"Mischlich's Report for the First Quarter of 1895 concerning a Journey to Krakye"

Dates of the journey 27 March -9 April 1895; No 129 is a map of the journey. He gives the objective of his journey surveying the district in order to find a suitable place for a European Mission station to serve the Krakye-Buem-Adele area. Explaining that in the area of this particular journey Twi could be used widely Mischlich lists the Twi-speakeing places as Worawora, Apeso, Asafo, Tapa in Buem, Akroso, Apaso, Abenkro, Tuntum in Krakye, and Dodo and Adumadum in- Tribu. The trek was undertaken by a party of 5 including one of the Worawora teachers. On the first day they reached the Asuokoko, where their preaching received a friendly reception, and the chief promised to send children to the school in Worawora. There was a lot of fish poisoning going on in the Asuokoko (he describes the technique in the same way as it is described in Kwahu letters, and the plant involved is the same - efwe). There were settlements of Buems along the Asuokoko, and Krakyes along the Oti, the main occupations on both rivers being fish-poisoning and hunting. Kete - you meet here Africans from the Tsandwolands, Dagomba Grusi, Nossi, Borgu, Gurma, and even Timbuktu. Its population may usually be in the region of 5,000 - but with the constant shifting population (perhaps only 2000 people are actually permanent residents) it may fluctuate from 2,000 to 10,000. The market is held daily. He saw donkeys there, and on sale in the market salt, beads of all colours, agate, European and local cloth (the latter of far better quality), nails, tread, knives, leaf tobacco, yam tubers, cassava, heaps of all kinds and colours of bananas and plantains, peppers, onions, tomatoes, mutton, beaf, and goat-flesh, dried and smoked fish, maize, millet, palm-oil and palm-kernels, shea-butter, palm wine, local beer, beautiful raffia work in various colours, kola nuts from Ateobu. Previously in the middle of the market had been a group of clay huts from which the representatives of Dente had ruled the market, but these were destroyed at the same time that Dr Grün had the priest of Dente executed. Travelling around Krakye he saw one slave being badly beaten for attempting to run away, and remarks that since freedom is available many slaves run away, especially since many are treated harshly. He remarks that it is a precious gift being born free in a Christian country. Krakye town he feels should be established as a station for a mission agent - Kete looks like becoming a second Kpong or Akuse, and merchants know enough to value schooling.

04.05.1895

04.05.1895

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