Oheneba is a regal rank given to both female or male child of a king or chief. It is the equivalent of
prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
or
princess
Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince.
Princess as a subst ...
(from
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''
princeps
''Princeps'' (plural: ''principes'') is a Latin word meaning "first in time or order; the first, foremost, chief, the most eminent, distinguished, or noble; the first man, first person". As a title, ''princeps'' originated in the Roman Republic w ...
'', meaning principal citizen).
Most often, the term has been used for the child of a king, or for the daughter of a
king
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
twi
Twi () is a dialect of the Akan language spoken in southern and central Ghana by several million people, mainly of the Akan people, the largest of the seventeen major ethnic groups in Ghana. Twi has about 17-18 million speakers in total, includ ...
and
akan Akan may refer to:
People and languages
*Akan people, an ethnic group in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire
*Akan language, a language spoken by the Akan people
*Kwa languages, a language group which includes Akan
*Central Tano languages, a language group w ...
word ''ohene'', meaning "the chief or king" and ''''ba'''' also via a twi and akan word, meaning child, with the two meaning the ''''chief's child'''' or the ''''king's child''''.
Oheneba as a courtesy title
In the Akan tradition and
Akan chieftaincy
In many parts of West Africa, there is an old chieftaincy tradition, and the Akan people have developed their own hierarchy, which exists alongside the democratic structure of the country. The Akan word for the ruler or one of his various court ...
, the child of a king or chief does not ascend the throne when his or her father dies due to their
Matrilineal
Matrilineality is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which each person is identified with their matriline – their mother's Lineage (anthropology), lineage – and which can in ...
inheritance and succession. However the children are given the title ''Oheneba'' which means the ''''chief's child'''' or the ''''king's child''''. The title is maintained even when their fathers (the king) passes on.
Notable people with the title Oheneba;
* Oheneba Lesley Akyaa Opoku Ware (Daughter of Otumfuo
Opoku Ware II
Otumfuo Opoku Ware II (born Jacob Matthew Poku, 30 November 1919 – 26 February 1999) was the 15th Asantehene. He succeeded his uncle Osei Tutu Agyeman Prempeh II on the 27th July 1970. He ruled for 29 years until his death in February 1999 ...
, the 15th King of the
Ashanti Kingdom
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 ...
(
Asantehene
The is the title for the monarch of the historical Ashanti Empire as well as the ceremonial ruler of the Ashanti people today. The Ashanti royal house traces its line to the Oyoko (an ''Abusua'', or "clan") Abohyen Dynasty of Nana Twum and t ...
)
* Oheneba Adusei Poku (Son of Otumfuo
Opoku Ware II
Otumfuo Opoku Ware II (born Jacob Matthew Poku, 30 November 1919 – 26 February 1999) was the 15th Asantehene. He succeeded his uncle Osei Tutu Agyeman Prempeh II on the 27th July 1970. He ruled for 29 years until his death in February 1999 ...
, the 15th King of the
Ashanti Kingdom
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 ...
(
Asantehene
The is the title for the monarch of the historical Ashanti Empire as well as the ceremonial ruler of the Ashanti people today. The Ashanti royal house traces its line to the Oyoko (an ''Abusua'', or "clan") Abohyen Dynasty of Nana Twum and t ...
)
*Oheneba Mensah Bonsu (Hiahene) (Caretaker and Uncle of