TRADITIONAL AFRICAN POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

Lecture 4

Indigenous State Structures and Forms of Authority

• State Structure took two forms:

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• Centralized State forms

African centralized states often had well defined political authority with institutional channels for collecting taxes, supervising ceremonies, maintaining law and order and carrying out the general orders of the political heads E.g. Old Ghana empire, Mali Empire etc.

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B. Decentralized/Acephalous Societies

• Politically decentralized societies had no bureaucracies and were often based on kinship. Maintenance of law and order was deferred to elders, age-set groups and other groups. This includes a gradation from societies without any state structures to transitory forms of state organizations.

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• The form of indigenous authority found in these societies is segmented

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Basic Features of the Indigenous Political Systems

1. The Indigenous African political institutions are largely based on kinship and ancestry.
2. Rules of procedure are established through customs and traditions rather than written constitutions
3. Women played active roles in the political system including holding leadership and military positions.
4. The indigenous political system had democratic features, succession was regulated according to descent and merit in some cases.
5. Power in the indigenous political system was both secular and sacred.

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The Chieftaincy Institution in Ghana

• Chieftaincy is one of the oldest institutions in Ghana, and it is the finest representation of the indigenous system of government.

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• In pre-colonial times chiefs were the political, administrative, executive, judicial, military, cultural and spiritual leaders of their societies.

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• Chiefs were assisted by their elders and councilors in the performance of their duties.

Who is a Chief?

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“…Article 277 of the constitution of Ghana defines a chief as ‘a person who hailing from the appropriate family and lineage has been validly nominated, elected or selected and enstooled, enskinned or installed as a chief or queen mother in accordance with the relevant customary law and usage’ (Ghana, 1992, Constitution of the Republic of Ghana) .

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Issues With Constitutional Definition

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• The constitutional requirement that one must hail from an appropriate family or lineage does not hold in all cases. Ordinary persons can be appointed, sometimes there are contestations.
• The phenomenon of development chiefs, some are even foreigners who are rewarded with chieftaincy titles.
• Even-though it says queen mothers can be chiefs, in many places they aren’t.

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Origins of Chieftaincy

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• The institution of chieftaincy emerged in communities in Ghana through the following means:
• Through Conquest/heroism
• Through Priesthood
• Through Colonialism
• Through Trade
• Divination

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Who is an African Chief?

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• An African chief is a traditional office holder.

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• May be a man or a woman but very often in African societies, a man.

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• There are female chiefs but not many. We find some among the Akan, Dagomba, Gonja, and the Moshie of Burkina Faso.

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• They are special office holders, rules over people and exercises traditional leadership.

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Who is an African Chief?

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• A person who has undergone special rites of installation that make him a chief.

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• Many swear oaths to their people and their people swear allegiance, establishing a contractual relationship.

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• Chiefs symbolize the integrity and identity of their community or chiefdom.
• They are father figures to their people…naa or nana (grandfather), togbui (grandfather), mantse (father of the town).

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Grades of Chiefs

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• Not all chiefs are equal in any system. We have the paramount chiefs or sovereign rulers, these may be kings and queens.
• Kings
• Paramount Chiefs
• Divisional Chiefs
• Sub-Chiefs
• Female Chiefs and Leaders: Ohemaa, Po-Naa, Mamaga ,Magazia etc..

Installation of a Chief

• After the daunting task of selection, the candidate would have to be installed/enskinned, as one of the most important processes for someone becoming a chief.
• Installation is an important legitimization process.

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• As a result, installation must be done by the right people (king makers), at the right time and with the right ritual items or objects.
• Installation is invalid if it is carried out by people that are not kingmakers or wrong objects used during the installation process.

Installation of a chief -Ashantes

• Among the Ashantes, the installation of the Ashantihene would demand that the Golden stool be brought and the buttocks of the prospective chief made to touch the stool twice and in the third instance he is made to sit on it.

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• Also there is the need for the Busumuru sword to be present in order for the candidate to swear the oath of allegiance to his people with the sword.

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• The installation rites are also incomplete without the Ashantihene wearing the Batakarikese.

Installation of a chief -Dagomba

• Various officials come with objects like hats, amulets, smock among others and put them on the selected chief or Na and the last is brought by kingmaker.

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• What it means is that one can not present other objects or articles outside what is prescribed by custom during the installation process.

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• Custom demands that installation be done during the day and if it is done in the night then any one has the right to challenge the installation process.

Installation of a chief –Confinement

• Confinement is a period of seclusion for the chief. It enables elders and some members in society teach the chief certain fundamental things concerning their tradition;
• how to speak publicly,
• how to dress and how to conduct himself in public.
• the history of the village, town or state/kingdom that he has become chief of.
• It also offers some members of society the opportunity to provide the chief with spiritual powers to neutralize negative forces that he might confront.
• the chief is out-doored, gazetted and shown to the general public.

�Functions of Female Chiefs: Northern Ghana�

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• There are female chiefs among the Gonja, Dagomba & Mampruse. In Dagbon the Gundogu skin is said to be equivalent of the Yendi Skin. They are responsible for;

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• Administering their respective towns and villages.

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• Notifying sub-chiefs who are potential candidates to come forward and contest when a skin becomes vacant.

�Functions of Female Chiefs: NG II�

• Mobilizing both men and women for development oriented activities in her community.

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• Settling disputes between people in their community.

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• In Mamprugu the female chief supervises the food to be eaten by the Nayiri elect, and also prepares herbs for the installation of the chief.

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• Female chiefs are mostly women from the royal family who post-menopausal.

Reverence for the Chief

• They are sacred, considered as gods or possessed by gods.

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• Enjoys considerable respect (some followers lie on the ground to greet chiefs, squat, remove sandals etc. offer appellations,

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• Marries the most beautiful women

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• keeps retinue of drummers and fiddlers (gonje), receives tributes) etc.

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Reverence for the Chief II

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• Sometimes carried to functions/enjoys various courtesies, walks majestically.

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• Even after death, funerals must be deserving and befitting.

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• The very best of farm produce/livestock belongs to him.

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Chiefs and Development: Political Roles

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• The maintenance of law and order: to ensure peace
• Chiefs played a critical role in the writing of Ghana’s constitution
• Participating in elections: Civic education
• Serving on government boards.
• Holding important boundary discussions
• Holding intra-regional, inter-regional and international peace talks.

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Chiefs and Development: Social Roles

• Educational Development: Within chieftaincy two forms education are considered. These are traditional and western forms of education.
• Moral Icons
• Protection of lives and properties e.g.. Through invocation of taboos etc.
• Celebration of festivals
• Celebration of funerals
• Marriage and naming ceremonies

��Functionaries and Objects in Chieftaincy�

1. Linguist: Spokesperson of the chief. His office is symbolized by a linguist staff.
2. Servants: Slaves and war captives play the role of carrying stools, umbrellas, palanquins and drums.
3. Traditional military: The asafo are very much known among the Akan, Ga & Ewe. Dagomba -Kambonse. Gonjas-Mbonwura.
4. Music and Musical Objects: AS patrons of the arts, their knowledge and understanding of the arts must be unquestionable.
5. Regalia/Stool/Skin: culturally significant royal art works used in adornment, installation or governance.

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CONCLUSION

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• THANK YOU!!!

REFERENCES

• Baku k. 2003 ‘Chieftaincy, Politics and Local Government’ in Chieftaincy, Traditional Leadership and Development in Africa. Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana. Preliminary Edition. African Studies Course AFST 233. Chapter 8

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• Prof. Irene K. Odotei 2010 Chieftaincy in Ghana: A paper presented to German Students on the Go Africa Go Germany. Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon