Ashanti Warrior Fighting Techniques

The Ashanti people are an African tribe that make up a large portion of the population of modern Ghana. Their warriors gained great fame during the time when European nations were trying to colonize Africa. They did not capitulate easily the way many other people did and instead offered up fierce resistance on many occasions. The skill and strength of the Ashanti warriors made them very difficult to conquer.

  1. Infantry

    • Ashanti warriors have traditionally been infantrymen rather than cavalrymen, which means that the troops fought on foot instead of being mounted on horseback. During their rise to dominance in West Africa in the early 1800s, the Ashanti people relied entirely on infantry troops while other nations were using cavalry. The Ashanti had infantry that were trained in a number of specialities, and warriors would typically specialize in either the spear, the bow or the musket.

    Swords

    • In addition to spears, the sword was also an important weapon for the Ashanti warrior to learn. The most important Ashanti warriors and commanders carried Afena swords, which marked a man's prominence but were also critical in battle. The blades on these swords were curved, making for a weapon well designed to function as a cutting blade.

    Beheading

    • Stories say that the Ashanti would behead their enemies. Like many fighting techniques that don't seem absolutely practical in the real world, this was meant to frighten their enemies and to bolster their fearsome reputation. Legend says that effigies were made of the heads of enemies during the war with the British. These would then be placed on the Golden Stool, a very sacred symbol of the Ashanti people.

    Tactics

    • The Ashanti employed guerrilla tactics during their wars with the British. Their increased knowledge of the contested territory allowed for small groups of warriors to move unseen throughout the forest, which allowed them to strike often with precision at British forces and to make strategic moves, such as attacking the supply lines of their enemies. In addition to being skilled at guerrilla tactics, the Ashanti warriors were also skillful in siege tactics and were skillful at containing and wearing down the enemy trapped inside his own fortifications.