Gold In The Kingdom Of Ghana

Kingdom of Ghana

Name:

Course:

Date: 16

March 2018

Abstract

Gold mining and trade has been one of the leading mainstays of the economy for many old

Kingdoms in Africa and across the world. The Kingdom of Ghana was one of such area that was

immensely rich in gold. For centuries, the Soninke of the Ancient Kingdom of Ghana worked

and mined gold and their goldfields were major suppliers of the Trans Saharan Trade.

It also

continued supplying gold during the colonial period. This paper explores the importance of Gold

in the Kingdom of Ghana and supports the proposition that gold enabled it to rise to become a

powerhouse. It also explores the trade routes established by the gold trade and its relevance to its

economic advancement. This paper also debunks the notion that Africans were not effectively

mining and trading in gold, precious metals, and other materials before the advent of Western

machines and capital.

Key Words: Ghana, trade, gold, Soninke, mining, disputes.

Introduction

Historians believe that Ghana was one of the first popular and most powerful empires in West

Africa. A small tribe called Soninke founded the Kingdom of Ghana as early as the 600AD and it

continued to thrive for more than a millennium. Soninke people, also called Sarakole, belonged

to a large group called the Mande speakers. The Kingdom, also called Wagadugu, had a

centralized system of government and the king was the overall leader of the Kingdom and as

. Hilson, Gavin. "Harvesting mineral riches: 1000 years of gold mining in Ghana." Resources

Policy 28, no. 1-2 (2002): 13-26.

well as all its vassal states. The Kingdom had its headquarters at Koumbi Saleh. The Soninke

people were religious and mainly practiced African traditional religion as well as Islam.

The old Ghana Kingdom was well known for its enormous wealth, good political organization, a

strong military structure and rich culture. Ghana’s success was mainly attributed to its gold

mining activities and trade on the same. In fact, the name Ghana means "king of gold" and "the

great warrior." The main source of revenue for the Kingdom of Ghana was the mining of gold,

iron and other precious metals. Ghana amassed a lot of wealth as a result of gold trade between

North and West Africa.

This trade enabled Ghana to control salt and gold trade that went

through their land. The main link between the Kingdom of Ghana and the outside world was the

gold trade, which attracted Arab traders, barbers from the North and Portuguese from Western

Europe.

Gold in the Kingdom of Ghana

There has been a long history of gold exploration, mining, and trade in The Kingdom Ghana.

The Kingdom of Ghana had been the largest producer of gold among the West Africa Kingdoms

for many years. Gold in the Kingdom of Ghana was mined for several centuries before the

Portuguese landed on the Ghanaian coast.

Ghana was named Gold Coast during the colonial era,

a period characterized by British exploitation and exportation of precious metal. Gold has been

the main cause of its rise, its strength, as well as its ultimate downfall. These British colonial

. Peters, Winfried Dipl. "History of Gold-Mining in Ghana." (2013).

. Agbesinyale, P. "Ghana’s gold rush and regional development—The case of the Wassa West

District, 357." PhD., University of Dortmund, Spring Centre, Dortmund (2003).

government prioritized on mining as it was the main revenue generating economic activity. The

main areas that attracted mining companies were Obuasi, Konongo in Asante, Tarkwa in Wassa

and Akyem Abuakwa area.

Gold was the most sought-after commodity in the Coast of Ghana before the advent of the slave

trade. Gold, also called sika in the Ghanaian local dialect, was a symbol of power in the

Kingdom of Ghana. The Asante, Adanse and Bono Manso developed on the basis of gold trade

with the Kingdom of Ghana and Mossi of Wagadugu who supplied the biggest share of gold

riches in the medieval Sudanese Kingdoms.

Gold trade enabled the Kingdom of Ghana to obtain

rare commodities from Europe as well as royal insignia worn by powerful kings and royal

members of the community. Gold was not only used as a tool of exchange in trade but it was also

used to pay for services rendered.

For many centuries, the people of the Kingdom of Ghana worked in gold mines using simple but

effective technology. There were several traditional methods that were employed in mining gold.

Panning for alluvial gold was for done in river streams by family members, thought this was

primarily the work of women, young girls, and young boys. Traditional gold prospectors often

examined lads bordering rivers as well as deposits in dried up valleys for gold fragments which

motivated miners to engage in extractive pit mining.

Gold has played a very important role in dictating the economic and social order in Africa way

before the advent of colonialism.

Demand for gold has been enormous in the medieval states

because gold has been associated with royalty and elegance from time immemorial. It has been

. Levtzion, Nehemia. "Ancient Ghana and Mali." (1973).

. Ofosu-Mensah, Ababio Emmanuel. "Gold Mining and the Development of Obuasi in Adanse."

held with great esteem in many kingdoms, in all countries as well as in every community. Big

reserves of gold meant a bigger stock of wealth. Gold as not only be valued because of its

ornamental value but because of its conventional value as a basis for currency.

Gold production in the Kingdom of Ghana boosted the Trans-Saharan trade. This trade played a

key role in strengthening the economy of the Kingdom of Ghana. A clear pattern of Ghana’s

trade with her neighbors cannot be correctly deduced, however, important linkages existed that

showed Ghana did extensive trade with the North by land and towards the sea through Nigeria.

Ghana was chiefly exporting gold, slaves, ivory, and salt during the trade. In return, the Kingdom

of Ghana received cloth, horses, books, and sword from the Arab traders.

Much of the

kingdom's wealth was therefore attained as a result of trade with the Arabs, who were more

interested in gold that was abundant in the Kingdom of Ghana. The king claimed ownership of

all gold nuggets and allowed commoners to have the gold dust. The King taxed all traders for

goods being brought into the kingdom as well as those being exported. For example, Arab

merchants used to pay one gold dinar tax on salt imports and two for salt exports.

Europeans broke Arab monopoly in gold trade when they managed to sail around the West Coast

of Africa and creating direct links to the gold producing sources of Ghana. The first Europeans to

land on the Ghanaian coast were the Portuguese who built a fort on the kingdom's mainland in an

effort to monopolize the gold trade. They excelled in enjoying trade monopoly for many

centuries until they were eventually challenged by French and British marauders that were

. Neumark, S. "Trans-Saharan Trade in the Middle Ages." The pre-colonial period (1977): 127.

. Goodwin, A. J. H. "The Medieval Empire of Ghana." The South African Archaeological

Bulletin 12, no. 47 (1957): 108-112.

looking for new trading partners. The Portuguese, however, tried to resist them but all their

efforts were to no avail. They continued exploring the interior, even attempting to establish their

own gold mine, an attempt that was utterly unsuccessful. Their power was virtually restricted to

within the gunshot of their forts and their ships.

Control over gold supplies played a key role in the military expansion of the Kingdom of Ghana

during the pre-colonial era. The proceeds of gold trade enabled the Ghana King to strengthen his

military force and to purchase weapons and horses from Arabs. A Muslim writer called Al Bakri

wrote down that the Ghana king had a military force made of more than 200,000 men and 40,000

archers.

The King also had horses which came in handy during war times.

Many of the internecine wars that affected the Kingdom of Ghana were mainly as a result of

quests by neighboring kingdoms to expand their territories to auriferous lands. The King of

Ghana was therefore keen on maintaining a strong army in order to protect his territorial

boundaries. Weak kingdoms were often forced to abandon mineral-rich areas as well as

agriculturally productive regions while some were incorporated into various kingdoms. The

Kingdom of Ghana was therefore exposed to the malevolence of other states that were eager to

seize their gold-rich regions.

Gold helped the Kingdom of Ghana obtain Arab and European

weaponry. They were able to build large reserves of guns and gunpowder enabling them to

. Fage, John Donnelly. A history of West Africa: An introductory survey. Gregg Revivals, 1969.

. McKissack, Patricia, and Fredrick McKissack. The royal kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and

Songhay: Life in medieval Africa. Macmillan, 1995.

. Buah, Francis Kwamina. A history of Ghana. Macmillan, 1998.

expand their frontiers widely. The superior weapons also enabled them to protect their territorial

boundaries from invading adversaries.

Even though gold was precious and certainly held a special place in the economy of the ancient

Kingdom of Ghana, agricultural practices have also of great importance. The King, assisted by

chiefs and village headmen, had the power to distribute land rights to every member of the

society, though the land was often owned by the community hence no man was landless. This

agricultural practice came in handy at supporting the trade and the mineral-driven economy.

For many years, The Kingdom of Ghana grew, courtesy of its gold driven economy. As the

Kingdom grew in wealth and power, its neighbors became jealous and envious, eventually

conniving to bring it down to its knees. Their efforts to wage war against the Kingdom of Ghana

were at first insignificant and every attempted conquest was easily crushed. However, after some

few years of constant rebellions and military reorganization by Ghana’s enemies, in the 11th

century, a group called Almoravids from Morocco launched a strong assault against the

Kingdom's capital, Koumbi Saleh, making it a vassal state for some few years.

The Kingdom

of Ghana, however, repulsed the Almoravid Dynasty and quickly recovered. The Kingdom,

however, suffered a blow as most of its trading routes had been disrupted, rendering some trade

centers like Audoghast derelict.

After crushing the invasion by Almoravid Dynasty from Morocco, The Kingdom of Ghana

continued to thrive for nearly two centuries before it was faced with a devastating invasion from

The Kingdom of Mali which was undertaking a major conquest across West Africa. At this

. Smith, Robert Sydney. Warfare & diplomacy in pre-colonial West Africa. Univ of Wisconsin

Press, 1989.

point, The Kingdom of Ghana had been made weak from constant invasions and could not

overcome the invasion. The Kingdom of Ghana was overpowered and annexed into the Kingdom

of Mali, which was to become the next great empire west of the Sahara.

. Quigley, Mary. Ancient West African Kingdoms: Ghana, Mali, & Songhai. Capstone

Classroom, 2002.

References

Agbesinyale, P. "Ghana’s gold rush and regional development—The case of the Wassa West

District, 357." PhD., University of Dortmund, Spring Centre, Dortmund (2003).

Buah, Francis Kwamina. A history of Ghana. Macmillan, 1998.

Goodwin, A. J. H. "The Medieval Empire of Ghana." The South African Archaeological

Bulletin 12, no. 47 (1957): 108-112.

Fage, John Donnelly. A history of West Africa: An introductory survey. Gregg Revivals,

1969.

Hilson, Gavin. "Harvesting mineral riches: 1000 years of gold mining in Ghana." Resources

Policy 28, no. 1-2 (2002): 13-26.

Levtzion, Nehemia. "Ancient Ghana and Mali." (1973).

McKissack, Patricia, and Fredrick McKissack. The royal kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and

Songhay: Life in medieval Africa. Macmillan, 1995.

Neumark, S. "Trans-Saharan Trade in the Middle Ages." The pre-colonial period (1977):

127.

Ofosu-Mensah, Ababio Emmanuel. "Gold Mining and the Development of Obuasi in

Adanse."

Peters, Winfried Dipl. "History of Gold-Mining in Ghana." (2013).

Quigley, Mary. Ancient West African Kingdoms: Ghana, Mali, & Songhai. Capstone

Classroom, 2002.

Smith, Robert Sydney. Warfare & diplomacy in pre-colonial West Africa. Univ of Wisconsin

Press, 1989.

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