History of why the British changed the title of kings in Ghana to paramount chiefs, the advent of stools and the word enstoolment
The Ghanaian chieftaincy institution’s use of the terms paramount chief, stool, and enstoolment has a history, according to Kwahu Tafo chief Nana Okogyeedom Oheneba Ntim-Barimah.
Oheneba Ntim-Barimah said in an interview with One Ghana TV that the term “premier chief” was created by the British during the colonial era in order to challenge the authority of kings they encountered in Ghana and is not found in any dictionary worldwide.
He claims that although all of Ghana’s traditional rulers are actually kings, they have unwittingly adopted the titles of paramount chief and chief, which the British imposed on them.
In response to the claim made by Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II, the Dormaahene, that there are no monarchs in Ghana, the chief made these statements.
He stated that although the Dormaahene and the other “paramount chiefs” have “sadly” come to terms with the fact that they are not kings, the Dormaahene is a king in his own right.
“He, himself is a king but he does not know that he is one. As the British were colonising states, they didn’t want the leaders of these states to be referred to as kings or queens like their monarchs.
“So, they created the term paramount chief so that we would not call our monarchs kings. All our traditional rulers are kings, they are not chiefs or paramount chiefs. The word paramount means having the greatest importance or significance… it has nothing to do with chiefs. The word paramount chief does not exist,” he said in Twi.
He added “Now let me read what a renowned scholar wrote: ‘Paramount chief is the English Language designation for the highest-level political leader in a regional or local polity or country administered politically with the chief-based system. Paramount chief was a former title created by the British colonial administrators in the British Empire and applied in British colonies in Africa”.
He restated that in order to ensure that only their monarch would be referred to as a king throughout their colonies, the British used the phrase “paramount chief” in place of the word “king.”
Oheneba Ntim-Barimah said that the British had denigrated the authority of the monarchy they had come to confront by referring to the Gold Coast’s monarchs’ seat as a “stool.”
“The seat of any monarch is referred to as a throne and not a stool. What makes me sad the most is the reference to the seat of our traditional rulers as stools, it is a big disgrace… They intentionally used the word stool, which their king put their feet on while on their throne, as the seat of our rulers to show that their monarch has the authority over ours.”
“Enstoolment is not a word. It is not in any dictionary in the world, it does not exist. If a king is being put in power, it is called enthronement, not enstoolment,” he added.
Watch Oheneba Ntim-Barimah’s remarks in the video below (from 33:00):
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