ABSTRACT
The history of the Ashanti Union in the nineteenth century gives the impression that the Union was a loose one in which the separate States exercised a wide degree of autonomy, and showed a tendency towards complete independence. In theory members of the same clan are believed to be descendants of a remote common ancestress. In spite of the bonds of clanship and the possession of common social and political institutions, language, and religion, the Ashanti Union was, as far as can be ascertained, a loose confederation. It has been emphasized that the Union was military in purpose and character; but there were the beginnings of civil administration. The captains were members of the Asantehene's court, and they also settled disputes amongst their own subjects. The Asantehene was the point of common contact for the separate companies and captains of the Kumasi Division.
