John canoe was an Ahanta son,a chief and warrior of POKESU (now Prince's town) in Ahanta in the western region of Ghana. I am Odwenfo Eziaku Iv, Divisional Chief of Agona Nkwanta and Tufohene(Chief Advisor) of Ahanta Tradional council with our headquarters at Busua where busua Beach resort is located. My stool is a Divisional stool like Pokesu (Prince's Town)of which we all serve our king Otumfuor Baidoo Bonsoe Xv- Ahantahene(Ahanta king) Hello my brother good job. I was present when our council welcomed you and your entourage. Me and Nana Bozza had a deep talk with you. All what you are saying we have full document covering same history. Hardest time is devoured by hardest people
here is a little tidbit of info...Bahamian so called Johnny cake...in Jamaica it was called Journey cakes or Journey food used by runaway slaves on their way to visit family at distance plantations.
I wish this history would be shared during our Boxing Day & New Year's parades in the Bahamas. In-between the groups, snippets of this timeline can be told over speaker so spectators can understand the background. I'd love to see a challenge among the groups, portraying aspects of this great history. Looks like the Bahamian version maintained only the competition component.
I need to source this film for cultural research. How can I obtain the details to show this for cultural learning at a public programs for institutions of learning?
Brilliant narrative and research but if i may give some alternative possibilities But before i do i have to agree wholeheartedly that Jon Conny must have been quite influential and certainly a thorn in the side of the colonial powers and thus they suppressed the festival that celebrates him and his opposition to european dominance and treachery. The one thing that puzzles me is did his reputation spread direct from Africa or from one point in the Caribbean ? The fact the festivals named after him had already been europeanised suggests that it was more likely that the festival started in the Caribbean. There is also no indication such a celebration exists in Africa. It would also be a strange coincidence that various places would independently latch on to this concept and give it the same name. Anyway on to the alternative opinions or facts which in some ways are corroborated by some of the things you say Jon Conny was most likely and has been recorded as a 'broker' (local nomenclature Ɔkyeame) an intermediary that interpreted between europeans and the Africans in order to facilitate trade. Hence he was a polyglot and it would also explain why he travelled to Prussia to learn the language? In Axim there is a narrative that it got its europeanised name after they plied a local with alcohol and whilst intoxicated he asked in Nzema "ɛ ze me o?", do you know me - which became Axim, locally the state and town has a different name. There are several other such brokers who used their position to acquire wealth and status. Jon Conny seemed quite astute in doing this. Apparently when the Prussians abandoned their interests in Pokweso Jon Conny resided in the fort. At one time the Dutch came for water supplies but did not seek permission from him and refused to pay a levy and this led to conflict between him and them. The Prussians also double crossed him and apparently handed over the fort to the Dutch without his knowledge. Jon Conny fought the Dutch and defeated them over these issues. Apparently he narrated this to an english doctor (i think you mention him) who visited him and was received in the fort as a guest. When the dr asked about the trophies of his victory over the Dutch which at one time he kept on display he replied "all malice must cease" Sadly the Dutch never thought that way and would not stop at finding a means to retaliate. There is also a narration by Bosman that Pokweso formed part of the Kingdom of Axim but was separated by the arrival of the Prussians. But Bosman also mentions Axim was part of Upper or Lower Ahanta - although this is surely a european construct and not a local one. Axim (Oman/state) are Ɛvalue (an Nzema subgroup) and another resource says the most eastern stool of Ɛvalue Nzema was Ɛzile/Akwidaa. As far as i am aware to this day the people of both these places are ethnically Ɛvalue. Interesting you mention Kwadaso which has a considerable Nzema population today ! The Nzema also had an almost exclusive allegiance with Asante hence Nzema Kotoko ! Jon Conny at one time apparently fled to Nzema across the Ankobra during a time that the Nzema King Amanichia (Amanhyia Kpanyili) was in conflict with the Dutch. The Nzema eventually defeated the Dutch and dispossessed them of their heavy artillery.
I will add recently I have had sight of documents from late nineteenth century and early twentieth with the name Kinneh or Konneh from the Axim area. It may be that a more correct pronunciation of the name is Gyan Kinneh or Gyan Konneh, not Conny.
I wonder about the real roots of the Winneba Fancy dress festival in Ghana in relation to Jonkonnu, and I think Jollay in Sierra Leone has also been influenced by Jonkunnu by Jamaican repatriates.
@@herewegoagin4667 many peoples of what is now Ghana merged with other enslaved Africans and through history between Texas-Louisiana-Oklahoma...they created much of their own. They had no choice. But echoes of them exist in dances from zydeco to black marching band drum lines. So it isn't that they didn't have much influence, it's that their descendants were forcibly made into another people with roots all over West Africa. It would've been MUCH different had West Africans still there reached out to us over the years but sadly that is rarely ever the case to see where your kith and kin wound up. Is what it is...
@@sordidC There weren't that many Ghanaian people brought to Louisiana, Louisiana was dominated by Senegambia/Mali, Congo and Benin-Nigeria. Black marching bands in America is the result of Anglo-American New England culture not African and Zydeco is European (French/German) with a Blues mixture, they don't even use hand drums much like in Haiti and the Bahamas.
@@herewegoagin4667 that's not true. I just told you they made do with what they had and as slaves rhey were forced to merge with other west African peoples. When they did marching bands they made cadences from their own music with all musical forms merged. Have you ever heard of JAZZ music? And furthermore...yes in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma there were as many enslaved people from Senegambia and Nigeria area as there were for Ghana. Ghana came up on both sides of my father's family. One on his dad who was born in Nassau Bahamas, the other on his mother who's family was originally from Ville Platte, Louisiana. Idk why you're arguing with me over documented history that I and others have researched through dna, census, etc.
Sorry but I am not sure that is factual. The culture tradition and language between Yoruba and people of present day Ghana are very different. The exception is there may be some linguistic similarities between the Ewe and Ga-Adangme as both migrated through what is present day Nigeria. However there is no evidence to show the Yoruba empire extended to even what is now Togo let alone Ghana. Moreover the Yoruba empire rose around the same time as some of Akan states and did so independently of each other, although there were probably trade links.
John canoe is arawak culture. Aka amerindians. The warriors in the west Indies. Are arawaks an caribs Indians. Please do your research of free ppl of colour of the west indies. John canoe is native culture look it up. It states john canoe is native to Bahamas an throughout Americas like south, central an north America. Do your research on American history.
@@royaltydeal1441 do your indepth research and you will see. All the information regarding American Indian history Is out their even on youtube, books from the 14th to 19th century. Even articles talking bout American colonisation society how they was removing American indians and sending thousands of them to Europe and africa from the 16th to 19th century. I dont buy into the narrative the pale face paints or even meleanted ppl that learnt from the white man school curriculum set by the British empire and other colonisers. Their are videos from continental Africans saying the blacks aka aboriginals from Americas are not from Africa. You also have American indians from the Americas stating that they dont come from Africa and never did. They are the aborginals of the Americas. Have a great day.
@@royaltydeal1441 I'm of arawak lineage an my people come from jamaica an cuba. What about you where do you come from. Are you from the west indies and what island.
@@LokonoEmpire Im from The Bahamas. Secondly, I have family in cuba and have been there multiple times. CUBA has carried Yoruba traditions from Nigeria for decades, just like Brazil. Yes, Black people were in the americas and caribbean before slavery, but all indigenous people (First/original man of melanin) of the planet originated from the lands of what we call africa today. Human history starts in africa, so why have this dumb debate about caribbean people are all native americans. Native Americans are apart of the indigenous family, who by the way never seperate themselves with indigenous Africans from the continent pr-colonization , they treat each other as one people and have all been one , this is why they were able to form civilizations and cultures together.
Gotta keep the true history of who we are & why we do the things we do alive. Thank you for this video brotha.
John canoe was an Ahanta son,a chief and warrior of POKESU (now Prince's town) in Ahanta in the western region of Ghana.
I am Odwenfo Eziaku Iv, Divisional Chief of Agona Nkwanta and Tufohene(Chief Advisor) of Ahanta Tradional council with our headquarters at Busua where busua Beach resort is located. My stool is a Divisional stool like Pokesu (Prince's Town)of which we all serve our king Otumfuor Baidoo Bonsoe Xv- Ahantahene(Ahanta king)
Hello my brother good job. I was present when our council welcomed you and your entourage. Me and Nana Bozza had a deep talk with you.
All what you are saying we have full document covering same history.
Hardest time is devoured by hardest people
Thanks for sharing this history that we so need to hear🇧🇸
Big fan bro love what you doing💯🇧🇸
This history makes more sense! ✊🏿
here is a little tidbit of info...Bahamian so called Johnny cake...in Jamaica it was called Journey cakes or Journey food used by runaway slaves on their way to visit family at distance plantations.
Learning about my Bahamian roots...this explains SO much about what I've been told about my grandfather
Blessings to you for this! A necessity to preserve our culture
I wish this history would be shared during our Boxing Day & New Year's parades in the Bahamas. In-between the groups, snippets of this timeline can be told over speaker so spectators can understand the background. I'd love to see a challenge among the groups, portraying aspects of this great history. Looks like the Bahamian version maintained only the competition component.
Thank you for taking time to research this!
Interesting history and the Akan were amazing at leading revolts
Thanks for this, was just reading about this in Edenton North Carolina
I need to source this film for cultural research. How can I obtain the details to show this for cultural learning at a public programs for institutions of learning?
Kudos
Amazing
Brilliant narrative and research but if i may give some alternative possibilities
But before i do i have to agree wholeheartedly that Jon Conny must have been quite influential and certainly a thorn in the side of the colonial powers and thus they suppressed the festival that celebrates him and his opposition to european dominance and treachery.
The one thing that puzzles me is did his reputation spread direct from Africa or from one point in the Caribbean ? The fact the festivals named after him had already been europeanised suggests that it was more likely that the festival started in the Caribbean. There is also no indication such a celebration exists in Africa.
It would also be a strange coincidence that various places would independently latch on to this concept and give it the same name.
Anyway on to the alternative opinions or facts which in some ways are corroborated by some of the things you say
Jon Conny was most likely and has been recorded as a 'broker' (local nomenclature Ɔkyeame) an intermediary that interpreted between europeans and the Africans in order to facilitate trade. Hence he was a polyglot and it would also explain why he travelled to Prussia to learn the language?
In Axim there is a narrative that it got its europeanised name after they plied a local with alcohol and whilst intoxicated he asked in Nzema "ɛ ze me o?", do you know me - which became Axim, locally the state and town has a different name.
There are several other such brokers who used their position to acquire wealth and status. Jon Conny seemed quite astute in doing this.
Apparently when the Prussians abandoned their interests in Pokweso Jon Conny resided in the fort. At one time the Dutch came for water supplies but did not seek permission from him and refused to pay a levy and this led to conflict between him and them.
The Prussians also double crossed him and apparently handed over the fort to the Dutch without his knowledge.
Jon Conny fought the Dutch and defeated them over these issues. Apparently he narrated this to an english doctor (i think you mention him) who visited him and was received in the fort as a guest.
When the dr asked about the trophies of his victory over the Dutch which at one time he kept on display he replied "all malice must cease"
Sadly the Dutch never thought that way and would not stop at finding a means to retaliate.
There is also a narration by Bosman that Pokweso formed part of the Kingdom of Axim but was separated by the arrival of the Prussians. But Bosman also mentions Axim was part of Upper or Lower Ahanta - although this is surely a european construct and not a local one.
Axim (Oman/state) are Ɛvalue (an Nzema subgroup) and another resource says the most eastern stool of Ɛvalue Nzema was Ɛzile/Akwidaa.
As far as i am aware to this day the people of both these places are ethnically Ɛvalue.
Interesting you mention Kwadaso which has a considerable Nzema population today ! The Nzema also had an almost exclusive allegiance with Asante hence Nzema Kotoko !
Jon Conny at one time apparently fled to Nzema across the Ankobra during a time that the Nzema King Amanichia (Amanhyia Kpanyili) was in conflict with the Dutch. The Nzema eventually defeated the Dutch and dispossessed them of their heavy artillery.
I will add recently I have had sight of documents from late nineteenth century and early twentieth with the name Kinneh or Konneh from the Axim area.
It may be that a more correct pronunciation of the name is Gyan Kinneh or Gyan Konneh, not Conny.
I wonder about the real roots of the Winneba Fancy dress festival in Ghana in relation to Jonkonnu, and I think Jollay in Sierra Leone has also been influenced by Jonkunnu by Jamaican repatriates.
Jamaican Jonkunnu looks and sound very similar to a certain Igbo celebration
Bahamas is reminiscent of New Orleans but Louisiana doesn't have Jonkunnu
Ahanta slaves taken to Louisiana and Texas after this chieftain died
@@sordidC
I doubt it but if so they were so small in number they wouldn't have had any real influence
@@herewegoagin4667 many peoples of what is now Ghana merged with other enslaved Africans and through history between Texas-Louisiana-Oklahoma...they created much of their own. They had no choice. But echoes of them exist in dances from zydeco to black marching band drum lines. So it isn't that they didn't have much influence, it's that their descendants were forcibly made into another people with roots all over West Africa. It would've been MUCH different had West Africans still there reached out to us over the years but sadly that is rarely ever the case to see where your kith and kin wound up. Is what it is...
@@sordidC
There weren't that many Ghanaian people brought to Louisiana, Louisiana was dominated by Senegambia/Mali, Congo and Benin-Nigeria.
Black marching bands in America is the result of Anglo-American New England culture not African and Zydeco is European (French/German) with a Blues mixture, they don't even use hand drums much like in Haiti and the Bahamas.
@@herewegoagin4667 that's not true. I just told you they made do with what they had and as slaves rhey were forced to merge with other west African peoples. When they did marching bands they made cadences from their own music with all musical forms merged. Have you ever heard of JAZZ music? And furthermore...yes in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma there were as many enslaved people from Senegambia and Nigeria area as there were for Ghana. Ghana came up on both sides of my father's family. One on his dad who was born in Nassau Bahamas, the other on his mother who's family was originally from Ville Platte, Louisiana. Idk why you're arguing with me over documented history that I and others have researched through dna, census, etc.
At the time most of Ghana was yoruba land
Sorry but I am not sure that is factual.
The culture tradition and language between Yoruba and people of present day Ghana are very different. The exception is there may be some linguistic similarities between the Ewe and Ga-Adangme as both migrated through what is present day Nigeria.
However there is no evidence to show the Yoruba empire extended to even what is now Togo let alone Ghana.
Moreover the Yoruba empire rose around the same time as some of Akan states and did so independently of each other, although there were probably trade links.
This is how God told us to worship Him. It is Hebrew culture
Thats a yoruba culture
John canoe is arawak culture. Aka amerindians. The warriors in the west Indies. Are arawaks an caribs Indians. Please do your research of free ppl of colour of the west indies. John canoe is native culture look it up. It states john canoe is native to Bahamas an throughout Americas like south, central an north America. Do your research on American history.
so if what your saying is true...explain to me how is it that identical traditions exist in west africa?
@@royaltydeal1441 do your indepth research and you will see. All the information regarding American Indian history Is out their even on youtube, books from the 14th to 19th century. Even articles talking bout American colonisation society how they was removing American indians and sending thousands of them to Europe and africa from the 16th to 19th century. I dont buy into the narrative the pale face paints or even meleanted ppl that learnt from the white man school curriculum set by the British empire and other colonisers. Their are videos from continental Africans saying the blacks aka aboriginals from Americas are not from Africa. You also have American indians from the Americas stating that they dont come from Africa and never did. They are the aborginals of the Americas. Have a great day.
@@LokonoEmpire Are you even from the caribbean/west indies?
@@royaltydeal1441 I'm of arawak lineage an my people come from jamaica an cuba. What about you where do you come from. Are you from the west indies and what island.
@@LokonoEmpire Im from The Bahamas. Secondly, I have family in cuba and have been there multiple times. CUBA has carried Yoruba traditions from Nigeria for decades, just like Brazil. Yes, Black people were in the americas and caribbean before slavery, but all indigenous people (First/original man of melanin) of the planet originated from the lands of what we call africa today. Human history starts in africa, so why have this dumb debate about caribbean people are all native americans. Native Americans are apart of the indigenous family, who by the way never seperate themselves with indigenous Africans from the continent pr-colonization , they treat each other as one people and have all been one , this is why they were able to form civilizations and cultures together.
Love this!