Indigenous and Exogenous Sources. The Akan People: A documentary History

Abstract

The sources in this volume are separated into two categories: indigenous and exogenous. Alongside the well-written prefatory essay that provides a context for reading and using the sources provided in the book, Part One gives an overview of Akan cultural history and consequently of this collection at large. The first contribution from Kenya Shujaa assesses the current states of knowledge about the Akan past and equips readers with some of the major research questions that have guided investigations into Akan prehistory. This essay inter alia focuses on the question of Akan origins and the processes of urbanism and state formation. Shujaa approaches the study of Akan history from a landscape perspective, employing multiple scales of analysis in her review. What is interesting about her contribution is her masterful synthesis of Ghanaian archaeology, history, and linguistics in recreating Akan history. Following Shujaa, Kwame Daaku’s ‘History in the Oral Traditions of the Akan’ offers a prelude to the category of indigenous sources that follow his contribution.