ABSTRACT
Petitions have been sent to Government by the various chiefs affected, some supporting Wenchi, as the District headquarters, according to its proximity to them. There is a tension in the social structure which is a counterpart to the economic tension about property and inheritance. The struggle between the commoners and the traditional authority took a new turn under British rule. Ashanti has been administered on the system of indirect rule which is 'the system by which the tutelary power recognizes existing African societies and assists them to adapt themselves to the functions of local government'. The constitutional custom which governed the election of chiefs did not now depend solely on the will of the people, but also on the will of Government. The existence of the British Administration implies the reduced status and prestige of the chiefs. Before the British Administration the chief was the military leader of his people.
