Amammerɛ and Amanneɛ: Keeping Ashanti Culture and Tradition Alive in Kumasi and Beyond

Keeping culture and tradition alive matters, whether you live in Kumasi, were raised in the diaspora, or are learning about your heritage.

In the Ashanti Region, amammerɛ is the word for culture. It shapes how people think, connect, and pass on family values.

Within that culture are the amanneɛ, the traditions seen in greetings, ceremonies, family roles, and community gatherings.

Understanding the difference between the two, and how they work together, helps you preserve what’s meaningful. It also helps pass it down with clarity and purpose, not just habit.

Understanding Amammerɛ and Amanneɛ

These two Twi words are often mixed up, but they are not the same.

• Amammerɛ (pronounced ah-mah-meh-reh) means culture. It includes the beliefs, customs, values, language, and way of life that have been passed down through generations over time.
• Amanneɛ (pronounced ah-mahn-ye) means tradition. These are the specific practices, ceremonies, and rituals that come from that culture.

Think of amammerɛ as the big picture, how people live and think. Amanneɛ are the actions that show it, like festivals, rites of passage, and greetings.

How Culture and Tradition Shape Life in Kumasi

In Kumasi and the Ashanti Region, amammerɛ (culture) and amanneɛ (tradition) guide how people relate to one another. You see it in how children greet elders. You see it in how disputes are settled with proverbs. You see it in how communities gather during important events.

Even simple things matter. For example, you do not greet, gesture, or hand something to someone with your left hand.

These actions may seem small, but they carry meaning. They reflect respect, order, and values that have been passed down through generations.

Some customs, like greeting a group from right to left, may be seen by some as “backward” or unnecessary.

But these gestures are part of showing respect in Ashanti life. Many of us follow etiquette from other places without question.

So it is worth asking, what cultural etiquette have you heard others dismiss that you still believe matters?

Culture is part of how people speak, eat, celebrate, and pass down what matters. It shows up in our language, music, food, and the stories we share.
In Akan, we say “Yɛn amammerɛ na ɛma yɛda ho adi” which translates to “it is our culture that makes us stand out.”

Kumasi’s Role in Keeping Culture Alive

Kumasi is often called the cultural heart of the Ashanti Kingdom. It is not only the seat of the Asantehene but also home to many of the region’s most respected cultural landmarks.

The Manhyia Palace Museum houses royal items, records, and sacred symbols like the Golden Stool. The museum is located on the palace grounds and preserves both political and spiritual history.

It is a living record of leadership, identity, and resistance that has been passed through generations.

In everyday life, places like Kejetia Market show tradition in action. It is one of the largest open-air markets in West Africa.

Vendors sell everything from handmade kente cloth to adinkra symbols, herbs, beads, brass works, and tools used in spiritual practice.

Crafts such as kente weaving, brass casting, and wood carving are often taught within families. They are not just jobs.

They are forms of cultural memory. Many craft patterns, colors, and symbols hold stories that teach valuable lessons or represent significant moments in Ashanti history.

Culture in Kumasi is also visible in language, names, daily habits, and social roles. It is not limited to museums or festivals. It shows up in how people live, speak, and guide their children.

Adapting Tradition in a Modern World

Ashanti culture continues to grow. In Kumasi and surrounding areas, tradition and modern life often move side by side.

You see this in how Akwasidae festivals are shared on TV and online. These events still focus on ancestral respect and community values. They now include younger generations and visitors who experience them in new ways.

Traditional foods like fufu and groundnut soup are found at home and on restaurant menus. Chiefs work with schools, assemblies, and the Asanteman Traditional Council to support decisions that protect tradition while keeping up with change.

Children learn through storytelling, music, language, and community programs. These efforts help tradition stay clear and useful.

In Twi, there is a phrase called sua tra. It refers to where people learn part of a tradition but skip the rest, sometimes because they are unaware of it, and sometimes because they believe it no longer applies.

This happens when cultural practices are carried forward without their meaning. For example, wearing waist beads as a fashion accessory, without knowing their deeper spiritual or symbolic purpose.

Or not covering your hair or wearing certain colors at a funeral, even when those customs may be part of showing respect.

Preserving tradition means being willing to learn what each act stands for and acknowledging that there is still more to understand.

When we modernize without understanding, we risk losing meaning. It helps to ask elders, learn the reasons behind customs, and take time to reflect before letting go of something that holds value.

Key Ashanti Rites of Passage: Naming, Bragoro, and Funerals

Naming Ceremony

This ceremony takes place after a child is born. An elder lightly dabs water and schnapps on the baby’s lips. The water stands for truth and goodness.

The schnapps stands for strength and the ability to face difficulty or wrong. This act is not for the child to drink. It is a blessing, meant to guide the child to speak with honesty and live a purposeful life.

Names are given based on the day of the week the child was born, such as Kwame for a boy born on Saturday and Abena for a girl born on Tuesday.

Some names reflect family hopes, character traits, or meaningful events.

Bragoro (Puberty Rites)

Bragoro marks a girl’s entry into womanhood. It is a time when she is taught about responsibility, discipline, and how to carry herself with respect.

Elders and women in the family share knowledge about their role in the home and their place in the wider clan. Since Ashanti society is matrilineal, this rite holds deep meaning.

The girl wears traditional cloth and is honored with music, blessings, and gifts. Some who have taken part often recall being given eggs to hold or eat during the process.

This small act is remembered clearly and can carry different meanings across families, such as purity, readiness, or the ability to nurture.

Some communities still hold full ceremonies. Others choose to mark it in private or smaller ways. In many places, the practice had faded, but it is now being revived.

Families are finding ways to bring the tradition back while staying true to what matters most.

Funerals

Funerals are spiritual and community-based. The body is prepared with care. It is washed, dressed in cloth that reflects status or family ties, and laid with items like gold dust, cloth, or food. These acts show honor and connect the living to the ancestors.

When inviting an elder or chief to attend, families often bring schnapps as a formal sign of respect.

In Ashanti tradition, the death itself must be communicated in the proper order. Before the news is shared publicly, key elders and family heads must be informed directly.

This often includes the abusuapanyin and other senior members of the extended family.

“Yɛate nanso yɛntee” – “We have heard, but we have not heard.” This is often heard, and means that while they know someone has passed away, they do not consider the message received because the proper cultural steps and channels have not yet been followed. Until they are informed correctly, they may not speak about it or participate in the process.

Once the said persons have been informed, the death can be announced to the broader community, and funeral arrangements can begin.

Funerals may last several days, allowing for family reflection, a public tribute, and ceremonial observance. Each part carries meaning and follows the values passed down by those who came before.

💡 Did You Know?
In Ashanti tradition, Dote Yie refers to the burial of a royal. It is a formal farewell, rich with meaning and symbolism. The ceremony includes rituals such as the display of the chief’s regalia, traditional drumming and dancing, and offerings to honor the spirit of the deceased. Dote Yie is a rite reserved for royals, reflecting their unique place in the community and history.

Chiefs and Cemetery Customs

It is widely believed that chiefs should not enter cemeteries. While they attend parts of the funeral, they refrain from going to the burial site.

This is because of their spiritual role. Chiefs are seen as living symbols of tradition and are closely tied to the ancestors.

Entering certain places, such as cemeteries, is believed to disturb this balance or expose individuals to spiritual risks. This belief is still held by many, although not everyone may follow it in the same way.

Children at Cemeteries

In Ashanti tradition, it is often said that children should not attend burials at the cemetery. Some believe their spirits are still forming and need protection.

Others say the burial space carries a kind of weight that may not be easy for children to carry or understand.

These views are part of the cultural guidance that has been passed down within families and clans.

Not every family explains or follows this custom. Some children still go to cemeteries, especially when the person who passed was close to them.

In some homes, the teaching was shared among family members. In others, it may have been forgotten or never mentioned at all.

For some, the choice to follow or not follow this practice is shaped by what they know. For others, it’s shaped by what they believe still matters.

This is one example of how tradition shifts, sometimes because the knowledge is missing, and other times because people choose to do things differently.

The Role of Elders and Oral Tradition

Elders are often teachers, guides, and decision-makers. They pass down stories, proverbs, customs, and practical knowledge. They lead during naming ceremonies, settle family disputes, and help preserve family and community history.

The ɔkyeame (linguist) speaks for leaders. They use respectful, poetic speech that honors both language and tradition.

Talking drums (known in Twi as atumpan) are also used to share messages. They speak in tones that carry meaning. These drums are used at festivals, funerals, and major events to announce, honor, or invite.

Oral tradition is still strong. It helps teach lessons and values even without books. It is how many families pass down who they are and what they believe.

How to Keep Amammerɛ and Amanneɛ Alive

Whether you live in Ghana or abroad, there are ways to carry culture and tradition in daily life:

• Speak Twi or your native language at home, even if it’s only a few words each day. It helps children become familiar and encourages you, as the grown-up, to keep learning too.
• Share family stories and proverbs. Pass them down, and also take time to learn ones you may not know yet.
• Prepare traditional meals and explain their significance. What is eaten, when, and why often tells a bigger story about your roots.
• Celebrate outdooring, Akwasidae, or other family traditions, even if you live abroad. A small gathering, a shared meal, or a spoken prayer can still carry the meaning.
• Ask your elders to explain why certain customs matter. Their knowledge is not always documented, so it’s important to write it down, record it, or share it with others.
• Use names, beads, and cloth with understanding. These are not just decorative. A name can carry family hopes. Beads may show life stages. Cloth designs and colors speak about events or emotions.

Even if you live far apart from family in Ghana, connection is still possible. You may know more than you think. You can also reach out and ask when you’re unsure.

“Amammerɛ, yɛnto ntwene!”
Tradition goes on. We do not toss it aside.

Amammerɛ is culture. Amanneɛ is tradition. Together, they shape how Ashanti people live, relate, and remember.

These ways of life are not set in stone. They keep growing. They help people find their place and pass meaning from one generation to the next.

Please let us know in the comments some practices, cultures, and traditions that we should also mention.

Whether you live in Kumasi, are visiting, or are teaching your children about home from far away, these values still matter. They help us live with intention and stay connected to who we are.

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