Amokye of the Akan People and the Ashanti People of Ghana

The idea of a Amokye can be found in the religious traditions of the Akan people and Ashanti people of Ghana. Asamando is the Land of the Dead in these traditions. The entrance to the Land of the Dead is guarded by the Amokye, who is understood to be a woman who welcomes the souls of the dead to the Land of the Dead (the Asamando). The deceased Ashanti were buried with the jewellery which it was believed they would hand over to the Amokye in return for a seat in the land of the dead. The Amokye represents the woman who guards over our afterlife and determines our souls seat in the fabled Land of the Dead, the Asamando. Because of this, Amokye were undoubtedly held in high esteem. No culture across the world denies the importance of the afterlife for the soul. The living wanted to live well when they died. They wanted a good afterlife and a good passage to the underworld. The Amokye as a guardian woman of the passage of the underworld held a position of power amoung the Akan and Ashanti people. She was revered with jewels and gifts by the living so that their deceased beloved ones could reach the final destination – the land of the dead. The Amokye was known as a mysterious figure who was neither a goddess nor a human – but rather a powerful female spirit who could control the fate of souls in the African context. She was at once feared, respected and admired.