BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ASANKRAN BREMAN PEOPLE
There lived a king called Nana Tweneboah Ntow, the first king of Asankran Breman. This man was so great that he had many enemies coming after him. He never migrated without animals. From Akyem Etwereso, the king moved with dog, cat, sheep, pig, fowl, and so on. The dog played a vital role in helping the people to escape from their enemies. The King loved animals, especially the dog. The dog always detected danger ahead of time; it would bark incessantly to give a signal to the chief of impending danger. The King then moved his people until they finally found a haven in the Western Region. The King said, “We have suffered before forming this community, hence the name “Breman”. When they settled, the king promised to feed the animals and protect them as well.
As a farming community, before the Breman people and the animals went to the farm, they prepared rice and palm nut soup so that when they returned, they would have something to feed on. The Breman people always gave half of the food to the animals. One fateful day, the dog complained of a stomach bug, so they decided to leave the dog behind. When they returned from the farm, the Breman people were eating their food with great relish whilst the animals had no food to eat because their food was nowhere to be found.
The dog had spread rumours that he saw one of the Breman people taking the food, which belonged to the animals. They gathered and marched to the king. The King was furious because he thought he had broken his promise. The King was sad. Though he loved the animals, he knew and loved his people as well. He knew that his people could never do that to him. The King was in dilemma. To ascertain the truth, the king decided to set the fire of truth that everyone was supposed to dance and jump over. They took turns as they sang and danced.
Because the dog had earlier complained of poor health, they prepared a medicine for the dog to drink to be healed and fitted for the test. Just when they thought the dog had jumped over the fire, it fell into the fire. The fire burnt his mouth and parts of his body.
MORAL LESSON: The gun is a very powerful tool, but telling the truth can save one from it as well as other calamities.