Historical and Socio-Cultural Significance of the <i>Ahenemma Mpaboa</i> in the Asante Royal Regalia

Steve Kquofi; Timolyn Kusi; Dickson Adom; Edwin Bodjawah; Reuben Glover

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11

| Peer-Reviewed

Historical and Socio-Cultural Significance of the Ahenemma Mpaboa in the Asante Royal Regalia

Steve Kquofi, Timolyn Kusi, Dickson Adom, Edwin Bodjawah, Reuben Glover

Published in International Journal of Education, Culture and Society (Volume 7, Issue 3)

Received: 20 April 2022 Accepted: 5 May 2022 Published: 12 May 2022

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

The Ahenemma Mpaboa or royal sandals are the second most valuable artifact in the Asante royal regalia that define the authority of a chief in the Asante Kingdom of Ghana. Unfortunately, little is known of the Ahenemma Mpaboa as an important cultural symbol that defines royalty in the Asante Kingdom. Therefore, this ethnographic study under the qualitative research approach was carried out to investigate the history, philosophy, purpose, types and socio-cultural relevance of the Ahenemma Mpaboa in the Asante community. Semi-structured interviews and observation were the main data collection instruments that were analysed using the qualitative thematic analysis. The data were garnered from Abrempong, Mfekutire, chiefs, elders, royal attendants, members of the royal households as well as vendors and craftsmen of the Ahenemma Mpaboa. The Ahenemma Mpaboa’s origin is tied to a historical event that happened to Nana Nketia Tim Abamoo, Queen mother to the first Asantehene, Nana Osei Tutu I. The types, colours, shapes and designs of the Ahenemma Mpaboa are symbolic reflections of the accepted cultural values in the Asante Kingdom that play significant socio-cultural roles in the community. The study contends that there is a strong symbolic connection between the Ahenemma Mpaboa and the chiefs of the Asante. It is a powerful regalia of the Asantes that exemplifies their philosophy and worldview while projecting their religious, sociocultural and political structure. The study recommends the development of a robust digital archiving system on Asante stool regalia to serve as a hub for cultural education for both domestic and international tourists.

Published in	International Journal of Education, Culture and Society (Volume 7, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11
Page(s)	119-128
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Ahenemma Mpaboa, Asante Royal Regalia, Asante Culture, Historical, Socio-Cultural, Symbolism

References

[1]	Adom, D., Kquofi, S. and Asante, A. E. (2016). "Adinkra: An Epitome of Asante Philosophy and History." International Journal of Science Technology and Engineering. 6. 14: 43-45.
[2]	Anti, A. (1996). Kumase 1700-1900. Accra: Damage Contrl Press.
[3]	Ampene, K. and Nyantakyi, K. N. I. (2014). Engaging Modernity: Asante in the Twenty-First Century. 1st. Michigan: University Lithoprinters.
[4]	Benavides, P. (2013). ‘Animal Symbolism in Folk Narratives and Human Attitudes towards Predators : An Analysis of their Mutual Influences’, 124 (1), pp. 64–80.
[5]	Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic interactionism: Perspective and methods. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
[6]	Burkham, B. (2005). 'Sole Survivor. One Man's Quest to Find the Best Shoes Ever Made,' The New Yorker. pp. 152-167.
[7]	Brydon, A. and Niessen, S. (1998) Consuming fashion: Adorning the transnational body. Oxford: Berg.
[8]	Cohen, D. J. and Crabtree, B. F. (2008). "Evaluative Criteria for Qualitative Research in Health Care: Controversies and Recommendations." Annals of Family Medicine 6. 4: 331-339.
[9]	Cohen, L., Manion, L. and Morrison, K. (2020). Experiments, quasi-experiments, single-case research and meta-analysis, Research Methods in Education. doi: 10.4324/9780203029053-23.
[10]	Diop, A. C. (1991). "Civilisation or Barbarism". An Authentic Anthropology. 1st. Brooklyn, New York: Lawrence Hill.
[11]	Ditillio, J. (2020). ‘The Power of Gold : Asante Royal Regalia from Ghana (review)’, 52 (2), pp. 87–89.
[12]	Ross, H. D. (2002). "Gold of the Akan from the Glassell Collection". 1st. Houston: The Museum of Fine Arts.
[13]	Hassan-Asamoah, H. R. (2011). Manhyia Palace Art Symbols as a Medium of Education and Information Dissemination. Kumasi.
[14]	Hassan, Ali G. (2017). "Mechanical Engineering in Ancient Egypt Part 57." International Journal of Engineering and Science 3. 6.
[15]	Kennett, F. and MacDonald-Haig, C. (1994). Ethnic Dress. New York: Facts on File.
[16]	Leedy, P. D. and Ormrod, J. E. (2015). Practical Research. (b-ok.org).
[17]	McCaskie, M. T. (1992). "People and Animals: Constructing the Asante experience." Journal of International African Institute. 62. 2: 221-247.
[18]	Nkansah, P. K. (2008). ‘Documentation of Queen Mothers’ Regalia in the Kwawu Traditional Area’, p. 94.
[19]	Poirier, L., Ron E. and Babbit, B. (2014). "Adinkra Symbols." Researchgate 1: 61-71.
[20]	Rattray, R. S., (1929). Ashanti Law and Constitution. London: Claredon Press.
[21]	Sarpong, P. (1974). Ghana in Retrospect: Some Aspects of Ghanaian Culture. Ghana Publishing; 3rd Paperback Edition.
[22]	Schenk, C. T. and Holman, R. H. (1980). "A Sociological Approach to Brand Choice: The Concept of Situational Self Image", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 07, eds. Jerry C. Olson, Ann Abor, MI: Association for Consumer Research. Pages: 610-614.
[23]	Shawcross, R. (2014). Shoes an Illustrated History. 1st. London: Bloomsbury.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Steve Kquofi, Timolyn Kusi, Dickson Adom, Edwin Bodjawah, Reuben Glover. (2022). Historical and Socio-Cultural Significance of the Ahenemma Mpaboa in the Asante Royal Regalia. International Journal of Education, Culture and Society, 7(3), 119-128. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Steve Kquofi; Timolyn Kusi; Dickson Adom; Edwin Bodjawah; Reuben Glover. Historical and Socio-Cultural Significance of the Ahenemma Mpaboa in the Asante Royal Regalia. Int. J. Educ. Cult. Soc. 2022, 7(3), 119-128. doi: 10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Steve Kquofi, Timolyn Kusi, Dickson Adom, Edwin Bodjawah, Reuben Glover. Historical and Socio-Cultural Significance of the Ahenemma Mpaboa in the Asante Royal Regalia. Int J Educ Cult Soc. 2022;7(3):119-128. doi: 10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11,
  author = {Steve Kquofi and Timolyn Kusi and Dickson Adom and Edwin Bodjawah and Reuben Glover},
  title = {Historical and Socio-Cultural Significance of the Ahenemma Mpaboa in the Asante Royal Regalia},
  journal = {International Journal of Education, Culture and Society},
  volume = {7},
  number = {3},
  pages = {119-128},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijecs.20220703.11},
  abstract = {The Ahenemma Mpaboa or royal sandals are the second most valuable artifact in the Asante royal regalia that define the authority of a chief in the Asante Kingdom of Ghana. Unfortunately, little is known of the Ahenemma Mpaboa as an important cultural symbol that defines royalty in the Asante Kingdom. Therefore, this ethnographic study under the qualitative research approach was carried out to investigate the history, philosophy, purpose, types and socio-cultural relevance of the Ahenemma Mpaboa in the Asante community. Semi-structured interviews and observation were the main data collection instruments that were analysed using the qualitative thematic analysis. The data were garnered from Abrempong, Mfekutire, chiefs, elders, royal attendants, members of the royal households as well as vendors and craftsmen of the Ahenemma Mpaboa. The Ahenemma Mpaboa’s origin is tied to a historical event that happened to Nana Nketia Tim Abamoo, Queen mother to the first Asantehene, Nana Osei Tutu I. The types, colours, shapes and designs of the Ahenemma Mpaboa are symbolic reflections of the accepted cultural values in the Asante Kingdom that play significant socio-cultural roles in the community. The study contends that there is a strong symbolic connection between the Ahenemma Mpaboa and the chiefs of the Asante. It is a powerful regalia of the Asantes that exemplifies their philosophy and worldview while projecting their religious, sociocultural and political structure. The study recommends the development of a robust digital archiving system on Asante stool regalia to serve as a hub for cultural education for both domestic and international tourists.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Historical and Socio-Cultural Significance of the Ahenemma Mpaboa in the Asante Royal Regalia
AU  - Steve Kquofi
AU  - Timolyn Kusi
AU  - Dickson Adom
AU  - Edwin Bodjawah
AU  - Reuben Glover
Y1  - 2022/05/12
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11
T2  - International Journal of Education, Culture and Society
JF  - International Journal of Education, Culture and Society
JO  - International Journal of Education, Culture and Society
SP  - 119
EP  - 128
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-3363
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11
AB  - The Ahenemma Mpaboa or royal sandals are the second most valuable artifact in the Asante royal regalia that define the authority of a chief in the Asante Kingdom of Ghana. Unfortunately, little is known of the Ahenemma Mpaboa as an important cultural symbol that defines royalty in the Asante Kingdom. Therefore, this ethnographic study under the qualitative research approach was carried out to investigate the history, philosophy, purpose, types and socio-cultural relevance of the Ahenemma Mpaboa in the Asante community. Semi-structured interviews and observation were the main data collection instruments that were analysed using the qualitative thematic analysis. The data were garnered from Abrempong, Mfekutire, chiefs, elders, royal attendants, members of the royal households as well as vendors and craftsmen of the Ahenemma Mpaboa. The Ahenemma Mpaboa’s origin is tied to a historical event that happened to Nana Nketia Tim Abamoo, Queen mother to the first Asantehene, Nana Osei Tutu I. The types, colours, shapes and designs of the Ahenemma Mpaboa are symbolic reflections of the accepted cultural values in the Asante Kingdom that play significant socio-cultural roles in the community. The study contends that there is a strong symbolic connection between the Ahenemma Mpaboa and the chiefs of the Asante. It is a powerful regalia of the Asantes that exemplifies their philosophy and worldview while projecting their religious, sociocultural and political structure. The study recommends the development of a robust digital archiving system on Asante stool regalia to serve as a hub for cultural education for both domestic and international tourists.
VL  - 7
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Steve Kquofi

Department of Educational Innovations, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
Timolyn Kusi

Department of Educational Innovations, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
Dickson Adom

Department of Educational Innovations, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
Edwin Bodjawah

Department of Painting and Sculpture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
Reuben Glover

Department of Publishing Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Steve Kquofi, Timolyn Kusi, Dickson Adom, Edwin Bodjawah, Reuben Glover. (2022). Historical and Socio-Cultural Significance of the Ahenemma Mpaboa in the Asante Royal Regalia. International Journal of Education, Culture and Society, 7(3), 119-128. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Steve Kquofi; Timolyn Kusi; Dickson Adom; Edwin Bodjawah; Reuben Glover. Historical and Socio-Cultural Significance of the Ahenemma Mpaboa in the Asante Royal Regalia. Int. J. Educ. Cult. Soc. 2022, 7(3), 119-128. doi: 10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Steve Kquofi, Timolyn Kusi, Dickson Adom, Edwin Bodjawah, Reuben Glover. Historical and Socio-Cultural Significance of the Ahenemma Mpaboa in the Asante Royal Regalia. Int J Educ Cult Soc. 2022;7(3):119-128. doi: 10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11,
  author = {Steve Kquofi and Timolyn Kusi and Dickson Adom and Edwin Bodjawah and Reuben Glover},
  title = {Historical and Socio-Cultural Significance of the Ahenemma Mpaboa in the Asante Royal Regalia},
  journal = {International Journal of Education, Culture and Society},
  volume = {7},
  number = {3},
  pages = {119-128},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijecs.20220703.11},
  abstract = {The Ahenemma Mpaboa or royal sandals are the second most valuable artifact in the Asante royal regalia that define the authority of a chief in the Asante Kingdom of Ghana. Unfortunately, little is known of the Ahenemma Mpaboa as an important cultural symbol that defines royalty in the Asante Kingdom. Therefore, this ethnographic study under the qualitative research approach was carried out to investigate the history, philosophy, purpose, types and socio-cultural relevance of the Ahenemma Mpaboa in the Asante community. Semi-structured interviews and observation were the main data collection instruments that were analysed using the qualitative thematic analysis. The data were garnered from Abrempong, Mfekutire, chiefs, elders, royal attendants, members of the royal households as well as vendors and craftsmen of the Ahenemma Mpaboa. The Ahenemma Mpaboa’s origin is tied to a historical event that happened to Nana Nketia Tim Abamoo, Queen mother to the first Asantehene, Nana Osei Tutu I. The types, colours, shapes and designs of the Ahenemma Mpaboa are symbolic reflections of the accepted cultural values in the Asante Kingdom that play significant socio-cultural roles in the community. The study contends that there is a strong symbolic connection between the Ahenemma Mpaboa and the chiefs of the Asante. It is a powerful regalia of the Asantes that exemplifies their philosophy and worldview while projecting their religious, sociocultural and political structure. The study recommends the development of a robust digital archiving system on Asante stool regalia to serve as a hub for cultural education for both domestic and international tourists.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Historical and Socio-Cultural Significance of the Ahenemma Mpaboa in the Asante Royal Regalia
AU  - Steve Kquofi
AU  - Timolyn Kusi
AU  - Dickson Adom
AU  - Edwin Bodjawah
AU  - Reuben Glover
Y1  - 2022/05/12
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11
T2  - International Journal of Education, Culture and Society
JF  - International Journal of Education, Culture and Society
JO  - International Journal of Education, Culture and Society
SP  - 119
EP  - 128
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-3363
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20220703.11
AB  - The Ahenemma Mpaboa or royal sandals are the second most valuable artifact in the Asante royal regalia that define the authority of a chief in the Asante Kingdom of Ghana. Unfortunately, little is known of the Ahenemma Mpaboa as an important cultural symbol that defines royalty in the Asante Kingdom. Therefore, this ethnographic study under the qualitative research approach was carried out to investigate the history, philosophy, purpose, types and socio-cultural relevance of the Ahenemma Mpaboa in the Asante community. Semi-structured interviews and observation were the main data collection instruments that were analysed using the qualitative thematic analysis. The data were garnered from Abrempong, Mfekutire, chiefs, elders, royal attendants, members of the royal households as well as vendors and craftsmen of the Ahenemma Mpaboa. The Ahenemma Mpaboa’s origin is tied to a historical event that happened to Nana Nketia Tim Abamoo, Queen mother to the first Asantehene, Nana Osei Tutu I. The types, colours, shapes and designs of the Ahenemma Mpaboa are symbolic reflections of the accepted cultural values in the Asante Kingdom that play significant socio-cultural roles in the community. The study contends that there is a strong symbolic connection between the Ahenemma Mpaboa and the chiefs of the Asante. It is a powerful regalia of the Asantes that exemplifies their philosophy and worldview while projecting their religious, sociocultural and political structure. The study recommends the development of a robust digital archiving system on Asante stool regalia to serve as a hub for cultural education for both domestic and international tourists.
VL  - 7
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download