Faith & Community
Peerless
Okomfo Anokye
c. 1655 – c. 1717
Called down the Golden Stool, and wrote the law of the Asante state
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Why they are here
The priest who stood beside Osei Tutu at the founding. He called the Golden Stool out of the sky, declared it held the soul of the nation, and then did the unglamorous work — the laws, the councils, the capital at Kumasi.
Okomfo Anokye was born around 1655 in the Akwamu kingdom and raised at Akwapim, taking the title Okomfo, priest. He is remembered as the greatest lawgiver and wisest sage of the Asante.
By tradition he caused the Sika Dwa Kofi, the Golden Stool, to descend from the sky into the lap of Osei Tutu, declaring that it held the sunsum — the soul — of the Asante nation, and that the strength of the nation depended on the safety of the Stool. With Osei Tutu he laid the legal, political and philosophical foundations of the empire, using his oratory to bring the separate Akan states into one confederacy, establishing Kumasi as the capital in 1695, organising the state councils and restructuring the army.
By tradition he caused the Sika Dwa Kofi, the Golden Stool, to descend from the sky into the lap of Osei Tutu, declaring that it held the sunsum — the soul — of the Asante nation, and that the strength of the nation depended on the safety of the Stool. With Osei Tutu he laid the legal, political and philosophical foundations of the empire, using his oratory to bring the separate Akan states into one confederacy, establishing Kumasi as the capital in 1695, organising the state councils and restructuring the army.
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