Akan memorial portraits are generic likenesses differentiated by hairstyles and scarification (permanent marks applied to a person’s body). Their neutral expressions were intended to project an ideal regal persona.

Asante women have a strong leadership role rooted in the passage of ruling power through the female line. Every Asante individual belongs to their mother’s clan; therefore fathers have more to do with their sister’s children than with their own.

Among the Asante, kente is a prestigious cloth that has traditionally been worn by kings and chiefs. Traditionally only male weavers created kente, but women have entered the field more recently. Kente consists of multiple woven strips. Each strip is created in a continuous band, four to eight inches wide.

Kente from Ghana is undoubtedly the best-known African textile in the world. Kente gained worldwide attention in 1957 when Kwame Nkrumah, then president of Ghana, the first independent country in sub-Saharan Africa, wore it for his official portraits during an official visit to the United States.

An okyeame is a counselor, spokesman, or linguist serving a chief or Asantehene (king). They are the leader’s primary orators, diplomats, protocol officers, prosecutors, and prayer officiants. They must have a masterful command of Asante traditions, history, and public relations. Among royal attendants, linguists are visually distinguished by their tall wooden staffs decorated with gold.

The increasing accessibility of European firearms reduced the need for Asante swords to function as weapons. State swords are second only to state stools in terms of their importance. The largest state sword is an Mponponsuo (responsibility) sword. During his inauguration, the Asantehene (king) swears on the Mponponuso that he will serve and protect the Golden Stool.