When they arrived on the coast of Ghana in 1471, Portuguese sailors were astonished by the highly structured kingdoms they encountered. This initial contact, along with the area's reputation for being wealthy, encouraged Westerners to settle in the region and to trade bronze and European manufactured objects for Ghanaian gold and slaves. These first Europeans only me a fraction of the Ghanaian population who occupy a large territory that can be separated into three distinct areas for the purpose of this description.
The first area, which lies along the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, is a flat plain covered with shrubs occasionally interrupted by lagoons. It is divided into numerous kingdoms of which the most well known are the Fante and the Ewe. The second area includes the central part of the country. It is a forest area where the most renowned tribe is undoubtedly the Asante (also known as the Ashanti). The Asante tribe, as well as other peoples living in central and south Ghana, speak the Twi language and collectively form the Akan people. The third area, in northern Ghana, is covered by savannah and is the habitat of Gur speaking people whose traditions and religions are still poorly understood.
Akan artistic production focuses primarily on decorative art objects. These fall into several categories - statues, furniture and jewelry. Statues and stools were occasionally placed in royal and commoner shrines - a room where magical materials such as brass vessels and amulets were kept. The artist production of the entire Ghanaian tribal population is strongly influenced by the aesthetic traditions of the Asante tribe. In fact, it is almost impossible to attribute a specific type of sculpture to a specific tribe, given that Asante carvers and artisans travelled across Ghana and spread the Asante aesthetic tradition countrywide.
