The Ashanti Confederacy/Asanteman Council

The Ashanti Confederacy was restored on 31 st January, 1935 , by the Ashanti Confederacy Council order of 1935. The order defined the area of its jurisdiction and set up its power and constitution. Its membership consisted of the Asantehene, the head of chiefs of the divisions within the Confederacy, the Kumasi clan chiefs and five extraordinary members from Kumasi Division appointed by the Council.

The council was constituted a native authority over the divisions within the Confederacy.

Under the Native Authority ( Ashanti ) Ordinance, 1935, it was empowered to prevent crime, direct persons to attend before certain officers and bodies, and to establish a treasury.

The Ashanti Confederacy Council Order, 1947, His Excellency the Governor of Gold Coast appointed the Ashanti Confederacy as a Native Authority. It consisted of the Asantehene, the Asantehemaa, the Head Chiefs of the Divisions specified in the First Schedule to the Order, the Chief of each on the nine Kumasi clans specified in the Second Schedule of the Order, the additional representation specified in the Third Schedule of the Order, and not more than ten persons of Ashanti birth to be nominated by the Asantehene with the approval of the Chief Commissioner. (See Appendix A for the 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd Schedules).

The Confederacy Council had Executive Committee which performed such functions (other than elective functions and the powers of the Council to investigate disputes of constitutional nature) assigned to it by the Confederacy Council from time to time.

The Executive Committee consisted of the Asantehene as President and twelve persons; six of whom were selected by the Asantehene from list of eight names of members of the Council submitted by that Council and six members of the Council to be nominated by the Asantehene. This Ashanti Confederacy Order 1947 revoked the Ashanti Confederacy Order 1935.

The Asantehene became the President of the Confederacy Council and he was empowered to appoint someone to preside in his absence. The name of the Confederacy was changed to Asanteman Council in 1950. The Asanteman Council was banned by the Government of the first Republic of Ghana .

7.1 Native Courts

A committee of the Confederacy Council became the most important native court in Ashanti . The Native Courts ( Ashanti ) Ordinance, 1935, established native courts within the areas of the native authorities, defined their jurisdiction in all disputes relating to the ownership, possession or occupation of land in the Confederacy.

These courts were four grades- A, B, C, and D. A grade A court was given jurisdiction over all disputes. Only one such court was established - the Asantehene's Court A, which was entitled to exercise jurisdiction within the Confederacy over the area covered by the constituent divisions.

7.2 Asantehene's Court

The membership comprised the Asantehene, as President, the Paramount Chiefs, and the Senior Chiefs of each of Kumasi Clans. The maximum and minimum number of persons competent to transact business was five and three respectively; one of these members must always be a paramount chief. It could hear land cases either on appeal from lower courts (B and C courts) and other civil cases either on appeal from a native court of appeal or on transfer from the District Commissioner's Court.

An appeal from its own judgment lay to the Ashanti Chief Commissioner's Court.

7.3 Records of Ashanti Confederacy/Asanteman Council

The records listed here are records created or received by the Ashanti Confederacy Council (later Asanteman Council) which are of archival value. The records have been classified under the sixteen (16) headings to facilitate the use of the records.

The reference code of the Asanteman Council records is MAG 21.

The searcher is advised to consult our publication " The Holdings of Manhyia Archives (Current List)" for more detailed information on the Asanteman Council records classification. The List of Records of the Asanteman Council is available for consultation in the reading rooms.