Denkyiran Defections Osei Tutu and Anokye engaged in a propaganda campaign, trying to get Denkyrian commanders to defect. Anokye claimed that his magic powers would convince half of the Denkyiran force to switch sides. It is said that the first town that changed allegiance from Ntim Gyakari to Osei Tutu was the Abooso people. Abooso was a town that lay in the vicinity of Adanse Akrokeri whose inhabitants were called
Bontwumafo - the red clay people. After having provoked the Denkyirahene's wrath during the conquest of Adanse, they were condemned to provide human sacrifices whenever a member of the royal family died. They were called the red clay people as when they were sacrificed, their blood was mixed with clay to paint the body of the deceased. When Ntim Gyakari's mother, Akobena Abensua, fell mortally ill, the Bontwumafo and the inhabitants of the surrounding towns fled in great numbers and sought refuge with Osei Tutu at Kumasi. They were welcomed and given land, and their leaders were given important positions within the Asante federation. When it was clear that the Bontwumafo were welcomed by Osei Tutu, many others from Denkyira followed. The Anwianwia and Asabi groups, fleeing Gyakari's cruel rule, were resettled in
Ahafo. The Awu Dawu, personal servants of the Denkyirahene, defected and were placed under the command of Amankwatia, another renegade Denkyiran who was now a senior general with the titles of Kontihene and Bantamahene. Others of Ntim Gyakari's household servants who also defected were the brothers Akwadan and Nuamoa, the chief hornblowers of the Denkyirahene. They came to Kumase with their golden horns and their large followers. They were resettled at Akuropon and later brought into Kumasi when Osei Tutu created the Asokwa stool for them so that they might act as his traders as well as his hornblowers. Similarly, the Denkyirahene's head drummer also fled to Osei Tutu with his sister and 1000 followers. Osei Tutu appointed him as Nkukuwafohene. Numerous other groups and whole towns switched sides. Aboabo, a town near the Oda River, hosted the Denkyirahene's shield-bearers (
Akyamfuo). A conflict arose between the Akyamfuo and the villagers, and the villagers killed some of the shield-bearers. Ntim Gyakari was incensed and summoned the villagers to appear before him. The village chief demanded relief, saying that the hene's servants were ruffians who stole from the people. The king ordered him killed forthwith together with all his family. The villagers and the inhabitants of the towns close to Aboabo escaped to Asante. Some decided to return to their home and beg the Denkyriahene to forgive them, but were executed. The most important of all those who migrated were the ‘Inkwayulaes or Nkawie people, whose defection crippled royal authority in northern Denkyira.
Nkawie, 20 miles north of Abankeseso, was the second most important town in the Denkyira Empire. It was ruled by a lineage that occupied a Stool from which you become the Denkyirahene. Its female stool was also occupied by Denkyirahene’s ‘nieces’, women who were eligible to become the Queenmother of Denkyira. In 1694, after the death of King Boa Amponsem I, Ntim Gyakari had won out over Asenso Kufuor in the succession dispute. Ntim Gyakari kept Asenso Kufuor and his sister Adoma in Abankeseso under his personal surveillance. Still, Asenso Kufuor decided to side with Osei Tutu and escaped to Kwaaman. As a royal eligible to become Denkyirahene and Gyakari's most powerful vassal, he came with all his subordinate chiefs together with guns and gold.
Conflict By November 1698, open conflict had broken out. The
Wassa,
Twifo, and
Aowin had joined Asante and closed off Denkyiran access to arms and ammunition from the European trading posts on their stretch of coast. Denkyira, on the other hand, was supported by the
Dutch and the ruler of
Dampong. The
Akyem, allied with Denkyira, attacked the Asante allies in
Akwamu, fighting to a stalemate in 1699. The Denkyiran forces found initial success. At the battles of Adunku, Aputuogya, and Abuontem, Ntim Gyakari managed to force Asante forces back. A mile north of Aputuogya he encountered Osei Tutu's main force deployed at Feyiase, where the Asante won
a crushing victory. Among those captured or, in some interpretations, killed was Ntim Gyakari. The Dwaben Asafo (the Dwaben part of the Amantoo army headed by the Dwabenhene himself) found Gyakari playing golden oware with his wife, unaware of what was happening on the battlefield. There are many ways stated for how Ntim died. One source says that after him trying to resist his capture, in which the Dwabenhene himself attacked and subdued Gyakari, they captured him and brought him to Osei Tutu. Gyakari was tried, convicted, and executed in Feyiase. Other sources state that Adakwayiadom, the Dwaben commander of the Asante right wing, beheaded Ntim on the spot. The Asante forces also captured six Dutch cannons that were taken back to Kumasi as trophies.
Aftermath After their defeat at Feyiase, the remanents of the Denkyiran army fled south of the
Ofin River. The Asante army thoroughly sacked
Abankeseso for 15 days, taking the Denkyirahene's great stores of gold back to Kumasi. He nominated
Boadu Akufu, a nephew of Ntim Gyakari, as the new, subordinate Denkyirahene. Osei Tutu divided the territory among his supporters, with the Denkyiran refugees resettled as Asante vassals, and Amantuo communities growing in power and responsibility. The people of Asumegya founded the villages of Dominase and Agyemasu, and Osei Tutu resettled the Bontwumafo in Atwima (now Atwima Mponua and Atwima Nwabiagya Districts) and their leader was made the Atwimahene. ==As Asantehene==