Nsamanfo

The ancestors in the Akan tradition, who counsel, warn and protect the family.

In the Akan tradition nsamanfo are the ancestors: deceased members of the family who have not disappeared, but live on in Asamando, the world of the dead, and remain involved with their descendants. The singular is ɔsaman. Not every deceased person automatically becomes an honoured ancestor: the tradition often links that to a life well lived, a natural death and a dignified funeral.

The nsamanfo are seen as guardians of the family and of the moral order. They can bless and protect, but also rebuke when traditions are neglected or when there is injustice in the family. That is why they are involved at important moments: a birth, a marriage, a quarrel that must be settled.

They are honoured with libations, in which water or drink is poured on the ground while names are called, and at the Adae festivals, which come round every six weeks. In royal families and among elders the stools of important ancestors are blackened and kept in a stool house, as the seat of their presence. Funerals are large, communal events, because they mark the passage to ancestorhood.

The nsamanfo play a large role in dreams. A deceased grandparent who appears, says something or gives something is often read as counsel or a visit. An ancestor who seems angry or sad can point to something in the family that needs attention. Dreams about old family houses, funerals or rivers are also connected with them.

Such dreams are looked at seriously and warmly, not as a bad sign. The tradition advises discussing them with an elder in the family. Dreamkin does not prescribe rituals.