. According to the findings of the researcher, the new position was created after the end of the Bono-Asante war. The BonoKingdom was very rich with gold and other treasures, which later became assets to the Asante Kingdom, hence the Fotosanfohene whose mandate was to oversee the riches acquired after the Bono-Manso war. Fuller (1921) suggested that Ohene Ameyaw was captured and was allowed to return to his homeland after twenty years. Upon Nana Ameyaw’s arrival in Takyiman he killed himself to cover up the shame when approaching the town (Meyerowitz 1953). The traditions also believe that Ohene Ameyaw was never captured, but was rather hidden by some trustworthy people during the war. He later disappeared and entered the ground and left only a finger to be seen. This claim is undisputedly arguable. He first of all disappeared, entered the ground before leaving a finger exposes the fallacy in this argument. Whatever the case may be the place this act occurred had become the Bono-Takyiman royal mausoleum in remembrance of the last Bono ruler, Nana Kwakye Ameyaw I.
The Creation of Takyiman
After the Bono-Asante war in the 1740s another Bono Kingdom resurrected having its capital in Takyiman, hence Bono-Takyiman State. Nana Ameyaw Gyemfi, the first Bono-Takyiman ruler from 1749 to 1772 tried hard to revive the Bono-Kingdom. This, however, was difficult to accomplish because the Asantes had already taken over the grounds. Nana Gyemfi was the first Bono-Takyiman chief to have used the present day Takyiman as his capital. After the death of Nana Ameyaw Gyemfi, the second Bono-Takyiman chief, Nana Ati Kwadwo succeeded him. It was during his reign that working activities started reviving. Activities like kente weaving, farming, gold mining, and other trade ventures began to thrive in Takyiman. The third chief was Nana Kyeremeh Kofi Tuahyeresie; he ruled for forty years and did so many things to uplift the state of Takyiman. During his regime, so many groups also came to settle in Takyiman. It was believed that this chief married so many wives and produced more children than any chief in the history of Bono-Takyiman. The lineages of most of his children are now stool families that serve in various capacities in present day Takyiman. Examples of these stool families include the current Ankobeahene of Takyiman, Dumankwaa of Konimase, Gyasewaa of Aworowa, Gyabiri, Diapem, Sansama, and Anyinabrem. For detailed information about Takyiman History kindly refer to the Takyiman State Book
The Krontire royal family was part of the old Bono Kingdom and the people that migrated from Mossi to settle in the Amowi caves. The Krontire family and the royal family of Tanoboase are one people identified as Ekouna. Their ancestor is called Nana Takyi Fri, a great hunter of Bono Kingdom and a founder of present Takyiman.
The Krontire family migrated from Amowi to Bono Manso, to Tanoboase, to Sarkofu, then to Tuobodom then to their present location in Takyiman. Nana Takyi came and settled with his brothers Nana Koko Tipo, Nana Amoa Sankah, Takyiwaa Fri and Takyi Boffour. The Krontire family led by Nana Takyi Fri migrated in search for meat, food and water. The first settled in Tanobaose, Tuobodom, before finally settled at the Present day Takyiman.
This great hunter erected his hut and named it after himself “Takyi man” meaning Takyi’s town. He was, however, under the authority of the Bono King. Takyi Firi was said to be one of the hunters that discovered Bono-Manso. After his settlement some of the royal Families and Bono chiefs came to stay close to join him.
Presently, the Krontire family members could be mainly found at Chraa, Wenchi, Bechem, Domaa Sensu No.1 and No., Wamfie, and other places within and outside Takyiman.
Adonten Royal Family
In the past, the Adontenhene was called Atomfourhene; he was the one who commanded the traditional army. The elders of the Adontenhene family were experienced blacksmiths .The ancestors of the Adontenhene family were the ones that manufactured guns, swords, etc. Nana Kwabena Kra was given the title Atomfourhene due to his bravery and skillfulness over all the blacksmiths existing in those times. After the collapse of Bono Manso and its reintegration, the family came to stay at Tunsuase (in present Takyiman) meaning the house of the blacksmith. It is believed that the royal family of Adontenhene was part of the ancestors who came out of the Amowi caves. However, one cannot trace the founders of the family from that time. Oral tradition only recalls the starting point of the occupancy of the Adonten stool of Nana Afena Diamono. The Adonten royal family is traditionally affiliated to the larger Akan Ekuona Clan. Their contribution towards the stability of the Bono Kingdom and subsequently the Takyiman Kingdom could only be described as remarkable and productive. They were strong people who had remained influential and supportive of the throne of Takyiman. In the present paramouncy of Takyiman, Adontenhene is a key member of the decision-making body of the Traditional Council. He also accompanies the Omanhene of Takyiman to functions and other important places. The Adontenhene royal family, after coming from Amowi, settled in a town called Nyafuma.
Nifa Royal Family
The history as was read by Nana Ameyaw Kaako Asamoah II in support of the Elders of the Aduana Family indicate that the Aduanahene, Aboursohene or Nifahene’s family of Takyiman are believed to have come from Akwamu Awaweneso in the Southern part of Ghana. During the reign of their chief Akwamu Akoto at Awaweneso, the queenmother was Aberewa Musu who was advanced in age. Aberewa Musu died and was succeeded by Tatatea Wonta (She had male twins so Wonta was added to the name). She also died when Akwamu Akoto was also very old so he selected a niece who was very young, intelligent and very brave at the tender age of 16 years old called Nana Gyaahemaa to succeed Tatatea Wonta around 1700. Six years after Nana Gyaahemaa’s enstoolment, Nana Akwamu Akoto died and left the male stool, known as Nnonsoa Stool unoccupied. The twins of Nana Tatatea expressed interest and began to struggle for the Nnonsoa Stool at Akwamu Awaweneso.
The town was divided into two factions and there was serious fighting between them. People were being butchered to death each and everyday and others seriously injured. The situation became so disturbing that Nana Gyaahemaa at a meeting with some of her trusted chiefs and elders of the town decided to leave the town with the Nnonsoa stool for a new settlement to stop the killing of their people at Awewereso. These chiefs and more than half of the town population broke away with Nana Gyaahemaa and embarked on the journey to their new settlement.
The two brave hunters who guarded the group were Nana Atta Kwaku and Bofour Assa. It was a very difficult journey because they carried the seven bells stool (the Nnonsoaa). The Taa Kora god was supposed to be carried in front of the stool all the time and be purified anytime the stool needed to be purified. Again, no blood or egg was to touch the Nnonsoaa stool so all such sacrifices for the stool were done for the Taa Kora god. They carried the Munukua (small drums for the stool). These two drums are always played at the stool room during festivals. One is drummed “Odomankoma” and the other answers “Efiri tete”.
The above are peculiar things for the Nnonsoaa stool, but other things which any great stool possesses, such as Fontomfrom Drums, a big horn which announces the coming of chief and precious ornaments. Some of the elders and the sick who were too frail to reach their final destination established their villages, along the way.
Benkum Royal Family
Historically, the people of Dwamti currently Oforikrom lived in the woods and caves of Amowi about two (2) kilometres south-east of Pinihin, a village near modern day Nkoranza in the Brong Ahafo Region. Pinihin is some fifteen (15) kilometres north of Nkoranza township.
As part of the Bono people, the Oforikrom citizens once lived in the northern part of the Black Volta but crossed southwards to escape wars, especially after a fierce battle fought between the Bono and the Mossie people around late 13th century.
The people of Oforikrom later left the Amowi caves and moved towards the south-western part of the caves under the leadership of Nana Kesse Ananse otontetan in the mid-16th century. The reason for leaving the caves is not clear but oral tradition has it that part of the Amowi caves collapsed after several days of heavy rains, which left them homeless. The people left with their god -Bakor which protected and guided them through wars.
Oforikrom people passed through “Beemaamu” a sacred forest of the “Beemaa god” of the people of Pinihin. They then walked through villages of present day Toom and Adoe and settled at Nafuma between the areas of these two villages and present day Akomsa Dumase. Nana Kεsse Ananse otontetan became the first chief by virtue of being the leader of the group and founder of the first settlement.
Nana Yaa Tantete, a sister, became the first queen mother. Nana Kεsse Kokoo, their younger brother, took up the mantle after the death of the first chief, Nana Kesse Ananse Otontetan.
Ankobea Royal Family
The Ankobea people belong to the Bretuo clan. Their great grandfather was Amansin and it was from this name the suburb in which they live derived its name. This suburb was called Amansinase, in Takyiman, which means the descendants of Amansin. Nana Amansin came from Denkyira. It was believed that the gold trade, which flourished in Takyiman at that time, brought him there. In proof of this assertion, the gold scale of Amansin is still being kept in safety in the palace of the Ankobeahene in memory of this great grandfather of their land.
He came with a small girl called Sewiriwa who married the Takyimanhene called Nana Kyeremeh Kofi who reigned for forty eight years (from 1783 to 1831). Sewiriwa was betrothed to him at an early age and stayed with the Amansin till she was ripe for marriage when Nana finally came to take her away as his bride. Nana Yeboah Takra was an offspring of this marriage and he was later made the Ankobeahene and Akyempenhene of Takyiman. Nana Takra was to stay and be with his father, the Takyimanhene, wherever he went in the mounting of a palanquin, he was to be ridden right in front of him.
This relationship has lived on to today making it possible for the Ankobeahemaa to become the close pal of the Takyimanhemaa. The position of Akyempen was later relegated and given to Nana Tubodomhene when he joined the council of elders of Takyimanhene.
Akwamu Royal Family
Nana Ameyaw Gyare was the brother of Nana Kwakye Ameyaw I who was the Bono Hene at Bono manso. Nana Kwakye Ameyaw I ruled without sympathy for his subjects. Nana Ameyaw Gyare was angry with his brother because of the way he ruled his people. Nana Ameyaw Gyare decided to secede from the Bono kingdom to find a suitable place to stay with his sister Nana Komfour Kruwa and her daughter Amma Aburaa. Tua Kwame, Afena Kwadwo, Kwadwo Nkrong were her sons who were very young. As they were on their way they passed through Nana Takyi Fri’s village to bid him goodbye. Nana Takyi Fri persuaded Nana Ameyaw Gyare not to leave the Bono kingdom. In view of the very young ones who accompanied him Nana Ameyaw Gyare changed his mind but he however decided not to return to Bono Manso but stay with Nana Takyi Fri.
Nana Takyi Fri helped Nana Ameyaw Gyare to erect an abode where there was a big ‘sisire’ tree growing. Nana Ameyaw Gyare used to relax under the shade of the sisire tree hence he was nicknamed Sisireasehene by Nana Takyi Fri.
The first day Nana Takyi Fri was able to persuade Nana Ameyaw Gyare to change his mind. Nana Takyi Fri presented him a fowl and some tubers of yam to host him. This kind gesture became the bond of friendship between them and continued to help Nana Ameyaw Gyare and his siblings to be well established at the present site which was named as Takyiman after Nana Takyi Fri.
This is the reason why the Krontihene presents a fowl and yam to the Akwamu stool during the Ameyaw Gyare yam festival to renew their bond of friendship.
After the collapse of Bono Manso and the death of Nana Kwakye Ameyaw,most of the residents of Bono Manso including his halve sister Nyarko moved and settled with Nana Ameyaw Gyare and Nana Takyi Fri at the present site which eventually became known and called Takyiman [Techiman is only an anglicized spelling].
Nana Ameyaw Gyare was the only brother left to occupy the Ohene Ameyaw stool when Nana Kwakye Ameyaw died. But because he was too old and his sister’s children were still young to occupy the stool, he rather passed it on to his halve sister Nyarko’s son Nana Takyia Kwame. Nana Takyia Kwame had taken refuge at Mo during the Asante attack at Bono-Manso.He was brought home and was installed the Takyimanhene.
In view of this kind gesture and honour done Nana Takyia Kwame, he gifted the land from Takyiman sharing boundary with Nkoranza at Sonko stream near Dotobaa to his uncle Nana Ameyaw Gyare to cater for his siblings.
This arrangement was sealed as a covenant between every occupant of the Ohene Ameyaw stool and his uncle the Akwamu stool. Traditionally, every occupant of the Ohene Ameyaw stool carries a piece of firewood, palm oil, salt, yam, kerosene, matches and schnapps to renew and affirm the covenant during Ameyaw Gyare yam festival celebrations.
Gyase Stool of Takyiman
Traditional history of Takyiman has recorded that a royal son called Boyempirisi, the son of Bonohene and a ruler of Nkyeraa (Nchiraa) perceived to have carried this role in the past. Research findings at hand cannot authenticate which of the Omanahene in Takyiman fathered Boyempirisi from Nchiraa. The understanding created on this history could be possibly traced to the following chiefs; Nana Gyamfi Kumanini from 1669-1664, Nana Boakye Tenten from 1684-1692, and Nana Kyeremeh Pambour from 1692-1712. Even though Boyempirisi was enjoyed in pride within a capacity as royal son or prince during the reign of Kwakye Ameyaw I, one could not statistically proof that Boyempirisi was a biological son by Nana Ameyaw. This is because the collapse of Bonomanso was said to have been caused by Boyempirisi after slapping Baffo Pim in the face. This was around 1722, about ten years after the enstoolment of Nana Kwakye Ameyaw I.
How long this role was played by Nkyiraa was not known. Consequently, one cannot tell whether or not that role he played could be comparable to the present role of Gyaasehene. However, it would not be doubtful if Boyempirisi was considered as having played the role of Gyaasihene due to father and son relationship he had with then Bonohene, Nana Kwakye Ameyaw. What makes it quite profound to examine is lack of historical records about pre-successors and post-successors of Boyempirisi as a chief who played the role of Gyaasehene during their stay in Bono-manso. For the purpose of clarity this book place the history for Gyase in two forms; the ancient Gyase into ancient and contemporary Gyase.
The ancient history of Gyaase is traced to the Bonomanso, where it is believed that Nkyirraa played the role of Gyaase. Oral history has it that Nkyraa royal family, which was the occupant of the Gyaase stool, was suspended due to internal struggle and disputes over succession anytime the stool became vacant.
Kyidome Royal Family
The kyidom division of Takyiman Traditional Council is situated in Krobo and comprises with various family units. The occupants of Kyidom stool are affiliated to the Bretuo clan of Krobo. Other sub-stools within the kyidom division also belong to various clans within the town.
According to the current chief, Nana Oyeadeye Asa Akompanin the ancestoral stool was brought from somewhere not really known, to settle at Bonomanso. Even though there were various groups in the Bono-Manso, they saw themselves as one people paying homage to their chief, the Bonohene.
Oral tradition also records that the royal families of Krobo and Adaati in Takyiman used to be one people with common interest. They lived together as in the past. At a point in history, misunderstanding occurred which ensued the ancestors of Krobo royal family to separate themselves from the Adaati family. The exact incident has been treated as family secret; however, people have made several attempts to know the course of the problem. The Adaati incident caused the ancestors of Krobo to retreat. They migrated from the old Takyiman Township to found a new settlement.
All attempts to resolve the problem were not successful, which led to the breakaway of the Kyidom people. The group that broke away was led by their ancestor, Nana Asah Kwame, a great hunter. They settled near the Tano banks before moving to the present day Krobo Town. The name Krobo was inferred from the fact that the people left on their own accord, which literally means “wo ko wombo so”.
Apoo Festival is a unique event among the people of Techiman and the entire Bono Kingdom. It is an ancient way of democratic governance where subjects openly express their views and sentiments through songs to people in authority freely without any punishment.
During the festival people from all walks of life come to the Traditional Area to celebrate and witness the occasion.
There are special traditional events that occur during the Apour festival and they serve as symbols which have their meanings. Among these events include “Hyireko” (going for white clay), Nnunsintuo (Removal or Uprooting of stumps), Asaahwie (Asaa rites), Going to Amanfrom for Apour, Aponkotwee Rite (Pulling of Horses) to usher in the Afternoon Apour and many more.
It has become a formality that during the Apour festival, people dress in tattered clothing or any gorgeous type of dressing to disguise themselves. The reason is that, even though people are of liberty to voice out their feelings about everybody, from the common plebian to the Omanhene, the fear of being victimized after the festival cannot be over-ruled outright. People therefore decided to play it safe by hiding under the cover of such dressing in order to hide their real identity should some of their remarks about their power wielders become highly sarcastic.
The Apour festival embraces special dance, which takes unique movements; three interchangeable steps with both legs, which lean to the right and to the left with some body movements. There is little historical facts about the origin of the dance, some oral traditions however explains that the dance traced its root from the movement of the Ape in the sacred forest of Tanoboase, though the festival traced far back of its origin.