Techiman is the leading market town in Ghana and is, together with Sunyani, one of the two chief cities of the Bono and Ahafo Regions.
This is located at a historical crossroads of trade routes and the Tano River, and serves as capital of the Techiman Municipal District.
Techiman is the legendary birthplace of all of the Akan peoples (tribes)
The Fante people, according to their oral tradition, migrated from Techiman to found the coastal Mankessim Kingdom in 1252.
After Bono Manso, capital of the Bono state, was taken by the Ashanti Empire in 1723, refugees settled in Techiman and founded the Bono-Techiman state in 1740 under Ashanti sovereignty.
Techiman is the heart of the Bonokyempim clan; a group of Traditional Bono Ahafo Chiefs who eventually joined forces and fought for the creation of the Brong Ahafo Region from Ashanti Region on 4th April 1959 by the Brong Ahafo Region Act 18, 1959.
The formation of the “Bonokyempim” clan was spearheaded by the then Paramount chief of Takyiman Traditional Area, Nana Kwaakye Ameyaw III.
Techiman traditional area is blessed with rich cultural festivities celebrated among the chiefs and people of the traditional area.
Notable among the festivals which are celebrated annually are “Apoo” and “Yam” festival.
Techiman traditional area continues to enjoy peaceful socio-political atmosphere among the chiefs and people of the area.
Techiman is inarguably one of the busiest towns in Ghana; no doubt it is touted as one of the leading commercial towns in Ghana.
Techiman is the home of the biggest Traditional market in West Africa.
The trading activities of “Techiman Market” begin from Tuesday through to Friday every week in the year and attract traders from across West Africa; no wonder Techiman is popularly referred to as the “Food Basket of Ghana”.
Techiman is one of the major economic towns in Ghana generating millions of Ghana cedis annually to the economic purse of the government of Ghana through the numerous economic activities taking place in the town.
Due to the socio-economic structure of the town, the population of Techiman is highly cosmopolitan, comprising of people of divers ethnic, economic, and social-political background.
Historically, the Akans which constitute the largest ethnic group in Ghana migrated from ‘ancient Bono-Takyiman’: at a historical village called “Bono Manso” a suburb of Techiman traditional area.
According to history, Nana Akumfi Ameyaw III who traces his ancestry to King Akumfi Ameyaw I (1328-63), under whose reign the Bono Kingdom with its capital at “Bono Manso” grew to become the most powerful kingdom of its time.
Indeed oral tradition has it that nearly all the different groups of the Akans, including the Asantes, Fantes, Denkyiras, Akwamus and part of Ewes trace their origins to Bono after migrating from the “North” or Sudanic region which is South of Egypt.
The Bono territory is geographically situated between the savanna and forest zone of Ghana which makes it a prime central location for trade.
Their oral history speaks to a people that migrated from place to place until they found a suitable place to build their empire.
The word “Bono” means ‘first born’; the one created first.
Their oral history informs us that the earliest ancestors emerged from a hole in the ground.
Bono Techiman was the first centralized Akan state to be founded in the 13th century (1295) by Nana Asaaman with the capital at Amowi, then Yefri and again Bono Manso and finally Techiman.
Obiri Yeboah Chief of Kwaman a vassal state of Denkyira who embarked upon wars of expansion in his neighbourhood was killed in the 1690’s in a war against Dormaa who were then occupying the region of Suntreso.
His nephew Osei Tutu who succeeded him to continue his mission defeated his overlord Denkyira between 1699 and 1701 to form the Ashanti Kingdom.
This victory over Denkyira brought Asante dramatically to the attention of the Europeans on the Coast for the first time and the Dutch dispatching an embassy to the Asantehene’s court in 1701.
Bono Techiman state appeared on the Dutch map around 1629 just a few years after Kobea Amanfi has purchased the Kwaman land (now Kumasi) from Aberewa Yeebetuo who owned that area to establish the Kwaman Town, with Tafo, Amakom, Offinso, Dormaa etc already in existence.
Techiman existed with Tuobodom and all those villages over 400 years before Kwaman and the formation of the Ashanti Kingdom.
The Tanoboase people affirm they came from the Amowi caves with Ohene Asaaman (Bono Techiman king).
Their leader Nana Kokotipo was the first to come out of the hole (not a hole from the ground but a chain of connected caves) before the Bonohene Asaaman and they were thus called Kronti people.
Nana Kokotipo settled at Pinihi and later at Nkwakuru.
When he died, he was succeeded by his brother Amoa Sanka.
Amoa Sanka’s brother Takyi Firi a good hunter discovered Tanoboase in one of his hunting expeditions.
The sister Afua Ankomaah was possessed by a spirit and that lead to the discovery of the Taa Kora god of Tanoboase.
This same Takyi Firi was the founder of the present day Takyiman and the town is named after him.
He was the Krontihene of the Bono Techiman king and founded the town on Techimanhene’s land close to a stream where his horses used to drink water and thus the name of the stream Aponkosu near Techiman SHS and also not far from the Golden Barn (Sika Aputuo) of the Bono Techiman king.
The Royal lineage of inheritance from Nana Asaaman at Amowi to Nana Kwakye Ameyaw I at Bono Manso and finally to Nana Kyereme Kofi at Techiman has never changed and same royal Oyoko leaders.
This same Takyi Firi discovered the Twumpuduo god of Tuobodom, Taa Kofi god (Bonse) and Taa Mensah god (Techiman).
When Amoa Sanka died he was succeeded by Takyi Firi and the Takyi Firi left the Taa Kora god to the other relatives at Tanoboase led by a brother Fosu Dianwoma to become the Krontihene of Bono Techiman.
The leader of Taa Kora god is the chief of Tanoboase.
It is a stool for the Takyi Firi family and thus the relationship between the Tanoboase stool and the Krontihene stool of Techiman.
The Taa Kora god asked the people of Techiman to use the Tano river water from the rock of the Taa Kora god, Twumpuduo god of Tuobodom and Atie Kosaa god of Taa Kora for the purification of stools in Techiman.
Thus every year water was taken from these god’s for the great stool of Techiman.
During the Yam festival of the Techimanhene, the water is first sent to the Akyeamehene’s palace who in turn send it to the Krontihene to use some to purify his stools before the rest is sent to the great Ohene Ameyaw stool for purification.
This is done on a Monoyawoɔ, before the Omahene goes to the Adaa River on the Fofie for final purification.
He is accompanied by the Tanoboase messengers who block the road and would not let him pass until he had paid them some money and drinks.
During the Yam festival of the Taa Kora god the Omanhene sends a sheep, a bottle of gun powder, bottle of schnapps and a bottle of palm oil.
The Akyeamehene sends all these items.
The occupant of the Tanoboase stool is always the eldest of the Kronti family of Techiman and when the Krontihene of Techiman dies he takes over the Kronti stool until a new chief is enstooled.
The Tuobodom people also came from the hole of Amowi with Ohene Asaaman.
Their leader Nana Drobo was the son of Nana Asaaman of Bono Techiman.
He was the carrier of Nana Asaaman’s walking stick and was nicknamed ‘’Apoma Kokodwamfo’’.
Nana Drobo was a cousin of Nana Takyi Firi who later picked the Twumpoduo god of Tuobodom.
The leader of the Twumpoduo god is the chief of Tuobodom and a brother of Takyi Firi the Krontihene of Techiman.
As Nana Drobo was the son of Nana Asaaman, king of Bono Techiman, the Tuobodom stool is the son of the Ohene Ameyaw stool and then provides ‘’Ayete’’ (substitute wives) for the Ohene Ameyaw stool, and those social media historians could be shown the children of Techimanhene before the Ashanti kingdom was formed if they are bragging Tuobodom has never been under Techiman.
Also, the people of Buoyem are Oyoko people who are relatives of Ohene Asaaman of Bono Techiman.
The descendants of the first Bonohemaa, Nana Ameyaa Kesse and Ohemaa Dwamena (Dwamerewa) who was the Queen of Techiman and was captured and sent to Kumasi during the Techiman and Ashanti war of 1723 are the Buoyem royals.
The chief of Buoyem is the uncle of the Ohene Ameyaw stool.
Nana Owusu Kwakuru I an uncle of Nana Kwakye Ameyaw I, led the remnant Oyoko royals to Buoyem after the Techiman and Ashanti war alongside two wives of Nana Kwakye Ameyaw I who were of the Aduana and Asenie clans and their children to settle there.
These three clans therefore became the original settlers of Buoyem.
The Aduana children later discovered the Mpirisi grove and its deity and have been the custodians since that time.
They are the Kronti family of Buoyem.
The Asenie children of Nana Kwakye Ameyaw I are the custodians of Tano Kwabena (Tanofie people) and occupy the Adonten stool of Buoyem.
Nana Owusu Kwakuru I, who took over the Bono kingdom after the war nominated his nephew Nana Takyia Ameyaw I to gather the scattered people to re-establish the once glorious Bono Kingdom.
He later turned into a river on the Takyiman–Buoyem road, river Takyia, whilst visiting the uncle at Buoyem.
It is a taboo for any sitting Takyimanhene to see the waters of river Takyia when going to the uncle at Buoyem.
The Ohene Ameyaw stool of Buoyem and the Ohene Ameyaw Stool of Techiman are inseparable, hence Buoyem is not and can never be an Asante town.
They are the relatives and children of Ohene Ameyaw.
When the Ohene Ameyaw stool is vacant and there is no Queen, it’s the chief of Buoyem who can nominate a royal to occupy the Ohene Ameyaw stool.
Techimanhene Nana Kyereme Kofi (1783 – 1831) was nominated by the uncle and chief of Buoyem Nana Ameyaw Kwarteng Amaniampong I to occupy the Ohene Ameyaw stool in 1783.
The Afutu Stool or Tanosohene was a stool created by Bonohene Nana Kwakye Ameyaw l (1712–1740) for the children of a woman he married called Afua Owusuaa, therefore the stool is the son of Ohene Ameyaw stool and provides “Ayete” (substitute or stool wife) for the Ohene Ameyaw stool.
Their leader was the caretaker of Nana Asaaman’s Cup when the Techiman people came out of the Amowi caves and were thus known as “Nkuruwaa foɔ”.
The Nkuruwaa family are the Royals of the Tanoso stool.
During Apoo festivals the Amprofi stool of Tanoso is sent on foot from Tanoso to Techiman by the Queen to embrace the father (Techimanhene) 3 times.
At Kuntunuso the odikro brings a white stool for the stool to be put on it and libation poured.
At Hansua the stool is put on the labs of the Hansuahene (Barimhene) for libation to be poured before he leads the Queen and the stool to the sacred grove of Ohene Ameyaw and finally to the Omanhene’s place for the stool to embrace the father.
Between 1818 – 1819 when the Asantehene Osei Bonsu consulted the gods in these Tekyiman towns to assist in the defeat of Nana Adinkra of Gyaman.
The leaders of the gods in these villages are the chiefs of the town with the exception of Buoyem.
The gods helped him to be victorious especially Taa Kora of Tanoboase and Twumpuduo of Tuobodom.
After the victory parade in Kumasi, Nana Osei Bonsu decided to seize these villages from the Techimanhene, Nana Kyeremeh Kofi.
The villages were Tanoso, Tanoboase, Tuobodom, Buoyem, Ofuman, Nkyiraa and Branam.
The Golden Beaded Stool and The Origins of The Denkyira People
This was a calculated effort to reduce the might and wealth of Bono Techiman.
After taking all the lands for Offinso from Nfutudwaneemu (near Abofuor) to New Takyiman and all that parcel of land forming the Nkoranza Traditional Area for some Ashantis to rule, the Ashantis still wanted to reduce Techiman to a very small state.
After taking the Queen (Bonohemaa), Nana Dwamena (Dwamerewa) captive to Kumasi to show them the customs of items stolen from Techiman they also started using the water fetched from Taa Kora god, Twumpuduo and the Atie kosaa god of Tanoso for the purification of their golden stool.
When the Ashantis seized these villages, they placed them under some Ashanti chiefs.
For instance Tuobodom was placed under the Nsumankwaahene and he also started taking ‘’ayete’’ (substitute wife) from the royal family so that the children will also be chiefs like the Techimanhene children.
In 1896 Prempeh I was captured by the British and like what the rulers of Gyaman and Sefwi had done in 1896, Nana Gyarko I, the then Techimanhene also signed a treaty of friendship and protection with the British Government on the 5th June 1897.
The treaty placed Takyiman people under British rule for a guarantee of peace and protection.
The signing of the treaty returned these villages back to Techiman and then at least Techiman was able to free itself from the yoke of Ashantis.
If the Ashantis conquered Techiman in 1723 and took a large parcel of their land for Offinso and Nkoranza just to reduce the wealth and might of Bono Techiman, and again 95 years later in 1818 after reducing the state to that small community by taking all the big villages in Techiman at that time, whiles the British also conquered the Ashantis in 1896 and returned these villages to Techiman, what is the mistake in this?. The nine villages in contention were restored to Techiman by the Colonial Government and Techiman administered these towns from then (1897) untill 1935, when the Ashanti confederacy was restored.
Upon the addition of Ashanti and the Northern territories to the Gold Coast Colony, the requirement of expatriate staff of trained administrators grew rather larger and became a real burden for the colonists.
By the mid 1930’s, Lord Luggard’s policy of indirect Rule had been a great success in Northern Nigeria where he ruled through powerful chiefs in whom he centralised power, this was very appealing and a welcome relief to the colonists in Gold Coast who decided to centralise all power in the northern part of the Gold Coast in one influential chief through whom they could rule.
They saw in the Asantehene an ideal central authority and did all they could to subjugate hitherto independent states to the Asantehene so as to rule through him.
Six out of ten Bono Divisions (including Techiman) opposed to the reconstitution of the confederacy.
Finally, Techiman was put under pressure to join the confederacy in November, 1935.
Techiman was made to appear before a committee of privileges, a sub-committee of the confederacy on the 18th of June, 1935 with the Chief Commissioner, F.W.F. Jackson, The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Agyeman Prempeh II, The Bekwaihene, Nana Kwame Poku IV, The Adontenhene Nana J.K. Frimpong and the Agonahone, Nana Kwadwo Apaw as the members of the committee.
The Asantehene and his Chiefs as judges in their own case decided to take the nine villages back from Techiman because when the villages were transferred back to Techiman by the Government after the deportation of Prempeh I and officially after the Yaa Asantewaa war of 1900, Prempeh I was not consulted as he was on exile.
From observation, Ashanti conquered Techiman and seized these villages but British conquered Ashanti and gave the villages back to Techiman.
Indeed the Akans were one big family but inter-tribal wars scattered them all over Ghana.
