Christian Chiefs and African Indigenous Rituals in Ghana

ABSTRACT

The debate as to whether indigenous Ghanaian communities could be efficiently and fully ruled by ‗Christian Chiefs ‘remains topical in both popular and academic discourses. Nananom ahenfo (chiefs) go through the ritual process before they are enstooled as chiefs and derive their sacredness and authority from these rituals which enables them to sit on the ancestral stools. These rituals also make them mediators between Nananom nsamanfo (ancestors) and the living, hence they are responsible for performing rituals to maintain the link between the living and the ancestors. With the advent of Christianity, however, some royals who became Christians have accepted to become chiefs despite their previous exclusive views on Christianity. This group call themselves Christian chiefs. It is this that has led to the debate as to whether or not indigenous communities can be efficiently and effectively ruled by such Christian chiefs. The research utilized the phenomenological approach to provide a descriptive narrative on the subject and interviews and participants‘observations were employed to gather data from the field. The research findings indicated that Christian chiefs can efficiently and effectively rule indigenous communities in Anum because they maintained all the rituals associated with chieftaincy. The Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), which was the first church in Anum, however, does not recognise these Christian chiefs in their congregations. They are also not allowed to hold positions in the church. This study is relevant to researchers interested in contemporary developments in chieftaincy, rituals, and the resilience of the traditional religions as well as the Church and African Culture.