Akan religion
Akan religion comprises the traditional beliefs and religious practices of the Akan people of Ghana and eastern Ivory Coast. Akan religion is referred to as Akom. Although most Akan people have identified as Christians since the early 20th century, Akan religion remains practiced by some and is often syncretized with Christianity. The Akan have many subgroups, so the religion varies greatly by region and subgroup.
Similar to other traditional religions of West and Central Africa such as West African Vodun, Yoruba religion, or Odinani, Akan cosmology consists of a senior god who generally does not interact with humans and many gods who assist humans.
Anansi the spider is a folk hero who is prominent in Akan folktales where he is depicted as a wise trickster. In other aspects of Akan spirituality, Anansi is also sometimes considered both a trickster and a deity associated with wisdom, responsible for creating the first inanimate humans, according to the scholar Anthony Ephirim-Donkor. This is similar to Legba, who is also both a trickster and a deity in West African Vodun.
Deities
Creator God
Followers of Akan spirituality believe in a supreme god who created the universe. He is distant and does not interact with humans.The creator god takes on different names depending upon the region of worship, including Nyame, Nyankopon, Brekyirihunuade, Odomankoma, Ɔbɔadeɛ and Anansi Kokuroko. There is no concept of a trinity in Akan religion, like in Christianity, but rather the veneration of the Creator, Mother Earth and the ancestors besides the abosom.
The supreme creator is an omniscient, omnipotent god called Nyame. Asase Yaa, is second to the creator. Together they brought forth four children: Bia, Epo, Bosomtwe and Tano. The Creator is connected to Saturdays and Saturday-borns, while Asase Yaa is connected to Thursdays and Thursday-borns and hence, revered by farmers on Thursdays.
Abosom
The abosom, or the lower deities or spirits, assist humans on earth. These are akin to orishas in Yoruba religion, the vodun in West African Vodun and its derivatives. Abosom receive their power from the creator god and are most often connected to the world as it appears in its natural state. Priests serve individual abosom and act as mediators between the abosom and humankind. Many of those who believe in these traditions participate in daily prayer, which includes the pouring of libations as an offering to both the ancestors who are buried under the land and to the spirits who are everywhere. Such abosom are also believed to give health, fertility, prosperity, protection from witches and other needs to those who have established communication with them.The abosom were divided into three groups; the atano, ewim and the abo. The ewim were considered to be judgemental and merciless, while the abo were sources of healing and medicine. They also have different realms in Asoro. In some versions, the gods are instead split into nsuobosom, bosomboo, and wurabosom.
The mother of the abosom is Bosompo, the primordial goddess of the sea, who came after Abo, Nyame, and Asase Yaa.
Nsamanfo
The Nsamanfo are the ancestors.Creation myth
According to Akan oral tradition, the first being was Nyame, who created Asase Yaa to be his wife. Asase Yaa later created the deity Abo, the primordial cluster of stones. Later, Bosompo appeared, and married Abo, giving birth to the primordial abosom. Some abosom decided to inhabit the corporeal world, becoming landmarks like lakes and mountains, while others inhabited the spiritual realm. Nyame and Asase Yaa went on to have other children, such as Bia, Tano, Epo, and Anansi.In the Americas
Jamaica
According to Long, Akan culture obliterated any other African customs and incoming non-Akan Africans had to submit to the culture of the majority Akan population in Jamaica, much like a foreigner learning migrating to a foreign country. Other than Ananse stories, Akan religion made a huge impact. The Akan pantheon of gods referred to as Abosom in Akan were documented. Enslaved Akan would praise Nyankopong ; libations would be poured to Asase Yaa and Epo the sea god. Bonsam was referred to as the god of evil. Kumfu was documented as Myal and originally only found in books, while the term Kumfu is still used by Jamaican Maroons. The priest of Kumfu was called a Kumfu-man.The Jamaican Maroon spirit-possession language, a creolized form of Akan, is used in religious ceremonies of some Jamaican Maroons.