Authors

Melanie Kawano

Publication Date

Spring 1999

Abstract

An examination of Asante and Dagari proverbs was conducted to see if the different role of the Dagaaba and Ashanti peoples in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade affected each respective society. Proverbs, culturally embedded statements, are derived from common experiences of the people and drawn from the whole of society. Therefore they capture and reflect each aspect of society as well. Thus proverbs are an ideal means of exploring the complex and sensitive issue of how the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade affected the people and vice versa. It was hypothesized that there would be proverbial differences in several categories: War and courage, forgiveness, power and leadership, and strangers. There were indeed differences found in the proverbs, as well as some similarities, that resulted in both the nature of the people involved and the roles they ended up playing in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

Disciplines

African Languages and Societies | Arts and Humanities

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