Naturally, in this world, everyone is born into a family. In Ghana, this is not so different. Every Ghanaian is born into a family. And in the Akan community, every family belongs to a clan. The clans make up the community.
According to oral tradition, Nzemas migrated to their present location in groups. Each of these groups constituted a clan. Members of a clan are traditionally related by blood.
In Nzema, there are seven existent clans. The clans are namely, Ndweafoɔ, Adahonle, Asɛmangama, Alɔnwɔba, Ezohile, Azanwule, and Nvavile. All the clans are special in a way. Every clan has its own totem. They also have special character traits that is very distinct from each other’s. You will get to see them in the rest of this piece. Now let’s get to see them one after the other.
Nvavile is the first ever clan of Nzemaland. They were the first Nzemas to arrive on the soil. They are good drummers. The Parrot is their totem. They introduced the Kundum festival to the Nzemas. They are also the immediate brothers of the Asɛmangama.
Next is the Asɛmangama clan. They were said to be on the same voyage as the Nvavile clan. However, they parted ways somewhere along the line. They are good business men and women. And their clan’s totem is the Crab.
Adding up, the Ndweafoɔ, this is the clan whose totem is the Dog. The members of this clan are mainly submissive as their totem. They also possess the Fire symbol. Nzemas are having the numbers now because of their fertility in childbirth.
Again, there is the Adahonle group. These ones are well known for their good parenting skills. Their totem is a bunch of Palm Fruits. And they are also good at farming. One would definitely need food to be able to fit into the good parenting section.
Notwithstanding, there are the singers amongst the Nzemas. These are the Azanwule folks. They are so good at singing dirges and composing them. They say if you ever encounter an Nzema whose voice is as melodious as that of a bird, you need no introduction, that’s one of them. Their totem is the Buffalo. They also introduced the yam crop to the Nzemas.
Nevertheless, you can never taste a good palm wine on Nzemaland without crediting the Alɔnwɔba man. The Anlɔnwɔba clan is the fraternity of good palm wine tappers. And also, they are good farmers as well. The Raffia Palm is their totem.
Last but not the least, is the Ezohile clan. These people call themselves the royals. You could see this in how they dress. They slay like kings and rich people. They love to show off. And their totem is the Crow.
These are the clans of the Nzema people. As at now, the clan system is still relevant in every Nzema community. They are currently available for functional purposes like funerals and marriages.
Every clan has its head or leader. The head of the clan is called Abusuakpanyinli (clan head). These heads represent their various clans in the king’s palace. They partake in decision process of the land.
Every paramountcy in the land is built around these clans. Every paramountcy has that one clan that queens and kings are chosen from. It is the same in the towns and villages.