"Clerk's Report for the Third Quarter of 1896"

The report contains the history of the interrelations between Akpanya, the Borada king, the Christians, and the Kodonko fetish of Atonko. It is summarised anonymously in Heidenbote 1897 pp.28-29. The three brothers, from whom a successor to the dead priest of Kodonko was to have been found, all fled to Gyasekan to be written down as catechumens, and their mother, who approved of the course they had taken, followed them to Gyasekan to look after them. The eldest, though in difficulties over the use of Twi, persuaded them by his blameless character that they should baptise him. The others unfortunately seem little gifted, and are at present attending the Gyasekan school. After much commotion the Atonko people accepted the reverse, and started to go to work to select a member a family in the neighbouring village of Aka. The eldest son there fled to the Christians at Guaman, but the other son was instituted priest (at the age of 13) and given a wife. Soon, however, the boy - who Clerk remarks had cried at the installation ceremony also fled to the Guaman catechist. The matter came up before a council of the chiefs of Borada (the Buem overchief), Guaman, the two Gyasekans, and the Atonkos. The text of the speeches at the council are given apparently verbatim. The main speaker on the side of Akpanya was the Gyasekan (b) linguist, Ata, whom Clerk describes as an arch-enemy of the Christians. The eldest boy of the Aka family was called Odente. The discussion contains the point that Aka asks why, since on introducing the new catechist at Borada Clerk had promised that slaves who ran away to them would be given back if they had not been badly treated, this priest was not given back? The Christians replied that that concerned slavery and not religion - in any case the priest was a free man. Stress is also laid by the Christian spokesmen on the loyalty of Christian subjects of the chief. Catechist Ruben of Gyasekan drank no palm wine - Clerk implies on principle. The meeting closed in violence, with the Christians preventing the heathen taking the boy away by force. Finally Akpanya said angrily 'You (the Christians) can do this to the Atonko people. But I assure you, that if a priest goes to Agyei (the catechist) in my town, and he accepts him, I shall simply leave the town'

23.10.1896

23.10.1896

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