Osei Kofi Tutu I (c. 1660 – c. 1717) was one of the founders of the Ashanti Empire, assisted by Okomfo Anokye, his chief priest and a distant relative from the town of Awukugua–Akuapem.
This suggests that the chief settlement of Kwaaman has already been renamed Kumasi or Kumase and that the tale of its founding by Osei Tutu has been lifted from earlier tradition.
[12] The man said to be the creator of the Asante Empire was born Osei Kofi Tutu Opemsoo in around 1660 in the town of Kokofu Anyinam, in the Ashanti Region of modern-day Ghana, which was also the hometown of his mother.
Political prisoners like the Osei Tutu were treated with intense respect, thus they had a positive view of the Denkyira when they were eventually released to rule their state.
However, his fall from grace would be in the form of his relationship with the sister or niece of the Denkyria ruler, Princess (Ohene nuabaa) Akobena Abensua.
This relationship was not just imprudent, but also adulterous as Abensua was married to a high ranking Denkyrian dignitary, who by some accounts was the Gyaasehene, who had been betrothed to her since they were children.
Unlike the Kwaaman, who had formed the Amantoo coalition with states under the yoke of the Denkyrians, and whose rule was divided between clans and cities, the Akwamu were centralized, and had one supreme ruler.
He looked forward to the day he could inflict similar pain on the Denkyira rulers, with Osei Tutu had the same ambition having observed the ill-treatment of non-Denkyira people, like Anokye's mother.
[22] After a few years in Akwamu, Osei Tutu received news that his Uncle, Obiri Yeboa, had been killed repelling an attack from the Dormaa.
They were advised by the great priest Okomfo Anokye to continually fast and pour libation to their ancestors and the gods until the chosen day.
[24] So, for many days thousands of men and women of the Amantoo nation came to Kwaaman, all wearing beads and woven or printed cloths and ornaments of gold and copper and brass.
The drums sounded all day and all night; dancers danced, and the dust rose between the thick clay walls of the houses of Kwaaman, splendidly decorated with raised patterns, and in the great open space where King Osei Tutu sat with counsellors and drummers and horn blowers, his executioners and his speakers, who when he wished to speak to the people, made themselves his voices.
But the Kwaamanhene Osei Tutu wore the most wonderful golden ornaments; on his fingers were many weighty rings, each made into some figure about which there was a story or saying.
[24] Renaming of the capital from Kwaaman to Kumasi In honour of the creation of the Sika Dwa Kofi, Osei Tutu renamed Kwaaman to Kumase, after the kum tree that Tutu sat under while negotiating the terms and new laws for the land, the same Kum tree grown by Obiri Yeboa when testing the land for his people to inhabit.
Osei Tutu's first problem was to sort out the financial situation of his kingdom and confederation, as he planned to use the money to fund his military and pay the soldiers.
Either later or at the same time a horde of medics, engineers, supply transporters, and foragers, meant to support the army in non-combat matters, were introduced.
[26] Nevertheless, these quick and much needed reforms introduced by Osei Tutu and his military advisors did have the desired effect of making the Amantoo alliance.
Richly clad and loaded down with jewels, they were accompanied by a magnificent escort of Boamponsem's most stalwart warriors as an indirect way to show the beauty of the Denkyrian women in comparison to those of the Amantoo.
When this delegation arrived, Boamponsem received its members with due respect, but fell in love at first sight with the beautiful chief queen.
[17] Another account that is given for one of the causes of the war is that Osei Tutu had given protection to Oduro Agyensamoo of Assin, a man wanted in Abankeseso for questioning the King of Denkyira about the circumstances of Boa Amponsem's death.
[24] The chiefs were initially silent in responding to the demands, then the Dwabenhene, Adaakwaa Yiadom, rose up, the new sunsum, or soul, of Amantoo stirring within him condemned the whole message and swore to avenge, following it up by either cutting the ear off of or killing one of the envoys.
When news came that the King's mother was dead, the Bontwumafo and the inhabitants of the surrounding towns immediately fled to escape being slaughtered in great numbers and sought refuge with Osei Tutu at Kumasi.
At the meeting the head of the villagers, Owusu Koanyama verbally abused the Occupant of the Bankam Dwa (the Denkyira Stool) saying that the hene's servants (the shield-bearers) were ruffians who stole everything from the people.
Gyakari, knowing full well that if he was to achieve absolute victory at Feyiase ordered one last final grand assault on the Amantoo forces.
After gulping down a gourd (bottle) of palm wine, King Gyakari of his own volition laid his neck on the executioner's stone to be executed.
[21] After his execution, his body was divided into three more parts: his head was given to the Amantoohene, but the Osei Tutu got a gold cast of his face and gifted it to the Dwabenhene either as a reward for capturing Gyakari, or because the Dwabenhene and Osei had argued over who got Ntim's head and due to Tutu not wanting infighting among the Amantoo he made a gold mask of Ntim's face and gave it to the Dwaben, his left-leg bone to Asumegya, right-leg bone to Mampong, the vertebrae to Aduaben.
[29] Other sources say that after the war, there was a lull in hostilities for a year, until the Amantoo heard that Boadu Akufu, the new Denkyriahene, was making preparations for reprisals.
It is said that the period of plundering went on for 15 consecutive days, with the body of Boamponsem being exhumed, the flesh being removed to feed to serpents and snakes, and his skull and thigh bones being carried off as war trophies, as well as three small cannons gifted to Gyakari by the Dutch East India Company to fight the Amantoo.
At the onset of the struggle, he had underestimated the Akyem because they were few in number, going into battle without his usual "magical amulets", and even leaving some of his body armour back at Kumasi, his capital.
The village chief told historian Gus Casely-Hayford regarding Osei Tutu: "He was more than a man, he was our messiah, brave, intelligent, someone who through almost force of will forged this country.