Fante Akan

"Nobody knows the beginning of a great man."

Fante Women In Cultural Garb

Photo: Africa 101 Last Tribes

The Fante people (also called Mfantsefo, Fanti, and Fantee) are the second largest subgroup of the Akan people and primarily live in the coastal areas of present-day Ghana, between Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi (about 100km from the border with The Ivory Coast). The Fante engage in farming, fishing, and animal husbandry.

"Fante" referred to "the half that left", and translated literally, means "break away".

The story of the Fante begins with an exodus. A great number of the Fante migrated southwards due to population pressures in their initial settlement of Kwaman, in the North East of the Ashanti region.

Whilst trekking south in search of new pastures, the Fante encountered the Etsi-Guan aborigines and a battle ensued in which the Fante were victorious.

The Etsi-Guan were driven eastwards to the historical Gomoa district in the central region of Ghana and their capital of Adoweggyir was occupied and later renamed Mankessim by the victors.

Following the establishment of Mankessim, the Fante would gradually disperse around the surrounding regions as their indigenous peoples were suppressed by the Fante's military might, despite this, the Fante are generally regarded as a mostly peaceful people. The Fante have always retained their state and independence, successfully defending themselves during multiple wars with the Ashanti in the north, who desired direct trading routes with the coast. They also fought against the English and Dutch's colonial ambitions.

It is thought that the Fante, were the first to come into contact with the Europeans due to their location on the coast and western side of The Gold Coast.

The Fante prevented early Portuguese arrivals from venturing further inland in the 15th century and are reported to have leased properties for Portuguese trading missions.

The Fante would later expel the Portuguese when they tried to contest their rules and regulations. When the Dutch and British followed later, the Fante served as middlemen in commerce between the interior and the European traders on the coast and became very wealthy. They were described by James Stanfield as co-operating with European captains in the practical business of slaving, since European crews rapidly fell victim to the endemic fevers and heat of the climate.

Map showing the 16 administrative regions of Ghana. The Fante Akan dominated regions are highlighted.

Within the Fante, Matrilineal descent determines clan membership and patrilineal descent determines membership in the military (Asafo) and the inheritance of spiritual attributes. Every lineage has ceremonial stools believed to be occupied by important ancestral spirits - The Nsamanfo. The worship of these spirits is a prominent feature of Fante religious practice.

The religious beliefs of the Fante are aligned with the majority of the Akan people and they believe in the Supreme Being (Onyame), various gods and goddesses (Abosom), minor deities (Asuman), and the spirits of the ancestors (Nsamanfo).

Artistically, the Fante and Akan display similar themes in their art, with fertility, maternity and children being the most prevalent.

Fante Fertility Doll

Photo: African Arts Gallery

The above is a fertility doll, typical of the Fante culture. The Fante believe that pregnant women must not lay eyes on a malformed being or object as doing so would affect the form of the child. The dolls, expressions of idealised beauty amongst the Fante, were thought to be a boon to all women. If pregnant, it ensured the health and beauty of the coming child, and if not, it ensured the woman's fertility and exuberance.

Pregnant women carried these dolls on their backs, or within their clothing and the doll would be cared for as if they were real babies. Following a successful birth, the dolls were placed onto the household altar.

That's it for the Fante. Thanks for reading, and come back in a couple of weeks to read up on the next topic!