ADANGME

people occupying the coastal area of Ghana from Kpone to Ada, on the Volta River, and inland along the Volta; they include the Ada, Kpone, Krobo, Ningo, Osuduku, Prampram, and Shai, all speaking variants of Ga-Adangme of the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family of languages. The chief Adangme occupation is farming, based on the huza system, in which a tract of land is purchased by a group of people, usually kinsmen; the tract is subdivided among the purchasers according to the amount each has paid, and the individual thereafter has complete control of his own section. Negotiations with the seller are carried out by an elected huzatse ("father of the huza"), who later acts as the huza leader and representative. Millet was formerly the staple food, but more common crops now include cassava, yams, corn (maize), plantain, cocoa, and palm oil. The Adangme are organized into clans based on patrilineal descent; the clans are subdivided into localized patrilineages, the basic units of Adangme political organization. Lineage members generally return to the traditional lineage home from the huza farms several times a year to participate in the festivals of their lineage gods. There are also many annual festivals.