“Abrafoɔ” (sometimes spelled Abrafour) are the royal executioners and enforcers in traditional Akan/Ashanti society. They play a crucial role in maintaining royal authority, enforcing laws, and upholding the cultural practices of Asanteman. Beyond their executioner duties, they are spiritual custodians, reciting apae (historical poetry) and guarding the sacred “Sikadwa Kofi” – The Golden Stool born on a Friday. Their work, both feared and revered, is a key part of Asante society, shaping its laws, rituals, and traditions.
The Manhyia Palace Executioners (Abrafoɔ), along with their affiliated groups, the Tɔprɛfoɔ and Animosum; embody a complex network of service, spirituality, and legacy. They are guardians of Asante culture, integral to its ceremonies and royal life. Their regalia, recitations of apae (powerful form of historical poetry rich in praise, memory, and sacred authority), and the solemn rituals they perform mark a continuing presence of ancestral authority and ritual power.
Much like the Sankofa symbol, which calls one to ‘go back and get it,’ the Manhyia Palace Executioners reflect a return to the past, an unbroken lineage of tradition and honor that continues to guide and protect the kingdom.
Traditionally, the Manhyia Palace Executioners, Tɔprɛfoɔ, and Animosum were responsible for enforcing royal justice. They carried out executions, guarded royals, and maintained law and order. The Animosum, often likened to elite commandos, were the covert arm referred to in hushed tones as anadwosekan (“night knives”), trained to act swiftly and silently in the dark corridors of justice.
The Tɔprɛfoɔ dealt with various punishments and executions, especially involving war captives and criminals. These groups, while diverse in function, all aligned with the authority of the Asantehene and were bound by service to the kingdom’s laws and customs.
Although often grouped together under the term Manhyia Palace Executioners (Abrafoɔ), the Asekanfo knife bearers of the Asantehemaa are technically distinct. These guards, hailing from Adum (a name evolved from Anum, a Guan town), trace their roots to the entourage that once protected Osei Tutu on his journey from Akwamu to Kumase. They remain a separate but parallel tradition, highlighting the detailed structure of Asante palace protocol.
The regalia and sometimes insignia of the Manhyia Palace Executioners, although decorative, are a language of power, memory, and spiritual readiness. The core group is composed of four independent clans: Nkram, Anoo, Boamang, and Tweneduroase, each with a recognized chief; who are known as warriors and custodians of oral tradition. During state sittings or purification rites, they take turns reciting apae. Their recitations, accompanied by the mesmerizing drum pattern of mpebi and nkrawiri drums, transform ceremonies into living re-enactments of ancestral valor.
Kwasi Ampene and Nana Kwadwo Nyantakyi III
These chiefs: Baafoɔ Asuman Kofi Ababio (Nkram), Baafoɔ Kwaku Antwi Baah II (Anoo), Baafoɔ Kwadwo Kuma (Boamang), and the Tweneduroase Manhyia Palace Executioners Chief, are custodians of living traditions. Though equal in authority over their groups, the Nkram Manhyia Palace Executioners Chief is recognized as the overall leader.
Their attire reveals spiritual roles as much as social rank. In times past, the Manhyia Palace Executioners wore garments made entirely of leopard skin, a bold declaration of fearlessness and sacred potency. Today, their regalia incorporates print cloth alongside the signature etwiekyɛ (leopard hat), often adorned with gold talismans (sika nsɛbɛ) and painted red eyes symbolizing heightened awareness or spiritual sight.
The adornments continue with symbolic necklaces, each holding centuries of meaning. The Nkram Manhyia Palace Executioners Chief wears nipa akyi nkasɛe, dried spinal bones; a reference to his role in severing life, where judgment meets mortality.
The Anoo chief wears two chains: dadie kɔnsɔnkɔnsɔn (metal loop chain) and nkɔnsɔn dadeɛ. Originally made of gold, the former once served as a weapon; its weight could crush skulls. The latter was used to strangle condemned individuals, ensuring silence and ritual control in their final moments. The Tweneduroase chief, meanwhile, wears a copper necklace (kɔɔbre), linking his regalia to the sacred presence of the Atano deity.
The swords of the Manhyia Palace Executioners speak in silence. Unlike ceremonial blades carried by other palace functionaries, theirs are unsheathed; symbols of readiness and firm resolve. They lack the usual abɔsodeɛ (ornamental insignia) and are held by the bare hilt.
Each sword bears a name rich in philosophical meaning: Nkram’s kontonkronwi evokes the inevitability of death: “as hair encircles the neck, so does death encircle us all.” Anoo’s gye me di demands trust, an apt reflection of the moral ambiguity and divine burden these figures carry. Nkram’s four knives, tucked into the cloth and close to the chest, carry chilling names: kumamani (killer of townsmen), kumahɔhoɔ (killer of strangers), kumadehyeɛ (killer of royals), and simply, sɛpɔ (knife). These are not metaphors, they are mission logs.
In performance, the recitation of apae is both theatrical and sacred. Each chief lifts his sword, fists his left hand behind it, and addresses the Asantehene directly. They rotate in no fixed order, guided instead by spirit and ancestral promptings. Sometimes, a single individual may deliver multiple apae in succession before yielding. When their young successors take the stage, all four elders stand, ready to intervene should a line falter. This is mentorship by ritual; a passing of fire, not torch.
Each Manhyia Palace Executioners group carries its own story. The Nkram trace their lineage from Adanse Nyaadoam, once part of Denkyira. Asantehene Opoku Ware, recognizing their courage, created their stool and the kontonkronwi sword. Their duties included guiding the king’s wife in Abrepɔkese and accompanying criminals to judgment. They lead the procession ahead of the kɛtɛanomfena (sword bearers), anchoring Asante justice in both spiritual and physical presence.
The Anoo lineage is tied to Nana Brafonyam, a protector of Osei Tutu, on his journey from Akwamu. Kɔmfo Anɔkye himself commissioned a sword for this group to guard the Golden Stool. Their territory included key royal institutions, from prison lines to the Asantehene’s court. Later relocated by King Opoku Ware to Ahodwo Mmaakro, their name, Anoo, relates to the mmaa (canes) used to discipline trespassers.
Boamang emerged under Asantehene Osei Kwadwo, whose wife resided in Boamang. Unable to secure land near Amoakohene, the king accepted Boamanhene’s offer, establishing the Manhyia Palace Executioners there to safeguard the queen mother by night and assist at court by day.
The Tweneduroase group has a distinct spiritual identity, anchored in the Atano deity; a spirit not acquired but one that appeared unbidden in Efiduase Ntumkumso. When presented to the king, Atano declared its role as abrani, an executioner.
The king, recognizing divine alignment, embedded them into the Manhyia Palace Executioners order under Nkram leadership. Atano is neither conjured nor acquired; unlike Abosom, which individuals seek through nsuman (spiritual objects), Atano simply appears, uninvited, unrelenting, and absolute in its demands. It often reveals itself in objects placed in yaawa (wooden bowls), ayewa mu (earthenware), or kuduom (caskets).
In recent times, however, these spirits appear less frequently, a silence some attribute to the moral decline and spiritual erosion of the land.
Recently, during the 2nd Akwasidae Festival of 2025, held on March 2, the Manhyia Palace Executioners appeared in their traditional attire, showcasing the rich culture and traditions of Asanteman. This public display underscored their ongoing role in preserving and performing ancestral customs within the royal court.
Their continued presence remains integral to Asante royal ceremonies, especially during grand durbars, where they embody and protect ancestral traditions.
Reference: Engaging Modernity: Asante in the Twenty-First Century by Kwasi Ampene and Nana Kwadwo Nyantakyi III
