Gyaman (also spelled Jamang and Gyaaman) was a medieval Akan state, located in what is now the Bono region of Ghana and Ivory Coast. According to oral tradition, Gyaman was founded by the Akwamu, Aduana clan, a branch of the Akan, in the late 17th century.[1] The Gyamans then proceeded to conquer the Kulangos, Nafanas, Ligbis, and other ethnic groups of the area.[2]

Gyaman (Gyaaman)
Jamang (Jaman)
c. 1650–1895
CapitalSampa
Common languagesTwi
Religion
GovernmentMonarchy
History 
• Established
c. 1650
• Renamed Jaman North and Jaman South of Brong-Ahafo
1957
• Dissolved into Ghana
1895
CurrencyGold dust, cowries and
(Salt, copper)
Religious artifact depicting fertility

Before European colonial administration in the late 19th century, the Gyaman king, known as the Gyamanhene, sat in Amanvi, although four provincial chiefs held the kingdom's real power. The economy centered on the capital Sampa and the Dyula market town of Bonduku in modern-day Ivory Coast. The adinkra symbols originated and were designed through the handiwork and tireless effort of Gyamanhene Nana Kwadwo Agyemang Adinkra of Gyaman, although the actual creator of the adinkra symbols was most likely an earlier Gyaman artist with the name Adinkra much before the time of Kwadwo Adinkra.[3][4]

In the 19th century, Gyaman was subjugated by the Ashanti Empire. It regained its independence following the defeat of the Ashanti by the British. In 1888, Gyaman king Agyeman signed a treaty of protection with France, but the French failed to establish a post in the kingdom, leaving it vulnerable to Samori's 1895 invasion. The French later expelled Samori in 1897, incorporating western areas of Gyaman into French West Africa.[5][2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Stahl, Ann Brower (2001). Making History in Banda. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 190. ISBN 9781139428866.
  2. ^ a b "The impact of Colonial rule on the Gyaman State" written by J.K. Agyemang, A.E. Ofosu Mensah & E.Y. Gyamerah
  3. ^ "Adinkra Symbols | African Themed Weddings | African Wedding Ceremonies | African Wedding Traditions". Archived from the original on 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  4. ^ Boateng, Boatema (2011). The Copyright Thing Doesn't Work Here: Adinkra and Kente Cloth and Intellectual Property in Ghana. U of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0-8166-7002-4.
  5. ^ A Profile of Bono Kyempem (Essays on the Archaeology, History, Language and Politics of the Brong Peoples of Ghana), Edited with Introduction by Kwame Arhin. Senior Research Fellow, Institute o f African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon.