Asantehene’s great-great-grandson declares family lands in Kumasi

Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu I(Bearer of the ASHANTI GOLDENSTOOL) the pivotal warrior and founder of the Ashanti Kingdom born in 1660 and died in 1717. His daughter Nanaba Konadu Afia-Ofi and enchanting wife Yaa Achamaa Tutuwaa furthered the royal linage and family tree of Boadi-Kumasi, till this day of Asantehene Otumfuor Osei Tutu II, the current Asantehene who was enthroned on 26th April 1999.

This brief history of the Asona Abusua of Boadi and Gaoso, as narrated on the 23rd of November, 1952, by Kofi Wusu, (a descendant of Yaa Achamaa and a grand nephew of Nana Kofi Kusi) to Otumfuor Nana Sir Osei Agyeman Prempeh II, at the Palace in Manhyia.

The Asona Abusua of Boadi and Gaoso was led by Yaa Achamaa Tutuwaa who originally hailed from Kyebi Ahwinease. She first settled in Abrakasohene’s house, Nana Adu Gyamfi. Abrakaso was awed by her uncanny beauty and quickly made a report to Asantehene Osei Tutu I. The King immediately ordered then that she be brought to him. Legend has it that when he saw her, he involuntarily exclaimed ‘Obaa yi fata me’, to wit, ‘This woman is deserving of me’. The King immediately enquired from her about her roots. He then quickly asked for her hand in marriage and sent a delegation to perform her marriage rites and all other customs at Kyebi Ahwinease.(Eastern Region).

Yaa Achamaa then came along with her mother, Obie, Asamoah and her siblings, Kofi Kusi, Twum and Odwira. She settled her family in Nana Adu Gyamfi’s house (chief of Abrakaso), while the King settled with his new wife, Yaa Achamaa Tutuwaa at Hia in the palace. Due to the distance from Abrakaso to the palace, the king later brought her wife’s family down to Asokore Mampong to shorten the travelling distance from Abrakaso to the Palace.

Because of her sobriety and her constant payment of attention to the King’s needs, she became his favourite wife, much to the derision of the other wives.
Asantehene Osei Tutu I later made a request for a piece of land as final settlement for his wife from Anwomasohene Nana Osei Boa, his biological brother, through Nana Essen Boadi, the Nseniehene, this new settlement was later named after the Nseniehene.

Yaa Achamaa Tutuwaa visited her family often in Boadi. As the favourite wife of the king, the other wives now began to hate her with a passion. It is said that anytime she went to the King’s chamber, for example, to retrieve an ornament she had forgotten on a previous visit, the king will drive out any other wife who was with him then, and invite her to come to be with him. Because of this, the other wives nicknamed her ‘wo ho ye ahi’, meaning “enchanting” ’, hence the Family name “HUAHI ACHAMA TUTUWAA”.

Another point of derision by the wives of the king was that she was not able to bear him a child and so they teased her with “barrenness”. This was a situation that troubled Yaa Achama Tutuwaa greatly and brought about a noticeable change in her demeanour. Nana Osei Tutu I later noticed it and so in order to cheer her up, he created the ‘Ahenyeredwa’ to honour her. She then moved with the “Aheneyeredwa” from the palace at Hia to settle at Boadi.

Yaa Achama Tutuwaa visited her husband when it was her turn. She took along fresh palm wine (ntunkum), tapped by her brother Kofi Kusi, then used to sweeten her maize porridge. Nana Osei Tutu, having tasted and approved of this special drink, made his brother-in-law his palm-wine tap- per and later honoured him as a chief by creating the “Palm-wine Tapper’s Stool” for him. Asantehene Osei Tutu assigned two servants from the Palace, Brekani and Otuotuni Akadeboa, the former to help tap the palm wine for Kofi Kusi, his brother-in-law and the latter to hunt for bush meat with which his favourite wife Yaa Achama Tutuwaa would prepare delicious meals for him upon every visit.

Yaa Achama Tutuwaa finally gave birth to a girlchild for Asantehene Osei Tutu I, after an oracle consultation on a shrine called Afia-afi. Asantehene Osei Tutu named her child Afia Konadu Afia-Afi after the Goddesses of the Stream in Asante Afiduase. This brought great rejoicing in the king’s palace. He honoured his favourite wife with many gifts and lavish celebrations on the birth of the princess for the Kingdom.

In furtherance of the royal lineage, Nana Konadu Afia-Afi begot two children, Adwoa Yeboah and Akua Bow. Adwoa Yeboah begot Abena Anima and Kwasi Addae whilst Akua Bow had Kofi Bekoe and Kwame Abosi, great-grandson of Osei Tutu I and chief goldsmith of Asante who became the 1st Abusuapanin of the Boadi. Abena Anima, Yeboah’s daughter begot five children.

Akosua Adu Twumwaa, Yaw Opoku (2nd Abusuapanin ), Kwame Ababio, Akwesi Mensah and Yaa Dufie (2nd Customary Successor.) Akosua Adu Twumwaa, who was the 3rd customary successor, Begot Yaa Anto and Ama Nyanta. Yaa Anto begot Kwasi Owusu, who became the 3rd Abusuapanin whilst his sister Ama Nyanta, begot ten children. Akwasi Sarpong, Akua Asamoah, Yaa Tutuwaa, Akosua Achiaa, Kwame Konadu (4thAbusuapanin ), Kwame Yeboah, Abena Ataa Birago, Kwabe- na Tawiah, Adwoa Yeboah and Odeneho Odehye Nanaba Kwabena Tabiri Badu (5th Abusuapanin currently).

Ama Nyanta’s first daughter, Akua Asamoah is the mother of Yaa Afriyie A.K.A HUAHI TUTUWAA II the immediate passed 4th Customary successor), Abena Atta Birago is the mother of Odeneho Nanaba Kwesi Osei Bonsu, the President of Family Counsel.

Asantehene Osei Tutu to her wife Oheneyere Achama Tutuwaa as a result of their marriage account and offspring.

Family Lands

The town of Boadi is bounded by towns, Anwomaso, Oduom, Ayeduase, Emina and rivers Bokuro, twuwaa, adampasu and subin. More particularly described by the plan of land prepared by a Licensed Surveyor Anthony Ackah and approved on 18/12/2020 by Regional Director of Survey, Ashanti Region in favour of the family.

This plan was duly stamped at the Lands Commission with Valuation number LVD/FC/ASR/3013/2021. section (2) of Ghana’s Land Act 2020. ACT 1036 consolidate the parcel as Allodial interest as a result of the gift granted by Asantehene Osei Tutu to her wife Oheneyere Achama Tutuwaa as a result of their marriage account and offspring.