Language and Ethnic Group
"Being from Africa is the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I cannot see it any other way. All of my fundamental principles that were instilled in me in my home, from my childhood, are still with me."Hakeem Olajuwon
 |
| Ashanti Symbol "Gye Nyame"(Trust in God) Adowa is a traditional Ghanian dance. Every step and hand gesture symbolizes a different word in connection with the beat of the music. It is usually performed at funerals, but its popularity has made it so that it is now performed in other settings such as this. |
I am Ashanti, Ghanian. This means that my ancestry can be traced back to wealthiest people of Ghana. This tribe is the biggest of all the tribes in Ghana, and most Ashanti's live in Ashanti region which is located in the middle of the Ghanaian. Kumasi is the capital city of Ashanti region. As Ashantis we speak Asante Twi.Twi is a popular language in Ghana, but the dialect can often differ greatly depending on what tribe and region of the country the person speaking it comes from, --there are about 10 different dialects of this language! I speak Twi quite fluently, however, having lived in Canada for so long, I often mispronounce certain words. Regardless of this I am quite comfortable speaking it to other Ghanians.
One well know Ashanti is former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Some of the traditional values of the Ashanti people include fairness, wisdom, respect, honesty, integrity, unity, and education. Ashanti's believe in a matriarchal society. This means traditional values are passed down from the mother as a strong symbol of womanhood to the children. I believe that my personal values are very much aligned with those of my cultural group.
Do your personal values contradict or are they aligned with your cultural group?
I was raised believing that wisdom, hard-work, and education are the most important values for one's personal growth, as well as hold the key to one's success and happiness in life. As a woman, I know that it is my job to ensure these important values are passed down to my children in order to make them excellent citizens in the Ashanti community, as well as the global community. One value I do not agree with is that an Ashanti person must marry either another Ashanti person, or someone from a tribe who the family believe are close enough in hierarchy to the Ashanti tribe. As someone who was raised in a different country, I have seen marriages between people of different tribes, and nationalities prosper despite their differences. As a result, I will teach my children that they may marry anyone of their choosing, as long as the person holds the same values, and morals as they do. One interesting custom of the Ghanaian community I will continue is naming my children according to the day of the week when they are born. There is a separate set of girl names, and boy names. Modern Ghanaian tend to give their children two names, an English name, and a Ghanaian name. This custom can be traced back to the early days of colonialism, where Christian missioners baptized Ghanaian children in English names, but the children were still referred to by their Ghanaian names among their family and friends. In modern society however, many Ghanaian choose to give their children an English name because they believe it is easier for the children to assimilate into western culture with an English name. Below is a chart of Ghanaian names.
DAY OF THE WEEK | BOY | GIRL |
SUNDAY | KWASI | AKOSUA |
MONDAY | KWADWO | ADWOA |
TUESDAY | KWABENA | ABENA |
WEDNESDAY | KWAKU | AKUA |
THURSDAY | YAW | YAA |
FRIDAY | KOFI | AFIA |
SATURDAY | KWAME | AMA |
http://www.ashanti.com.au/pb/wp_8078438f.html
No comments:
Post a Comment