This is "Nana" - pronounced (nah-nah), just like our orange cat. It means chief, or grandparent. In this case, he is the current acting King of Kumawu. This was taken in his house, where he invited us over for a visit. He told us the story of how the king of Kumawu in the 1800s gave his life for all of the Ashanti people so they could win a war. It was really interesting. Anyways, here he is wearing a very traditional attire for a king. The cloth worn in the traditional style, the headpiece with gold on it, the gold chains over his shoulder, and the gold rings on his hands. This is a pretty low key look. Some chiefs and kings are adorned in gold, very fancy - big pieces all over their body. Necklaces, arm bands, cuffs, etc. On this visit we met only him in his house, normally we would be met by his servants and linquist. We would have to seek permission from the linquist to even speak to Nana, much less have a meeting with him. They also would have charged us money, as a kind of bribe.... I learned they take bribes because their position as a servant or linquist is unpaid. So... they have to make money somehow!!! On the floor by his feet are 2 containers... they are bottles of "schnapps". Traditionally, you cannot go meet a chief, king, etc. without bringing along something like schnapps. I bought 2 bottles, the most superior Ghana type of schnapps on the market. They cost Gh 9.0 cedis each, so roughly $12.50 USD. Not too bad.
