Early Asante religious culture centered on the belief in a Supreme Being called Nyame or Onyankopↄn (God), who created and controls everything in the universe. Natural phenomena such as water bodies, mountains, and forests, which are believed to be the progeny of Nyame, possess special powers. Abossom, the spiritual entities, serve as the intermediaries between Nyame and the people. Abosom are believed to reside in shrines which have been properly sanctified with the appropriate ritual.
Deities (Abossom) in the Asante Kingdom helped the Kingdom during the period of Asante expansionism and carried various Asantehene’s to all wars and brought them back victoriously. One of such diety (Obossom) is known Tua-kosua Kwame which is a Atano Obossom can be located at Ejisu Edwenase.
According to oral traditions, prior to the Asante Denkyira War in 1701, Asantehene Osei Tutu I invited the custodians of Tua-kosua Kwame Obossom together with the deity which was led by Opanin Yawo from Denkyira to help him fight Denkyira in which the Denkyirahene Ntim Gyakari was defeated and beheaded at Feyiase.
Upon their arrival, Asantehene Osei Tutu I asked the Ejisuhene Diko Pim to give them a land at Ejisu. The Ejisuhene also instructed one of his sub chiefs Abenasehene to give them a place for their settlement. The new settlement became known as Edwenase because the village was founded under a big tree called “dwono”. Hence, the name of the village became known as Edwenase meaning “under the dwono tree”. The people built a temple for Atuo-kosua Kwame at their new settlement and various Asante Kings consulted this deity during wars.
During 1885 dynastic quarrel in the Asante Kingdom over who should be the next Asantehene after the death of Asantehene Kwaku Duah II. The long campaign for the Asantehene position by two (2) candidates, Yaw Twereboana and Kwaku Duah (Nana Prempeh I) brought divisions among the Asante confederacy dividing the states into two factions namely “tuntumfoɔ” (the blacks) and “kɔkɔɔfoɔ (the reds) so that while “tuntumfoɔ” supported Yaw Twereboana, “kɔkɔɔfoɔ” also supported Kwaku Duah (Nana Prempeh I).
The Mamponghene Nana Kwasi Owusu Sekyere, Asotwehene Nana Kwame Kyei, Kokofuhene Nana Osei Asibe, the chief of Agona, Nsutahene, Sawuahene, Nkoranzahene, Gyaasehene of Kumase and other chiefs in Ahafo supported Yaw Twereboana. Ejisuhene Nana Kwasi Afrane I, Juabenhene, Essumegyahene, Takyimanhene, Offinsohene, Bekwaihene and other chiefs also supported Kwaku Duah (Nana Prempeh I). During the war, the commander of the army from Kumase Bantamahene, Awua and the Kumasi Nseniahene, Boadi who were in support of Prempeh I were also killed and their heads cut off.
Kumasi now appointed Ejisuhene in command of an army. According to oral tradition, in other for the Ejisuhene to win this war, he had to consult Obossom Atuo-kosua Kwame for assistance. Eventually “kɔkɔɔfoɔ” (the reds) led by Ejisuhene Nana Kwasi Afrane I as the war General emerged victorious and Kwaku Duah (Nana Prempeh I) became the Asantehene. The defeat of Yaw Twereboana’s supporters made them desert their towns. The people of Kokofu crossed the River Pra into the British Protectorate. Those from Mampong and Nsuta went to Atebubu.
In order to honour the deity for this victory, the Ejisuhene ordered for the temple to be rebuilt and enlarged. The daha leaf roof was changed to corrugated tin sheets. The motif creator-artist was called Kosae Fuo, and his apprentice was Kwaku Ntinako who hailed from Antoa. The present Edwenease temple comprises the conventional Asante courtyard structure. These are the respective shrine rooms for the drummers, the singers, and the cooks. The house of the priest is attached to the temple.
Obossom dan (shrine room) has an open yard that makes it possible to see the shrine from the courtyard. The Nyame dua is found in front of the Obossom dan (shrine room). The lower parts of both the exterior and interior walls are painted red with “ntwima”, while the upper parts of both the exterior and interior walls are painted white with “akaadoo”. There are varieties of motifs decorating the upper and lower parts of the interior walls. The exterior wall of the akyerɛmadefoↄ dan is embellished. Currently the temple is now a United Nations World heritage site and the corrugated tin sheets have now been again replaced by the daha leaves.
There about nine (9) of these deities like “Obossom Nanteɛ” serving under Atuo-kosua Kwame who is the head of all deities in the Ejisu Traditional Area. Currently, Atua-kosua Bossom do not have any Traditional Priest after the death of ↄkↄmfoↄ Kwaku Assuming about 14years ago.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Kwabena Nyarko Abronoma
