DORMAA - MAN : STATE - DISTRICT by Nana Gyamfi-Kumanini The book Dormaa-Man will appear in a sequel in Cross Cultures; by permission from the author: Mr. Nana Gyamfi-Kumanini of Wamfie, Ghana. "Nana" is a title to address or refer to a Chief, King, Queen, His/Her Royal Highness ... and is used in that context throughout the book (but in other instances could mean grandmother or grandfather). Mr. Nana Gyamfi-Kumanini has dedicated this book to his mother, Nana Abenaa Afima, the Queen of the Mansin State, (who recounted the great contribution of the women in the society), and her brother, his uncle, Nana Kwasi Ansu-Gyeabour, the chief of Wamfie alias Mansinhene (who narrated the history). The sole purpose of the book is to provide a chronologically recorded document on Dormaa- Man, its history, culture and the 20 years crisis. The author immigrated to Canada in 1971 and completed the book in 1989 during his studentship at Wilfrid Laurier University, in Waterloo. Introduction:

Dormaa-Man is geographically situated in the western part of the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana. Being the second largest in the region after Nkoranza, Dormaa-Man is separated from Berekum by the Amoma river. Similarly, the Ntaabene river forms the boundary between Drobo and Dormaa-Man. The estuary of the Atroni river, the Nyinakonton and Twiwaa rivers, Ntotoroso and Tadieso all bar Dormaa-Man from Sunyani. The rivers Mintimini and Bia also separate Ahafo from Dormaa-Man. The word "Dormaa" is the coded form of the main sentence 'Do wo man' : love thy state or be patriotic. Dormaa-Man comprises the people who migrated from Dankyira, now known as the Mansins (Mansinfo) and those from Akwamu now called Dormaafo. Even though the two groups met and became one, forming the present day Dormaa state (Dormaa-Man) they still exhibit equal autonomy. Wamfie and Wam Pamu became the traditional capitals of the Mansins and the Dormaas, respectively. However, Wam Pamu was renamed Dormaa Ahenkwo after it was accorded the status of district capital.

When the two groups met, it was realized that it would be in their mutual interest to form an alliance. The leader of the Akwamus was a man, while the Mansins had a woman as their leader. Also the Akwamus outnumbered the Dankyiras (the Mansins). Because there was an urgent need to unite to contest with the surrounding warring states, the Akwamus were allowed to lead the new alliance. The female leader of the Dankyiras was to help in administering the state. From Ashanti, the new state (of Dormaa-Man) moved to Bomaa and Maaban. From there the people pushed westward to Chiraa and finally in the 'Wam area' the present day Dormaa-Man.

For the following decade and a half the new state was blessed with prosperity and peace. This period was also characterized by inter-marriage between the Dankyiras and the Akwamus. With this stable base, the Dormaas became very powerful and were able to defeat the Ashantis, killing the then Ashantehene Obiri Yeboa during a war and keeping his skull in the traditional capital of the Dormaa-Man. However, the Ashantis had their revenge in a later war during which they were led by Osei Tutu, a nephew and successor of Obiri Yeboa.

The victory was largely attributed to the efforts of Okomfo Anokye, Osei Tutu's aide-de-camp, who, it was alleged, cast a spell on the Dormaas. (It is known that it was not magic but a shortage of gunpowder which caused the defeat).

Thus the Dormaas became the subjects of the Ashantis and had to pay homage and tributes to the Ashanti stool. This, then, was the situation until the Borong Ahafo Region was created in 1959. As a result of the creation of this regional autonomy, the Dormaas were discharged of their obligation to the Ashantehene.

Tension arose between Wamfie and the Dormaa Traditional Council around the time a branch of the Convention Peoples Party was formed in the area in 1950. In order to develop the area, the Traditional Council decided to levy a charge on the sale of each load of cocoa. Unfortunately, this noble intention was defeated as the money was misappropriated and the few projects undertaken were situated at places favourable to the Dormaas as well as to uneconomic areas. All the complaints lodged by the chief and the elders of Wamfie went unheeded. This situation forced the people of Wamfie to join the National Liberation Movement, founded by Baffour Akoto, which was later incorporated in the United Party with the Northern Peoples Party. This developed into a crisis with the brewing of political tension between the two main political parties in the country at that time. The people of Wamfie were not spared the political divisions which characterized politics in the pre-Independence years. In 1952 the Dormaa people attacked Wamfie. The chief of Wamfie, Nana Kwasi Ansu, and some of his elders were arrested and sent to Sunyani. The trial and the subsequent trials found the Dormaas guilty, but the C.P.P. government felt that there would be peace in the area only if Nana Ansu and some of his elders were exiled, and so they were in 1958.

In 1961 the exiled elders of Wamfie were allowed to return home, except for Nana Ansu and the late Nana Kofi Agyei-Mumifie, then the Benkumhene of Wamfie, and Mr. J.M. Yeboa. They tarried in Kumasi and Takoradi until November 6,1966 when the N.L.C. lifted the ban and Nana Ansu returned home to a grand and colourful durbar organized by his people to welcome him. His return, however, did not reduce the tension between the people of Wamfie and Dormaa.

The irony of the situation is that the Wamfiehene and the Dormaahene are cross-cousins. It was Nana Ansu who insisted on Nana Agyeman Badu's enstoolment as the Dormaahene in 1950.

On October 7th, 1970, Dr. K.A. Busia, then Prime Minister of Ghana, finally reconciled the two chiefs, after all previous attempts had failed. I personally appreciated this deed by Dr. Busia and endorsed it. The Dormaas were found to be at fault by Busia's arbitration tribunal and Nana Agyeman Badu was asked to compensate Nana Ansu, who used the money to settle state debts.

On April 7th, 1971, a grand durbar at Dormaa Akenduro took place marking the people's thanks to the Prime Minister and their first formal gathering after the settlement. This day was also the official inauguration of the Government transport system to the area.

I took no mean role in these activities and the reconciliation processes as a whole. Peace having been restored, there was an accelerated development in Dormaa-Man and Wamfie in particular.

Nana Kwasi Ansu-Gyeabour died of old age on the 23rd of April , 1980. to be continued...

This article was originally published in Cross Cultures Magazine in Volume 1 - Issue 2 - 1992. Unauthorized copying, distribution or other usage without express written permission of the publisher is prohibited.