{"id":334,"date":"2016-07-19T16:44:09","date_gmt":"2016-07-19T16:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vetter.sites.grinnell.edu\/ghana\/?p=334"},"modified":"2016-11-29T20:02:26","modified_gmt":"2016-11-29T20:02:26","slug":"enstoolment-of-chief-video-selection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vetter.sites.grinnell.edu\/ghana\/uncategorized\/enstoolment-of-chief-video-selection\/","title":{"rendered":"Enstoolment of Chief Video Selection"},"content":{"rendered":"

Video Selection:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The video clip begins in front of the house of Mr. Ocansey\u2019s mother, where on the second floor he, several local chiefs, and a representative of his asafo<\/i> organization are meeting. In front of the house we see the palanquin being readied, the granddaughter of Mr. Ocansey dressed in a kente cloth (a chief being carried in a palanquin will always be accompanied by a young relative so that if something tragic should happen to him his spirit will be passed on to his kin), a linguist, and, as the camera pans left, a few akomfo<\/i> who will lead the impending outdooring procession through town.
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\nThe paramount chief\u2019s fontomfrom<\/i> ensemble, set up across the street, warms up the crowd that is gathered in anticipation of the appearance of Mr. Ocansey and his accompanying officials.
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\nAs the officials descend the stairway, Mr. Ocansey is the third in line wearing the lighter-colored kente<\/i> cloth and holding a ceremonial machete in his right hand. As women hold sheets around the palanquin to shield the spectators\u2019 view of the chief entering it, we can see drummers of an\u00a0maintain<\/i>\u00a0ensemble, which\u00a0consists primarily\u00a0of\u00a0dondo<\/i>\u00a0(hourglass) and mpintintao<\/i>\u00a0(single-head vessel) drums. I was unsuccessful\u00a0in\u00a0finding out where this drumming group came from, but perhaps the drums belong to one of the lesser chiefs in the Anomabu Traditional Area.
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\nLibations are poured to the ancestors whose protection and support is requested for the event.
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\nThe palanquin is hoisted onto the heads of the four bearers and the procession is off to the festive cacophony of aben,<\/i> rounds fired from guns, and the chiefly fontomfrom<\/i> ensemble.
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\nThe procession, with an asafo<\/i> company immediately in front of the palanquin carrying Mr. Ocansey, makes its way through the town of Anomabu.
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\nThe route of the possession includes visits to all seven asafo<\/i> company posts, at each of which the palanquin circles the shrine while music and gunshots add to the festive mood. Symbolically, these visits to the posts communicate each company\u2019s affirmation of the new chief\u2019s legitimacy and their support of him as a community leader. Here we see the procession circling around the shrine of Asafo<\/i> Co. No. 1.
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\nWe see the entourage exiting from another asafo<\/i> post. At the head of the procession are representatives of the paramount chief, followed by akomfo,<\/i> drummers and flag bearers of several asafo<\/i> companies, the palanquin, and celebrants mostly from Mr. Ocansey\u2019s abusua. <\/i>
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\nThe chief’s fontomfrom<\/i> ensemble rejoins the procession. A sense of the intensity of this type of drumming can be garnered from this excerpt.
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\nThe procession continues through town, with the new chief and his young relative continuously moving to the music and acknowledging the well-wishers.
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\nOnce the procession arrives at the palace the palanquin is moved randomly around the courtyard as the mpintin<\/i> and fontomfrom<\/i> ensembles continue to provide excitement with their music.
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\nThe fontomfrom<\/i> group strikes up a new piece, inspiring participants to dance. We see some of the invited guests seated under canopies at the edge of the palace courtyard.
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\nThe ceremony that followed consisted mostly of speeches, the pouring of libations, and the saying of prayers and oaths of allegiance. There was, however, one brief segment when members of an asafo<\/i> company provided an unaccompanied song.<\/p>\n