KONONGO: A SHORT HISTORY

The area, as the name suggests, is inhabited by emigrants from both the Asante and Akim stocks of the Akan There are three major accounts, of the history of the people of Asante Akyem, the Juaso Bankaman Traditional History, that of Konongo Royal Family and the Odumasi Stool History.

The Konongo Royal Family account of the people of the area explains the name Asante Akyem in terms of terrritory rather than any blood relations.

According to this version, the people of Asante Akyem, and more specifically Konongo, are basically of the Akyem stock.

It is said that the people in 1731 assisted the Asantes in their war with the Odas.

After the defeat of the latter, the Odas vented their spleen on them and the people fled persecution by their fellow Akyems, seeking refuge in Asante territory.

Thus it is said that the people of Konongo fled from Abodom near Akim Oda(in the Akim Kotoku Traditional Area.

This explains why up to the present day the ancestral blackened stool of Konongo is still at Abodom.

When the people from Abodom after fleeing to Ashanti petitioned the Asantehene for land, the Juabenhene who had jurisdiction over the area at the time was consulted and he apportioned the present land to the emigrants from Abodom.

This also explains why the people of Konongo are still under the traditional authority of the queenmother of Juaben in Ashanti.

The Odumasi Royal version of the settlement of the people states that the ancestor of the Odumasi stool, by name, Mumuna Ampam, migrated from Akyim Abuakwa in southern Ghana, from a village called Asawuo as a result of a dispute that arose between Duodu Pepera, a royal of Asawuo stool, and Abobomsohene during the celebration of an Odwira festival.

This Abobomsohene, it is said, attended the festival at the invitation of Nana Mumuna as a customary demand.

It happened that in the course of the celebration, Duodu Pepera, a nephew of Nana Ampam, became infuriated because Abobomsohene, the guest, was wearing certain gold trinklets called "asedwabia". It is said that that Duodu Pepera, presumably the probable heir to the throne of Asawuo, tried to strangle this chief with the view to removing the trinklets from the neck of Abobomsohene.

The affair was reported to the overlord, Okyenhene Ofori Panin, who sent for Duodu Pepera to appear before the Okyeman Council.

At the hearing, Duodu Pepera was said to have become very angry and cast insinuatioins on the members of the Council.

As a result of the indecent words spoken by Duodu Pepera to the King in Council, a meeting of the three heads of the state, the Amantuo Mmiensa of Kibi, decided that the only infallable remedy was to wage war against Duodu and his relatives.

Duodu was killed in the war and the matter was reported to Nana Mumuna Ampam, his uncle.

Nana Ampam who was afraid of reprisals by the Okyenhene left Asawuo with all his descendants and subjects together with one of the ancestral stools.

At that time a sister of Nana Mumuna Ampam, by name Koa, was married to Juasohene Apenteng.

Nana Ampam went to his brother-in-law appealing for a suitable place to settle.

Juasohene allocated to Nana Ampam and his retinue a village called Anwanwereso near Juaso.

While a resident at Anwanwereso, Nana Ampam made an appeal to Juabenhene, Nana Akraase, through his brother-in-law Nana Apenteng, for a permanent place of residence for himself and his descendants.

Juabenhene, it is said gave him a vast land of which Nana Ampam was to be the caretaker, ranging from the River Anuru up to the boundary line of Dwaboso( now Juaso).

It is said that one morning, a certain hunter, Amama Mahunu, discovered during a hunting expedition the present area of Odumasi and reported it to Nana Ampam, the caretaker of the area.

After investigations, it was found that the banks of the river called Oweri would be suitable for settlement.

It is said that there was an Odum tree growing at that spot, so Nana Ampam built his village just by the Odum tree, and thus called his village Odumasi.

It should be recalled that at the time of the negotiations for the Odumasi village lands, Nana Akraase was on the Juaben stool, while the Golden Stool of Ashanti was occupied by Nana Osei Bonsu Panyin, alias Nana Osei Tutu Kwame.

Nana Mumuna Ampam, it is said was also on the Odumasi stool during the reign of Asantehene Nana Osei Akoto, who fought in the Akatamansu war.

So the migration of Nana Mumuna Ampam to Konongo-Odumasi must have taken place round about the date of the Akatamansu war (1824-1837).