A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ANUFO PEOPLE

The Anufos in Ghana originally were part of the Ayi/ Baule people who fled the Ashantis in a conflict that ensued during a succession to the stool (throne) after the death of one of their kings (Chiefs) in the early part of the eighteenth century (1717-1772). They then migrated from the south western part of present day Ghana crossing the Comoe river to an area in present day Ivory Coast (La Cote d Ivoire). The Anufos actually speak Ayi/ Baule dialect. The Anufos are Akans per their ancestral origin and the Anufo language is closely related to other Akan languages.

The Anufos migrated to their present locations in Ghana, Togo and Benin from an area called, Anou situated between the Nzie and Comoe rivers of present day central Cote D’Ivoire so they call themselves ‘Anufom’ meaning ‘people of Anou.’ Anufos have pre-colonial historical links with Gonjas and the Mampuruses northern Ghana for more than 250 years. The Anufos are playmates to the Gonjas and the Mampuruses; and oral traditions the Gonjas and Mampuruses maintain that, the Anufos were their ‘slaves’ contracted to fight for them while the Anufos maintain that, they are ‘masters’ who fought wars for the Gonjas and Mampuruses but have not been paid for their services.

The Anufos migrated to their present places because they were warriors and may be described as ‘MERCENARIES’ who were invited to North Gonja by Mama Yagba (Carnevin 1962: 67, Goody1967:189, Jon P. Kirby 1986), ( Froelich, Jon P. Kirby 1986) to help quell internal conflict and threats from warring tribes after the fall of  Songhai Empire.

Later, Prince Kuga of Nayiri invited them to help restore order when they were faced with internal and external conflicts under the able leadership of Naa Atabia Zontuua. The Anufos fought and expanded the Mampurugu Kingdom under the able leadership of Biema Bensafo (Report by Mr Mackay DC of southern Mampurusi in Duncan- Johnstone: Dagomba State in the Northern Territories, History and Constitution 22/9, 21/25, NTNA 2/31, 11/25/31,). There is also mention of a Prince who travelled to Anou to engage the Anufo people to help reinstate his ousted Lineage on the Nalerigu throne (Mampurusi version from Arabic documents, Legon, I. A. S no 249, Mampurusi Kings War).<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5426249023201542"

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After the Anufos had accomplished their mission in the wars, they felt like captives and restless as they were confined in the Naa Jaringa walls built in the sixteenth century to protect Nalerigu against foreign raiders. The Nayiri therefore granted their request to move eastwards to do what they knew best, invading territories. The Kitab or Gonja chronicles and Dao manuscripts give the dates of their departure to Sansane Mango as 1748-1749. 

As established, the Anufos first settled among the Akans of Ghana. The language they speak is coincidentally known as Anufo but the Akans corrupted it when they first addressed them as the Chokosi, during which time the Anufos have moved down to Northern Ghana. In modern Ghana, both Chokosi and Anufo are referent to the same group of people. It has been conceded that the need for land for farming led to the disperse settlements of the Anufos across the River Oti. The 9^th May, 1956 referendum in which the people of Trans-Volta Togoland voted to join the Gold Coast led to a section of the Anufos remaining at the western part of the River Oti, having Chereponi as their Capital, leaving a cross section of their relatives in Sansane Mango, in present day Peoples Republic of Togo and others in Benin. 

After the defeat of the Germans in the then German-togoland by the French joined by the British alliance in the early 19th Centuries, a portion of the territories of the German-togoland was released to the then Gold Coast as a compensation to the British for having helped the French to dispose the Germans and taking possession of the land(Togo).

In this effect, the northern territory had its expansion all the way from #Jigli, a suburb of Yendi in the Northern region and some major  communities in the North East region including  #Yawgu community were among those that were added to Gold Coast administrations and since have become part of the present day Ghana.

Anufos / Chokosi people were affected gravely by this war and subsequently, Nana Bɛrima Abossafom [ƒɛmɛ Nabiema in place] lost his life even though the cause of his death couldn't singly be associated to the battle fought between the Germans and the French but to some extent had effect on him and his reigns.

This Historical event brought about the division of the Anufos / Chokosi people since a portion had to live around the shores of river Oti and another on the traverse of the Togo boundary which gave birth to another major Anufo Community, Chereponi in Ghana aside the N'zaranu (Sassani Mango) in Togo.

The two major communities, N'zaranu [abode of warriors] and Chereponi then had extensions that saw different smaller communities emerging and each had a leader known as #Awuforbier or just #Awufor to supersede the affairs of the community. 

Such expansions were done in accordance to either in clans such as #Sagbānā, #Djābu, #Asādoro, #Fombolõ, #Sāmti, #Mamshie, #Mandé or by definition as a gate which are three major gates, the N'jei, the Krāmon and the Dooʒo.

There has been an infiltration of Anõ culture, for example, the use or wearing of Fugu isn't a part of an Akan culture instead the kente or say the Traditional Cloth. This is because, as the administrative head changed from a German to a British, the Anufos in Ghana had to be a part of the Northern regional Council and for that matter Northern regional House of Chieves for a proper administration and others. 

The only  group of Akans, Chokosi people having settled in the Northern region had to comply with this and some other directives that brought it under the enskinment of a Dagbang authority and the culture infiltration.

In picture, ƒɛmɛ (Nana) Alhaji Abubakari Kofi Malba IV, a.k.a ƒɛmɛ Kula, whose reign lasted for 17 years as the paramount Chief of Chereponi (14/11/1987 - 25/12/2004) in Chieftaincy fugu.