Trees and the Domestication of Power in Asante Thought

This chapter builds on existing research into Asante identity and tradition to offer some insights into the relationship between Asante culture and the forest environment in which it was embedded. The Asante recognised (and still recognise) the fundamental centrality of that relationship to the shaping of their historical experience. Indeed, meaningful constructions placed upon the forest and the plants (and animals) contained within it is a pervasive presence in Asante thinking about culture, society and polity. This is a complicated subject, and what follows merely offers some signposts to current research and thinking on these matters (Wilks, 1975; 1993; McCaskie, 1983; 1986a; 1986b; 1989; 1992; 1995a). ¹ The chapter is in three parts. First, using the town of Agogo as case study, it explores the role of trees in defining the cultural space of Asante settlements and relates this to perceptions of the power(s) that inhere in nature. The second part then looks at the identification of the Asante ruler with shade trees in his role as guarantor of cultural integrity and discusses this in relation to phenomenological understandings of the non-human. Finally, the chapter concludes by restating the importance of the historical dimension for interpreting the thought of African peoples about the environment.