Fante people

Fante people

ethnic group

Part of	Akan people
Country	Ghana, Ivory Coast
Ghana Place Names URL	https://sites.google.com/site/ghanaplacenames/peoples-states/akan#h.n186rrvglasx

De Mfantsefo anaa Fante ("Fanti" be old spelling) be Akan people. De Fante people be mainly dey cam from de Central den Western coastal regions of Ghana. Ova de last half century, secof fishing expeditions, Fante communities dey as far as The Gambia, Liberia den even Angola. Major Fante cities for modern Ghana dey include Kasoa, Winneba, Agona Swedru, Tarkwa, Oguaa (Cape Coast), Edina (Elmina), Mankessim, Sekondi den Takoradi.

Lyk all Akans, dem originate from Bono state. Originally, dem refer "Fante" go "de half wey lef" den break away from oda Akans den initially settle for Mankessim.^[1] Sam of de states wey dey make up de Fante be Agona, Ahanta, Kurantsi, Abura,^[2] Anyan, Ekumfi, Nkusukum, Ajumako den Gomoa. De Fante, lyk oda Akans wey relate, dey trace dema roots go de ancient Sahara for de Old Ghana Empire. De Fante then migrate south go modern-day Techiman for de Brong Ahafo region. From hie nu wey, legend dey talk say, dema three great leaders – Oson, Odapagyan den Obrumankoma – lead dem south wey dem separate from oda Akans, go Mankessim.

De Fante produce chaw illustrious den prominent people for Ghana insyd, notable among whom be:

• Kofi Annan (former UN Secretary General);
• Jacob Wilson Sey (first indigenous multimillionaire for de Gold Coast); British journalist den writer
• Ekow Eshun; Ottobah Cugoano (abolitionist den natural rights philosopher),
• Sam Jonah (ex-CEO of AngloGold Ashanti);
• John Atta Mills, (former presido)
• Joseph W.S. de Graft-Johnson,
• Kow Nkensen Arkaah
• Kwesi Amissah-Arthur (former vice-presido)
• Peter Turkson (first Ghanaian Cardinal for de Roman Catholic Church)
• John Mensah Sarbah,
• James Kwegyir Aggrey,
• Ottobah Cugoano (Fante-British Slave Abolitionist),
• Chief Takyi (leader of Jamaican slave revolt),
• Paa Grant (founding father for de UGCC)
• J. E. Casely Hayford
• Sir Knight Joseph Panford, de Fante Chief for Koforidua, Eastern Region insyd, wey represent de entire Catholic Church of Ghana, for Rome insyd wey he meet Pope John Paul I wey he knight am
• Joseph Ellis den Joseph Biney, both discover de gold deposits for 1897 insyd wey situate for Obuasi for de Ashanti region insyd;
• Pedro Alonso Niño (1468–c. 1505) black navigator, sanso know am as El Negro ("De Black"), Spanish-born of African descent, wey sail plus Christopher Columbus across de Atlantic for 1492 insyd. wey na ein puppie be Fante seaman wey komot Elmina. He explore de coasts for Africa for ein early years. He pilot one of Columbus ein ships for de expedition of 1492, wey he accompany am during ein third voyage wey see de discovery of Trinidad den de Orinoco River ein mouths.

One of de social contexts of names among de Akans, dey include de Fante, be say dem use as social tags take indicate personal den group identity. Dis be so plus family names dem derive from 12 Ntoro patrilineal clans of de poppies wey dem dey take give kiddies. Each of de 12 Ntoro patrilineal clans get ein peculiar family names. Ebe thus possible make one trace ein name go ein patrilineal clan. Kiddies wey dey trace dema genealogy go one patrilineal puppie fi share similar family names.^[3] Typical family names dey include Yankah, Osam, Aidoo, etc. Dem sanso get innovations secof westernization, education den foreign religion, plus chaw names dem develop out of dis phenomenon. Dem translate sam Fante names literally go English wey dem endure as family names. Since de Fantes by virtue dem dey live for de coast wey dem be first wey dem cam contact plus de Europeans wey dem trade, intermarry den live plus dem for ova 400 years, ebe inevitable say among de Fante names show grater degree of western influence compare plus tribes for de hinterland insyd. Examples of such anglicised transformational name be:

• Dua (lit tree/board) – Wood
• Kuntu (blanket ) – Kuntu Blankson ein kiddie
• Kumi ba (child of Kumi) – Kumson anaa Koomson
• Kwei ba (child of Kwei) – Quayson, Quayeson, Kweison anaa Kwaeson
• Akorɔma (hawk) – Hawkson
• Nyameba – Godson
• ɛbo (stone) – Rockson

Accordingly, dem go fi identify sam family names by de suffix, lyk:

• -son for Yawson insyd
• -ful, for Arkorful insyd
• -ney, for Biney insyd.

Fantes dey use system wey dem dey give de first name to kiddie base for de day for de week wey dem born de kiddie:^[4]

Dem go fi name kiddies according to de sequence wey dem born dem. De names dem give be:^[5]

Dem san so fi name twins according to de sequence wey dem born dem. De names dem give be:

De next kiddie dem born immediately after de birth of de twins fi be name dem give, lyk:

1. ↑ Adu Boahen, Fante origins: The Mankessim period in A Thousand Years of West African History, 1968, pp. 180-1820.
2. ↑ Stokes, Jamie (2009). Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4381-2676-0.
3. ↑ Kofi Agyekum, "The Sociolinguistic of Akan Personal Names" Archived 2021-02-20 at the Wayback Machine, Nordic Journal of African Studies 15(2): 206–235 (2006).
4. ↑ "'Day born names' in Dagbani, Ewe and Fante". www.ghanaweb.com. 9 November 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
5. ↑ Agyekum, Kofi (2006). "The Sociolinguistic of Akan Personal Names". Nordic Journal of African Studies. 15 (1): 206–235 – via ResearchGate.