15th century – 18th century
Gold Coast and Côte d’Ivoire
Akan migrations across Lower Guinea between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries reshaped the settlement and linguistic map of the Gold Coast and Côte d’Ivoire. Akan groups first moved north and east, then south and west, with a particularly large migration between 1680 and 1730 into Nzima, Aowin, Sefwi, Ahafo, northern Bono, Anyi, and Baule areas. Interaction with established populations produced new groups and contributed to the division between Eastern and Western Akan.
Continue exploring
The Story
Akan migration in Lower Guinea unfolded between 1500 and 1800, especially during the seventeenth century and the early decades of the eighteenth. In the sixteenth century, Akan groups moved first north and east toward the present Kumasi, Mampong, and Akyem areas, then south and southwest into Wassa, Igwira, Sanwi, and Assini. These movements occurred in small clan and lineage groups rather than as a single mass migration.
During the seventeenth century, further Akan groups moved north and northwest, as well as southwest toward Wassa, Sefwi, and the lagoon areas of Côte d’Ivoire. The largest recorded phase in the extract occurred between 1680 and 1730, when Akan migrants entered Nzima, Aowin, Sefwi, Ahafo, northern Bono, Anyi, and Baule areas. By the middle of the eighteenth century, the Akan movement appears to have diminished.
Migration brought Akan groups into contact with populations speaking different languages. In densely inhabited areas, these encounters produced new ethno-linguistic formations, including the Anyi, Baule, and Sefwi, while other mixed communities were collectively described as Lagunaires. The longer-term result was the broad division of Akan society into Eastern Akan and Western Akan groupings.
15th century – 18th century
Gold Coast and Côte d’Ivoire
Akan migrations across Lower Guinea between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries reshaped the settlement and linguistic map of the Gold Coast and Côte d’Ivoire. Akan groups first moved north and east, then south and west, with a particularly large migration between 1680 and 1730 into Nzima, Aowin, Sefwi, Ahafo, northern Bono, Anyi, and Baule areas. Interaction with established populations produced new groups and contributed to the division between Eastern and Western Akan.
Continue exploring
The Story
Akan migration in Lower Guinea unfolded between 1500 and 1800, especially during the seventeenth century and the early decades of the eighteenth. In the sixteenth century, Akan groups moved first north and east toward the present Kumasi, Mampong, and Akyem areas, then south and southwest into Wassa, Igwira, Sanwi, and Assini. These movements occurred in small clan and lineage groups rather than as a single mass migration.
During the seventeenth century, further Akan groups moved north and northwest, as well as southwest toward Wassa, Sefwi, and the lagoon areas of Côte d’Ivoire. The largest recorded phase in the extract occurred between 1680 and 1730, when Akan migrants entered Nzima, Aowin, Sefwi, Ahafo, northern Bono, Anyi, and Baule areas. By the middle of the eighteenth century, the Akan movement appears to have diminished.
Migration brought Akan groups into contact with populations speaking different languages. In densely inhabited areas, these encounters produced new ethno-linguistic formations, including the Anyi, Baule, and Sefwi, while other mixed communities were collectively described as Lagunaires. The longer-term result was the broad division of Akan society into Eastern Akan and Western Akan groupings.