Gyaman (also spelled Jamang, Gyaaman) was a medieval

Akan people The Akan () people live primarily in present-day Ghana and Ivory Coast in West Africa. The Akan language (also known as ''Twi/Fante'') are a group of dialects within the Central Tano branch of the Potou–Tano subfamily of the Niger–Congo ...

state, located in what is now the

Bono region The Bono region is one of the 16 administrative regions of Ghana. It is as a result of the remainder of Brong-Ahafo region when Bono East region and Ahafo region were created. Sunyani, also known as the green city of Ghana, is the regional capit ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

and

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

. Gyaman was founded by the

Bono people The Bono, also called the Brong and the Abron, are an Akan people of West Africa. Bonos are normally tagged Akan piesie or Akandifo of which Akan is a derivative name. Bono is the genesis and cradle of Akans. Bono is one of the largest ethnic gr ...

, a branch of the Akan, in the late 15th century. The Bono then proceeded to conquer the Kulangos,

Nafana The Nafana are a Senufo people living in the central north-west of Ghana and the north-east of Côte d'Ivoire, in the area east of Bondoukou. They number about 45, 000 (SIL/GILLBT 1992) and they speak Nafaanra, a Senufo language. They are surro ...

Ligbi The Ligbi (or Ligby) people speak a Mande language in Ghana, in the north-west corner of the Brong-Ahafo Region. Ligbi is spoken by approximately 10,000 speakers (1988 GILLBT/ SIL). It is fairly closely related to Jula, Vai and Kono. A small ...

s, and other ethnic groups of the area."The impact of Colonial rule on the Gyaman State" written by J.K. Agyemang, A.E. Ofosu Mensah & E.Y. Gyamerah Before European colonial administration in the late 19th century, the Gyaman king, known as the

Gyamanhene Gyaman (also spelled Jamang, Gyaaman) was a medieval Akan people state, located in what is now the Bono region of Ghana and Ivory Coast. See also * Akan people *Ghana *Gold Coast * Lists of incumbents References {{DEFAULTSORT:Akan State ...

, sat in

Amanvi Amanvi is a town in eastern Ivory Coast. It is a sub-prefecture of Tanda Department in Gontougo Region, Zanzan District. Amanvi was a commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other d ...

, although four provincial chiefs held the kingdom's real power. The economy centered on the capital

Sampa __NOTOC__ The Speech Assessment Methods Phonetic Alphabet (SAMPA) is a computer-readable phonetic script using 7-bit printable ASCII characters, based on the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). It was originally developed in the late 1980s for ...

and the Dyula market town of

Bonduku Bondoukou (var. Bonduku, Bontuku) is a city in northeastern Ivory Coast, 420 km northeast of Abidjan. It is the seat of both Zanzan District and Gontougo Region. It is also a Communes of Ivory Coast, commune and the seat of and a sub-prefect ...

in modern-day Ivory Coast. The adinkra symbols are originated and designed through the handiwork and tireless effort of Bonohene Nana Kwadwo Agyemang Adinkra of Gyaman. In the 19th century, Gyaman was subjugated by the

Ashanti Empire The Asante Empire (Asante Twi: ), today commonly called the Ashanti Empire, was an Akan state that lasted between 1701 to 1901, in what is now modern-day Ghana. It expanded from the Ashanti Region to include most of Ghana as well as parts of Iv ...

. It regained its independence following the Ashanti defeat by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

. In 1888, Gyaman king Agyeman signed a treaty of protection with

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, but the French failed to establish a post in the kingdom, leaving it vulnerable to

Samori Samory Toure ( – June 2, 1900), also known as Samori Toure, Samory Touré, or Almamy Samore Lafiya Toure, was a Muslim cleric, a military strategist, and the founder and leader of the Wassoulou Empire, an Islamic empire that was in present-day ...

's 1895 invasion. The French later expelled Samori in 1897, incorporating western areas of Gyaman into

French West Africa French West Africa (french: Afrique-Occidentale française, ) was a federation of eight French colonial territories in West Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now Burki ...

.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.

References

* Countries in medieval Africa History of Ivory Coast French West Africa History of Ghana States and territories established in 1450 Akan Former monarchies {{Ghana-geo-stub