The paper is a study of Ghanaian toponymy in the form of
human settlement and falls under language and culture. It
highlights what influence the European contact with Ghana
(formerly the Gold Coast) has had on the native Akan place names,
especially the towns and villages in the TMA. Even though there
have been some media reports and other works done on Ghanaian
The Extractive Industries and Society 2 (2015) 19–23
A R T I C L E I N F O
Article history:
Received 13 August 2014
Received in revised form 18 November 2014
Available online 8 December 2014
Keywords:
Toponymy
Akan
Tarkwa
Mining
Anglicization
A B S T R A C T
This paper studies the original native names of some towns in the Tarkwa Mining Area in the Western
Region of Ghana. The objective is to rediscover their meanings and why and how the original native
names were changed to the current documented ones. It is a study of Ghanaian toponymy as human
settlement. The authors interviewed chiefs/subchiefs, natives and other knowledgeable persons, who
are the custodians of the unwritten literature behind the names, which have been transmitted orally by
the natives from generation to generation. The study finds that the original native names in Akan derive
from names of rivers, cherished historical events and important persons and that the change from the
native names to the current documented names arises from European influence in two main forms:
unconscious use of non-Akan (anglicized) spelling, or conscious replacement of the Akan native names.
The change has led to the dilution or obliteration of Ghanaian literature and culture. Today, the original
native names and their meanings are lost or getting lost on society, owing to use of the ‘‘foreignized’’
names in written documents. It is recommended that Ghana reverts to use the original native names to
preserve the related literature and historical significance.
2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +233 244 272397.
E-mail addresses: pbmgee@yahoo.com (P.B. Mireku-Gyimah),
aamensah2013@yahoo.com (A.A. Mensah).
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toponymy or place names, including the names of some towns
(see, for instance, Andoh, 2014; Ampene, 2014a,b,c,d,e,f; BaahBentum, 2004; Boateng-Gyamfi, 2014; Anon, 2014d,e,f,g), there
has not been any report or study on the towns and villages of the
TMA. This research aims to bridge this gap.
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