NOTES:

72.

grantor.  Applied  to the Ahafo  lands this meant  that  the grants of lands
were  made subject  to the  fulfilment  of certain  conditions,  though, as we
have  said,  distinguished military  service  in the Abiri  Moro war had
determined the grant  in the  first  place.  Clearly  the chiefs who were
granted these  lands were at  least expected to continue  to render  military
service.  The Asantehene  also retained hunting  rights in  these  lands.
A  Kumasi chief was expected  to send shots and powder to the Adikro,
village  chiefs under him,  who organized hunting expeditions an3
periodically  sent venison  to the  Kumasi chief and the Asantehene.  The
Asantehene  was already entitled  to shares in the  larger animals killed;
such as the skin and tusks of the elephant.  Until  recently  these rights
were  commutted to shares in  revenues.  Theoretically  the  caretakership
of any of these  lands could be withdrawn  from a chief by an Asantehene.

My  concern  is not with  the generally  known point that  Ghanaian

stools (skins) acquired  'paramount.. .sometimes called absolute,  final,
radical  or alloidal'  title  to  land (Ollenu,  op.cit.4). 
I wish to suggest
that  there are  indications and possibilities of feudalistic  parallels  in Ahafo
land tenure  that may have escapted attention  even  though this was not true
of central  Ashanti  itself. 
It  seems to me that a case exists for  investigating
further  this category  of hwesoni or caretaker  landholding  in Ahafo.

> . -•

Kwame Arhin

SALAGA  1875-1900;

The history of Salaga  in  the  last quarter of  the nineteenth  century
epitomises the  impact of  European  imperialism  in Africa  —  the  breakdown
of an African state and the  pattern  of  trade which had been associated with
it;  the enforced opening-up of  trade  routes to  European commerce; the
recruitment  of people  from a  remote area  to  form a Colonial  constabulary;
the  Scramble  for Africa;  and the eventual  establishment of  European  rule.

73.

NOTES

Documents bearing on this history  have  been coming to  light
in the  course of other work;  many are  in  French,  German,  Arabic,
Hausa; many are  in obscure  publications such as German and Swiss
Geographical  journals or mission magazines.  To make  them available
for study,  these documents are  now being translated and cyclostyled,
It  is intended eventually  to
in the  Institute of  African  Studies. 
publish a selection  in a  special volume of the  Proceedings of the
Historical  Society of  Ghana.

This work  is being done  in conjunction  with  Professor  Ivor Wilks,

and the  co-operation  of a number of scholars  in the  Institute of African
Studies.

Marion Johnson