The inverted pyramid necklace, seen in this picture, is part of the Otumfuo’s regalia
Except for a few occasions, the Asante King (the Asantehene) is mostly seen adorned in rich Ghanaian regalia and jewellery.
His outfits portray the Asante culture as rich, luxurious and packed with deep history and tradition.
The Asantehene will be mostly seen with gold necklaces of different shapes and gold rings and ornaments.
Among these is a pyramid necklace, once that has deep significance and meaning.
In a video shared on Facebook on June 5, 2025, Nana Hemanhene Nana Apau Wiafe Ababio Sanwoansan, while speaking in an interview, linked the pyramid necklace to an occurrence dating back over 400 years.
According to him, during one of his travels, he saw a coffin that bore a striking resemblance to a picture of Otumfuo dressed in the same kente cloth.
“I made some comparisons, and once everything was over, they threw a party for us. I spent about ten days there. During the dinner, we were asked to share the experience we had gathered from the expedition. I told them that based on everything I had seen, I could infer that my forefathers lived here,” he said.
Nana Sanwoansan said he saw a lot of products at the museum that bore a resemblance to a lot of things that the Akans hold today as traditions.
“Imagine meeting African Americans and people from all over the world, and then claiming that all the artefacts found there belonged to my forefathers. It was quite surprising. The host asked me why I was making such a claim, and I explained that from the little historical research I had done, I had discovered that the Akans once lived here, along with the Anlo and Ga people, though the Akans played a particularly significant role,” he said.
He noted with confidence that some Ghanaians had lived in the area because the objects that are in the area resonate with the Ghanaian culture.
“All lived there before the arrival of King Leopard I, and later, the Romans and Arabs settled in that area. We coexisted for about 400 years before conflicts broke out, prompting us to leave for Mali, where the Old Ghana Empire was eventually established.
“So, I said to the man, ‘Everything I’m telling you stands as evidence that the Akans once lived here.’ However, what I wanted to show you – to help you understand, I showed them a picture of Otumfuo in his full regalia. I pointed to the ornament around his neck and told them that it represents our forefathers.
When we left the old Ghana Empire, we trekked through until we reached what is now present-day Ghana,” he said.
He, however, noted that when Ghanaians were leaving that settlement, they couldn’t carry everything with them.
“When our forefathers arrived and established the Kingdom, they said to themselves that even if they couldn’t bring the pyramid with us, they would symbolically carry it around their necks. They tried – had it been something movable, they would have brought it along. But since they couldn’t, they chose to represent it as an ornament around their necks,” he said.
Nana Sanwoansan further explained that this is why the necklace is called “Adaaboso,” which literally means “on the chest” (3da wo bo so) – shortened to Adaaboso.
“The truth is, the Whites themselves know who the original people are. They know who those things rightfully belong to. So, you may notice that at certain times, our overlord wears up to three of them around his neck – sometimes two.
“During grand durbars, he adorns himself with these ornaments. Even though we couldn’t bring the actual pyramid, it’s still worn around our necks. That is the Adaaboso. Only someone with a true understanding of these things will grasp their significance,” Nana Sanwoansan noted.
SSD/AE
