Engaging Modernity: Asante in the Twenty-First Century
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Swords, Guns (Weapons)
We begin the second part with regalia items generally described as weapons: mfena (swords), atuo (guns), agyan ne pea (bow and arrow), and ɛkyɛm (shields). The various branches of the constabulary, Abrafoɔ (executioners), are included here since they use swords and sɛpɔ (knives) in performing their duties. In pre-colonial times, these weapons were central in the inter-state warfare among Akan states but as items of stool regalia in peaceful times, they “continue as mnemonics for historical narratives and as ritual implements for the maintenance of the state.” (Ross, 2009: 72).
