The cow is a very important animal in Africa, in fact, if there was a Forbes list for most influential animals in Africa, the cow will probably top the list. It is symbolic in religious activities, it is also a sign of strength and masculinity, a symbol of authority, wealth, and even fertility.
One part of the cow that is very important to the Akan people of Ghana is the cow horn. The horn is used for several purposes in the Akan Royal Court. These reasons include both cultural and traditional. Usually, when warriors returned from battle or hunters from an expedition, they would present the royal chiefs a cow horn as a sign of respect. As a matter of fact, horns in general, including the tusk of the elephant, were indeed very significant.
Asides being a token of respect, the cow horn was also used as a musical instrument known as Aben (singular form) or Mmensuon (plural form). The name Mmensuon also referred to all wind instruments as well.
The Mmensuon is often used in the palace to pass messages that could not be passed by words. It needed to be prepared by washing, drying, and spiritual cleansing or ceremony to ensure it is acceptable to the gods. The instrument was not just for communication with humans, it was used in speaking with the gods.
Only people who were specifically trained could play the cow horn, they were called Mmensuon performers. They usually played to welcome a chief and his entourage during special events. They also played when specific information was to be passed from the ancestors or from the chief to the people.
Smaller horns were used by hunters to communicate with each other while on an expedition in the forest. Soldiers also used these smaller horns to sound warning of enemy invasions and a cry of war. It was also used in the war against British invasion.
So many Africans were taken from their homelands across the Atlantic to places like the Caribbean during the slave trade era and most took with them their cultures and traditions. One of such is the Mmensuon. Though at the time slaves were not allowed to use it, it later became a strong symbol of freedom and independence.
Among the slaves in the Caribbean, especially Haiti and Jamaica the instrument was renamed Abeng. The instrument helped as a major tool for communicating secretly especially during the Maroon community rebellions of the 17th century. Slaves who had escaped also used the Abeng as a tool to distract soldiers who came after them. It was not strange to see slave owners and Europeans invade slave residences to take away their Abengs.
In recent times, the Abeng has become a tool of entertainment and preservation of culture. It is played at important ceremonies like weddings, burials, birth celebrations, and important festivals.
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