Akan Spiritual Systems-gctid35072

[Oluwole]

Meda ase pa ara for the brief reviews. I have been seeking information dealing with akan spirituality for almost a year. Recently, I have become highly interested in Kmtyw philosophy. That is to say, for me, the traditional school of thought that addressed all aspects of life for Kmtyws. Although some have approached the question of Kmtyw philosophy from a eurocentric view. I do not take the position that spirituality and philosophy can or should be fragmented and comparmentalized. To do so is altering to better fit western schools of thought. Having said that, I've come to the conclusion that the only way around the western articulation of Kmtyw philosophy is found within Kmtyw traditional structures. These two text appear to offer a blacktastic view from within Akan constructs. Another blacknificent contribution @ Kwame

[KwameD]

Sundiata Olugbala, I couldn't have put it any better! I also think it is only by going to the source and obtaining traditional knowledge in its purest form that we can learn about and even build upon our own ideas, philosophies, healing methodologies, spirituality and more. We need more researchers like Kwasi Konadu to generate our knowledge, rather than getting it in "second hand" published form from outsiders.

I remember reading the book "Religion and Medicine of the Ga People" (E. M. Field, 1937) and at times after some of her comments I was thinking, "this woman is clueless about the culture AND about the spirituality, why is she writing as if she's an authority?" I think it's best when our own, traditionalist, Afrocentric or re-Kmtywized/re-Kmtywizing brothers and sisters write our works.

I plan to work through Kwasi's bibliography, which has some more source texts and to look at those source texts. It was in his bibliography that I found the second book "Histories of the Deities".

[Oluwole]

Kwame, I am in full agreement with you Kwame. I have noticed the sometimes implict and often times explict nature of the disrespect and/or misrepresentation from "scholars" who speak as "authorities" of all things Kmtyw (I include Kmtyws who were soley trained in western thought to this list). In my own development, this has been something that I have been careful to note when progressing through my different studies. There are several directions one can take when researching sources of traditional knowledge; linguistic, anthropological, philosophical/religous, historical..kwk (all of which can be used in combination with each other). I see my area of study being a combination of the philosophical/religous, historical, and linguistic.

Primary research is beyond necessary. I am currently enrolled in an offline course (Historical Primary Research Methods / A Study Course) offered by Manu Ampim (author, Towards Black Community Development, . A F R I C A N A S T U D I E S .) to help develop and advance my primary research abilities. Let's leave speculation to yt.

 @ Kwasi Konadu, Mo ne adwuma! Therr are many who appreciate and benefit from his work.

@ Obadele, Mo ne adwuma! We can't thank him enough...

@ KwameD, give thanks for the book reviews again. Keep us updated with your findings in the bibliography

[Oluwole]

Has anyone read "Akan Doctrine of God" by J.P. Danquah? This question may be a bit off-center but it falls into the category of available Akan resources.

[KwameD]

Sundiata, I have read it (but not as thoroughly as I would like, maybe a second reading is in order!) and can recommend it as a good source text for possible study. Apart from the historical information in the book, J. B. Danquah outlines the "5 Akan Canons" and the "8 Akan postulates". He goes into an in-depth discussion of these, which could be an Abibitumikasa discussion we could have in the future, to ascertain whether there is agreememt or disagreement on some or all of the canons and/or postulates, or what thoughts arise from such a discussion:

The 8 Akan Postulates
1) The E-su
2) The Nkara or Chosen Soul
3) The Sunsum or Experiencing soul
4) The Nana or Moral and Religious Exemplar
5) The Nyame or supra sensible E-su of Being
6) The Nyankopɔn or supra sensible Experiencing Soul of Being
7) The Ɔdomankoma or the Extensible Reality
The Honhom or Mind; Spirit of Reality

The 5 Akan Canons

1) Every effort in goodness is conserved as a merit in the Okra (soul) and facilitates the progressive fulfillment by the individual of his Okra's hyεbea (destiny)

2) Moral progress is constant and continuous in proportion as individual gains or merits of the past are handed on as a tradition to form the basis of racial experience.

3) Racial progress facilitates the development of innate characteristics in outstanding individuals who consciously liberate such characteristics to strengthen the inherited tradition. [this one is one of my favourites]

4) The conscious liberation of outstanding characteristics which demand corresponding fields for expansion leads to the comprehension of greater social wholes and the logical recognition of humanity as the all-embracing ideal for fulfilling and and developing racial experience.

5) Absolute experience, or realization of the whole, remains unattainable so long as racial experience excludes part of the whole, and the moral might of mankind falls short of the absolute thing.
________________

There are however other parts of the book that make for good reading, unfortunately "Akan Doctrine of God" tends to be an expensive book, but some libraries have it.

[KwameD]

Enuanom, Dr Kofi Bempah has published a new book entitled Akan Traditional Religion which is yet another welcome addition to the paucity of spiritual books specifically on the Akan people. An article published on Ghanaweb (see below) announced his book to a wider audience. Kofi Bempah is an Asante royal whose outlook seems to be oriented toward retrieving and sharing aspects of Akan heritage in a re-Kmtywizing manner. I suspect that the last chapter was plugged in to address the growing phenomenon of "Kmtyw spiritual (i.e. Christian) churches" which mix traditional religion with the foreign religion. Hopefully it will not taint the rest of the material.

(Source: New Book: Akan Traditional Religion)

Author           KOFI BEMPAH    
Paperback: 388 pages.  Price: $29.95  
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (February 15, 2010)

Preview

The Akan Akomfuo (komfuo is the Akan name for a mystic, god-man and Divine Incarnation) have perfected two purificatory rituals, Kradware and mmusuyi, that are performed, from time to time, by the individual traditional Akan to cleanse his 'sunsum' of evil contaminants. The 'sunsum' - the immortal Nyame component in the human personality - is his reality and no evil impurity must be allowed to contaminate it.
These rituals form part of the precious collection of guidelines for the realm of the spirit that has been preserved and handed down as heritage through the efforts of selfless Akomfuo.

Over nearly two centuries of the (Akan) Asante Empire, which included non-Akans in its population, each generation drew inspiration and knowledge from the previous ones, especially, in the regions of religion, mysticism, ethics, law, sociology, etc. The footprints of the Akomfuo mark out the lines of individual and social progress. The knowledge they have handed down about nature and consciousness is precious.

But, instead of preserving and drawing inspiration and knowledge from the previous generations as others before him have done, the modern 'educated' Akan is neglecting and discarding this knowledge; condemning it as invalid and worthless, and even superstition, instead of fostering it and using it with reverence. He is, even, ashamed to be associated with it.
His colonial education has destroyed his faith in the system that has been extolled by his ancestors for millennia. He has fallen under the impact of alien ways of thought that highlight material comfort, physical luxury, sensual liberty and exterior display. He threads the path of exploitation and violence, idleness and pompousness. Insatiable desire for fame and authority afflicts him.

Among most products of alien education, there is total lack of moral virtues, honesty, integrity, eagerness to serve and readiness to sacrifice. Rather, he is enslaved by the glittering fancies and fascinations of other cultures.

He has embraced, and is enthused by, a religion which compels him to acknowledge that he is a sinner who has to work hard to attain purity which he already is. If the new religions made him more caring, honest, sincere, God-fearing and less sin-loving' there would be no need for this work.

He has assumed political and judicial roles and is ruling a society, the majority of whose members live with, and cherishes, the traditional knowledge he holds in contempt and disdain. His rule can be successful, fruitful and beneficial to himself and others if he re-educates and equips himself with the philosophy underpinning his religious/spiritual heritage, instead of using political power to impose his new-found religion and its values on his people.

In Akan Traditional Religion, the author has revisited the native religion of the sophisticated Akans who built the vast Asante Empire even before the British dreamt of an empire. He has re-examined, analysed and reinterpreted this heritage from the Akan point of view rather than as part of the colonial legacy in Kmt. He concludes that the Akan traditional religion is no less holy than, or the ethical values it espouses inferior to, any other religion.

Akan traditional religion proclaims that the one God is, and in, everything. (This is why Akans readily accept any name used by other communities to denote the One God). In other words, it espouses the doctrine of unity in diversity. The individual forms (bodies) are activated and operated by the same one God. The differences between individuals only reflect the diversity. The self-aware individual shares in divine power and majesty; the totally ignorant person thinks he is the body and caters only to the needs and comforts of the body.
Identification with the body makes him prone to suffering from excessive desires which expose him to fear, anxiety, lust, anger, pride, etc. as a consequence. The heaven/hell dichotomy is absent in Akan doctrine. All will become divine, eventually.

This principle of unity in diversity, rather than conflict and strife, guides the Akan in his personal life, (wo yonko da ne woda; i.e. the bed you make for your neighbour is the same one you will lie in), as well as the organisation of his society (wo amma wo yonko antwa nkron a, wonso wonya du ntwa; i.e. your right to ten is can be exercised if, and only if, your neighbour's right to nine is guaranteed).
The esoteric significance of the title 'Nana', which every Akan 'Ohene' or 'Ohemaa' bears, has been clarified and 'Nananom Nsamanfuo', means the 'Enlightened Ones' rather than 'ancestral spirits'.

Anatomical analysis of prayer has shown that the Akan congregational prayer, 'Nsa Guo' is as valid a prayer as any offered to the Supreme Deity and has no resemblance to the Judaic tradition of libation pouring. Therefore, 'Nsa Guo' cannot be described as 'Pouring Libation'.
The concluding chapter will make interesting reading for those toying with the idea of Kmtywising the Christian religion or Christianising Kmt.

CONTACT.  KOFI BEMPAH,  kbempah@hotmail.com.   Tel: (44) 0208 892 1123.

[KwameD]

There is a small book entitled The Akan Priest in America, written by Nana Yao Opare Dinizulu which is to date the only book I've read about Akan traditional religion and written by a traditional priest (with the possible exception of Nana Akua Kyerewaa Opokuwaa's book but even more detailed than this) where the training of a traditional Akan priest (Okomfo) is detailed. It is only 29 pages long (published in 1974) but it is full of information about his training and about the Akom.

Nana Dinizulu said in his book that the secrets of the Okomfo are only imparted to a trusted initiate only after observation over a protracted period of time (page 18). This means that...the Okomfo are likely the only ones who will know the full extent of Akan traditional religion, it will likely not be published in a book. This is a rare book to come by but you can probably find it at a university library or at Schomburg Center in Harlem, or elsewhere, perhaps.

[Okomfo Akosua]

It is true!  The okomfo is the keeper of the spiritual teachings and is not supposed to reveal them openly to others unless the person in question is an okomfo or training to become one.  It is taboo and could lead to big trouble for the okomfo if she/he speaks to much about it.  In the Akan akom, information is not revealed and shared like in Yoruba or Vodoun.  With the exception of the Tano system and the Larteh system of akom, there is simply not much information out there that gives details about rituals, shrines, and the abosom.

[Akua Ma'at]

how is a person selected to become an Okomfo?

[KwameD]

From what I have gathered, there are a number of ways a person can be selected to become an Okomfo. One way is to be chosen directly by a spirit (abosom) to represent the spirit. Not all are chosen this way and not all who are chosen this way are willing participants to begin with. Another way is to be given the gift of the spirit by someone who is already spiritual. This was Kwaku Bonsam's case, although it could also be said that in his case it was probably "meant to be", on some level.

There are those who are either selected to be trained or volunteer themselves to be trained. This is what happened in Krachi (Volta region) with the "Dente Bosomfo". Some traditional Akan leaders in the past used to ask for volunteers among their people to go to Krachi to train at the grove of the ancient spirit which first made itself known to the Guan people. From my understanding, those who get trained this way may "carry" one or other abosom, rather than a specific one.

I guess that even those who are sometimes directly chosen by a spirit (or by Spirit) need to be trained.

Then there are the dunsifo (herbalists) and the sumankwafo (those who deal in suman...talismans and amulets and more) who are also trained. Sometimes Okomfo are also dunsifo and sumankwafo or they may have such training. Sometimes Okomfo also have the psychic powers of the abayifo (i.e. the ability to travel by projecting spirit and the ability to see auras and have other clairvoyant and clairsentinent etc abilities). Some of these abilities can be gained through training, where special herbs are applied to eyes and ears and where special baths and other cleansing methods are used. They also receive training in history, tradition and culture, divination, healing (both physical and psychological), in ethics and other areas applicable to their office.

I must say though that I'm speaking from the perspective of a non-specialist and will appreciate the opinion of a specialist if it is given. I've never been traditionally trained or perhaps I should say 'not yet', still looking to the future, if this is part of my path I will wholeheartedly embrace it, especially the opportunity to learn about herbs, plants, trees and various animals etc...our very own natural science!

[Akua Ma'at]

Meda ase KwameD. Very informative response.

[Okomfo Akosua]

In regards to how one becomes an okomfo, I would say it depends on who you ask.  As Kwame says, it can happen in numerous ways.  

For the most part though, an obosom will select who they want to be their okomfo.  Usually, that person is someone related to the senior okomfo therefore keeping the tradition within the family making it a family affair.  If an okomfo has children, in  most cases, one of those children will be selected and begin training.   Also, when an senior okomfo becomes too old to continue the work,  someone within her/his family will be selected to train and continue the  work.  This is particularly common within the Tano abosom system.

There are cases where an obosom will not select a successor.  Unfortunately, because of the assault and attempted demise of traditional Kmtyw spirituality and culture, there is a lack of interest.  The result is abosom that fade with time...but never permanently!
 
Those who are either selected to be trained or volunteer  themselves to be trained usually have some type of connection to a spirit to begin with.  Regardless of how it comes about, the person must be trained.  Interestingly, they may not always be trained by another okomfo like the case of Nana Abass.  He was trained directly by the mmoetia.

[Akua Ma'at]

Meda ase Okomfo11.
 
Who is Nana Abass?

[Okomfo Akosua]

A powerful okomfo of the mmoetia.  His "Black and White Powers Shrine" is located in the Asante region.   Read about him at:  http://www.nanaabass.com/

This website has some good pictures
Wonders and Powers | Broken Atlas

[KwameD]

Blacktastic link! We are quite lucky to have alive traditions in Kmt. There are other Okomfo who have been chosen and trained directly by the mmoetia, like Nana Abosomakotere and others. . Nana Abass' story has been an enjoyable read for me, this is the first time I'm hearing of him. Meda ase!
 
Akua, had you not asked, the link would probably not have been given. Meda wo nso ase!