Wenchi
Wenchi is a town and the capital of Wenchi Municipal of the Bono Region in the middle-belt of Ghana. Wenchi is located at 7.73333 , -2.1 at an average elevation/altitude of 304 meters. Wenchi is approximately 30 km north of Techiman and about 50 km east of the Ivory Coast border. Wenchi has a population of 39,187 people in 2013.
Climate
History
Oral traditionsfrom Wenchi, describe an origin from a hole in the ground, aided by a mythical burrowing creature called a wankyie. This symbolic narrative, common among several Akan groups, is often interpreted as a claim to autochthonous status and long-term settlement in the region.Similar accounts are found in Bono-Tekyiman and Bono Manso, where traditions recount that their ancestors emerged from a sacred hole at Amuowi, a site with archaeological settlement layers dating back to the 5th century CE. These stories underscore the importance of place and sacred geography in Bono political identity. Other traditions include references to migrations from the north, which some scholars interpret as reflecting historical contact or population movement from the Sahel or Savanna regions.
Archaeology
Archaeological work across Bono settlements—particularly at Bono Manso, Begho, and Wenchi—has revealed long-term occupation and complex material cultures dating from the early centuries CE to the precolonial period. Excavations at Bonoso, an early Wenchi site, uncovered pottery, iron slag, animal bones, palm kernels, and grindstones, with radiocarbon samples dated to AD 663–774, marking it as one of the earliest inland Akan settlements. Nearby Ahwene Koko produced similar pottery and a date of AD 1585 ± 80, suggesting later reoccupation and cultural continuity.In addition to domestic and ritual features, evidence of extensive iron smelting was found at Bonoso, including a slag mound and references to a sub-chief responsible for iron production. Painted pottery—rare in southern Akan contexts—was also recovered, pointing to broader regional influences and early craft development in Bono settlements.