OTEMS AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION – GHANAIANS MUST KNOW THEIR TOTEMS
Our wildlife is our cultural heritage, yet through over hunting, timber
harvesting, bush fires use of toxic chemicals and other forms of habitat
destruction, a large number of animals, reptiles and most bird species have been
lost forever.
Our tradition of totemism is not an idol worship as it was done in the olden
days, it is intended to moderate and save our wildlife heritage. When the last
animal dies human beings would also cease to exist on earth in the same way that
the last man will die when the last tree dies on this earth.
Every Ghanaian has a totem to revere; you just ask your mothers if you are
Akans, because you inherit your totems from your mother side whilst non-Akans
including this writer pick their totems from their fathers’ sides. Totemism is
NOT a religion; it is a way of life and a source of FAMILY PRIDE that gives an
indelible lesson on traditional wildlife conservation. Our ancestors were very
much attuned to conservation of wildlife species; we can not throw away our
totemism just like that because it has been one of the major traditional
conservation tools which have helped to conserve many wildlife species up to
date 2010.
The major totem of the people of Sunyani and Nkoransa traditional areas is the
FRUIT BAT which mostly lives in caves. History has it that when their ancestors
were migrating from Adansi to Asante several decades ago, they came up against
some violent aggressive people who decided to fight them and they took refuge in
a cave. When thousands of BATS came out of the cave and scattered the enemy who
wrongly guessed that human beings could not be hiding inside the cave, hence
they were saved by the BATS. The people of Drobo traditional area have the
crested porcupine as their totem. For the Wenchi people, their totem is the
tree hyrax. The Elephant and Hedgehog are the totems of the people of Odumase
traditional area, whilst the people of Techiman have the mudfish and the Bat as
their totems. It is very interesting to note that in most cases, the principal
reason for the choice of an animal reptile or bird for a totem stems from the
fact that the particular creature SAVED THE CLAN in the past, or that a Clan
models itself after an essential attribute of it, e.g. Bravery, courage, speed
and wisdom to ensure their continued survival. For the Manya Krobo traditional
area in the Eastern Region and Yilo Krobos, the python is their totem since they
believe it holds the spirit of the people especially women together due to its
kindness.
It is therefore regarded by the Manyas as their grandmother and should NOT be
killed or harmed at all for any reason. The Aduana, Kumawu, Bompata and
Essumeya traditional areas have a dog with a flame in its mouth as their totem.
In the Denyasi traditional area, the honey badger is their totem. People of the
Big Ada traditional area have the cock as their totem because it saved the clan
by alerting them of advancing enemies during a particular bloody war several
centuries ago. The Buems have the vulture as their totem but it is surprising
to outsiders since Buems also kills the vulture, regarded as their totem and
offer its blood to their gods.
The people of Tapa and Nkonya traditional areas have the crab as their totem
which led their ancestors to find water (LIFE) and fertile lands according to
history. The people of Krachi have the lion as their totem. The Anlos have the
Nile monitor lizard as their totem. The people of Central Region have several
totems the most dominant animal is the Elephant which is a totem for Denkyira,
Eguafo, Abura, Ajumako and Abeadze. The Elephant is revered for its great size
and strength. However, totems have taken a modern flavor in Ghana and Africa
because four of our political parties have the Cock, the Eagle, the Elephant and
a Coof as their respective emblems, whilst in African Soccer, we have the
porcupine warriors, Asante Kotoko, The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, the Cranes
of Uganda, the Green Eagles of Nigeria and the Terranga Lions of Senegal
respectively. The founding fathers of these teams and political parties had the
wisdom of our great ancestors.
The people of Ajumako have the bush buck as their additional totem and they
always say that even though the Elephant is great in the forest, it is the
bushbuck who is the king, according to them. Most people knows the totem of
Effutu / Winneba traditional area which is the bushbuck and the same applies to
Oguaa, whose totem is the Crab. The Anomabu people have the grey parrot as
their totem and the totem of the Edina people is the Hen with Chicks. The totem
of the people of Twifo-Hemang is the Lion, whilst the people of Ekumfi and
Abirem have the royal Antelope as their totem. The people of Sefwi Wiaso and
Suaman tradional area have the Crowned Crested Eagle as their totem.
The people of Greater Accra have the following totems; the Lion for Kpone and
the Elephant for the Ga, the Shais both Osudoku and Old Ningo. The people of
Ningo Prampram have the crowned crested Eagle and the Sea Turtle as their
totems. Are we teaching our future leaders who will take over from us tomorrow
about our rich cultural heritage in this country? I doubt it, because most
Ghanaians Youth are rather interested in wearing their trousers and ever pair of
knickers below their buttocks which they shamefully describe as “Otto Fischers”
or is it Fixtures, “picture” or whatever they call that shabby dressing style in
this country.
We must teach Ghanaian Youth to know all these important traditional values
because posterity will never forgive us if we fail to do that. At the lower
Dixcove traditional area, the crocodile is their totem whilst the Ahantas revere
the whale because they have the believe that their ancestors emerged from the
belly of the whale.
The people of Essikado and Sekondi have the Buffalo as their totem since they
claim that their ancestors were powerful warriors. The people of Wassa Frase
have the bushbuck as their totem and the people of Mpohor also have the parrot
as their totem. The Offinso traditional area have four totems, the Snake, the
Hen, the Crow and the Elephant. The Obogus, the Kokofus, the Nsutas, the
Asankares and Juabengs being of the Oyoko extraction like Kumasi have the Hawk
as their most important totem. For the Akwamus, their principal totem is the
Hawk or Black Kite. For the Akyem Kotokus, Akyem Abuakwas, the Kwahus, the
Leopard is held in high esteem as a totem, for its deciveness, strength in
battle and its resilience. A leopard never gives up. The new Juabens, like
their old Juaben kith and kin are all Oyokos and their totem is the black kite
or Hawk. The Asokore and Adansi being Ekuonas, hold the buffalo as a sacred
animal and their totem. If you have ever knowingly or unknowingly killed or
eaten an animal or a reptile that happens to be your totem. Just tell your 80
year old grandmother or 85 year old father you will see the serious concern and
anger she/he will express in your presence, because if we throw away our totems
we are throwing away our cultural heritage and our own selves all in the name of
an alien culture. The most endangered clan, family or tribal totems are the
grey parrot, buffalo, tree hyrax, lion, crocodile and the aardvark. A very
common totem in Ghana is currently extinct in several areas where they are
regarded as sacred totems. E.g. Voggusin the Northern Region, Gonja, Kpembe,
Dagbon, Kpone, Twifuhemang and Krachi. The leopard and tigers are very
difficult to find these days, even though they are principal totems for several
people and other tribes in Ghana including Dorimon, Pulma, Gwira in the Western
Region Bumbilla, Tuluwe, Akyem Abuakwa, Kwahu, Assin Apimenim, Enyan Abaasa,
Akatakyiman and all Ghanaians at Agogo and Ofoase. Therefore the leopard’s list
of traditional areas in Ghana also emphasise that we are essentially BROTHERS
and SISTERS, ONE PEOPLE linked by common TOTEMIC and other bounds and must as a
result live TOGETHER as such.
The porcupine (Kotoko) is the principal totem for five important traditional
areas. Sombo, Kaahaa, Walenbelee and Drobo in the Brong Ahafo Region. What are
our policy makers doing about this for several decades? Elephants can no longer
be found in the Offinso and Ejura, Sekyidumase areas nor can they be sighted in
the other traditional areas that share the great pachyderm as their totem. They
are Denkyira, Abura, Ajumako, Eguafo, Abeadze, Shai Osudoku, Manprusi, Yinyuo,
Wassa Amenfi and Old Ningo.
Neither can one find a crested porcupine now except in the Kumasi and Accra
Zoos. In the past, the survival of our clans was based on courage and strength,
so all Ghanaian families, clans and traditional areas have their respective
TOTEMS and the Youth must be made to know these. In the Northern half of Ghana,
our chiefs are elevated to their positions on SKINS of various types of
ANIMALS. Animal skins are also used by our SOUTHERN CHIEFS and KINGS. An Akan
paramount chief requires a lion’s pelt for public ceremonies whilst his
footstool is mostly from leopard skin. All royal drums have animal skins as the
basic membrane.
The people of Chiana - Paga traditional area as well as the people of Kaleo in
the Upper East and Upper West Regions have their sacred totem as the baboon; it
is so revered for having saved the lives of their ancestors from slave raiders
some 600 years ago. On the other hand, the people of Guo and Nandom (Upper West
Region) and Nankong, Builsa and Nabdam in the Upper East Region have the patas
monkey as their totem that should never be killed or eaten. The Sirigu and
Navrongo traditional areas have the squirrel as their totem. The principal
totems in Volta Region include the lion, royal antelope and the elephant. The
people of Anfoega have the mona monkey as their totem. For the people of
Awudome, their totem is the python which is also the totem of this writer on his
father side, whilst the cat is a totem on his mother’s side. The history of the
Awudomies is that when their ancestors were migrating to their present area,
they were attacked by some war like people whose objective was to seize their
sacred stool. Miraculously, the stool turned into a python and the sacred
attackers scattered in fright. The cat is also the totem of Awudome. If you
ever attended a festival of chiefs and people in the Akan speaking areas, you
will see different kinds of linguists staff with carved objects on top of these
staffs which identifies a family or clan or tells a proverb. A careful look at
most of these carvings is representations of various animals notably Reptiles
and Birds, the Lion, the Elephant, the Eagle, the Buffalo, the Leopard, the
Snake, the Tortoise, the Crow, the Crocodile, the Parrot, the Vulture and the
Hawk. So what do these symbols stand for? The answer is that every Ghanaian
has a family or clan totem from time immemorial and it must be held sacred and
protected by members of that clan, family or tribe for their spiritual well
being. We are NOT Europeans so dear reader, what is your totem after reading
this article? You must know it and tell your children and friends otherwise you
are doomed and living in perpetual darkness bounded by foreign values and alien
culture which is worse than death. I am done
Aluta Continua
Clement Sangaparee
United Cadres Front
C/O Box 32, Obuasi
E-mail: clementsang@yahoo.com
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