Kingdom of Sanwi

Origins

Sanwi was founded around 1740 by Anyi migrants from Aowin, who left their homeland after the Ashanti Empire overran it. Under their leader Amon Ndoufou I they settled around Krinjabo and the Aby lagoon, subjecting the Eotile and Essouma peoples of the coast, including those of the trading town of Assinie.

Rule and society

Sanwi followed Akan forms of rule, with a king from a royal matrilineage, a court of chiefs and an elaborate regalia of gold and royal stools. The economy rested on gold, farming and trade with Europeans at Assinie, where French and other merchants exchanged guns, cloth and spirits for gold, ivory and slaves.

Decline and legacy

In 1843 Sanwi's rulers signed a treaty with the French naval officer Louis Edouard Bouet-Willaumez, and Assinie became a French post. Sanwi was absorbed into the French Ivory Coast, though its kings remained and in 1959 attempted a brief secession.