The Ashanti flag is the flag of the Ashanti people. It depicts the Golden Stool (Ashanti: Sika' dwa), the throne of the Asantehene.[1]
 | |
| Use | National flag |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Design | A horizontal tricolour of gold, black, green, fimbriated in white, with the Golden Stool stationed in the middle of flag |
History
editIn the early 1950s, the Ashanti flag was green, gold and black, with a cocoa pod and a porcupine on it.[2] In 1956, the National Liberation Movement proposed a yellow flag with a black, white and green tricolour canton as the flag of an autonomous Ashanti kingdom.[3]
Symbolism
editThe Ashanti flag has three horizontal stripes: gold for mineral wealth, black for the Ashanti people, and green for the forests.[2][4]
The emblem in the centre is the Golden Stool, a symbol of national unity and royal authority since the 18th century. According to legend, the Stool descended from heaven in a cloud of white dust and landed in the lap of the first Ashanti Emperor Osei Tutu I. It is said to possess the sunsum (soul) of the Ashanti people.[5][6][7]
A different version of the flag shows the gyemirekutu kyɛ, a hat made up of multiple different animal parts.[4]
References
edit- ^ Ashanti people (Ghana) at Flags of the World. Retrieved on August 14, 2022.
- ^ a b Brendon, P. (2010). The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire. Random House. p. 523. ISBN 978-1-4090-7796-1. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ Breschi, Roberto. "Ascianti". Retrieved 2022-08-14.
- ^ a b "Details of the symbol of authority of the Ashanti Region, the Asanteman flag". myinfo.com.gh. 2002-06-25. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
- ^ "Ashanti Golden Stool". pbs.org.
- ^ "Ashanti/Asante Stool" (PDF). rietveldacademie.nl.
- ^ Melvin F. Compton (9 February 2010). Black Lions: A First on Ashanti. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 9781462813698.