The Nsawkaw people trace their origin back to the movement of the Bono people after a series of civil conflicts and spiritual revelations that shaped their search for new lands.
From Bew to Nsawkaw
According to oral accounts, the people of Nsawkaw descended from the ancient town of Bew, once a large and powerful settlement said to have over 170 quarters.
Civil disputes between the inhabitants and local Muslim communities led to what elders remember as “Nnorrunata,” a devastating conflict that scattered the population across the Bono plains.
Many sought refuge in neighboring lands, including Bontuku and Goka, while others followed Nana Fadee, a leader guided by the ancestral deity Dankoko.
Dankoko, a powerful earth spirit, forbade habitation near its shrine because of the taboo surrounding menstruation, forcing the community to continue their migration.
Their leader, Nana Fadee, died during this journey and was succeeded by his son, Nana Asunkunu Bore I, who would later found Nsawkaw.
The Etymology of Nsawkaw
Two distinct explanations exist for the town’s name. One tradition recounts that upon arrival, Nana Asunkunu Bore I, seeing the loss of his people to disease and exhaustion, lamented in the Bono language, “Nsumkwafo ayi piah.” Over time, this phrase evolved into “Nsawkaw.”
Another version attributes the name to the passing of a matriarch named Asa, whose death was announced as “Asa ko,” or “Asa is gone,” which through local dialectal changes also became Nsawkaw.
Settlement & Legacy
Not long after settlement, a faction of the Miina people led by Anon Kwaku joined the Nsawkaw community, bringing with them the sacred Nntuayam cult.
To cement their alliance, Nana Asunkunu Bore I requested the cult’s inclusion in local worship and reciprocated by offering a royal from the Dakurom matrilineal line for service.
The exchange forged enduring political and spiritual bonds between the two groups, with titles such as Akwamuhene and Gyasehene created to represent this unity.
Even after the separation of their ancestral town Bew, Nsawkaw and Hani continued to share sacred ties.
Both maintained the same royal cemetery and recognized the joint title “Asare Nson Abrade,” a symbol of their common lineage and interlinked destiny. The Nsawkaw are a proud Akan lineage that has endured the test of time.
