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Cape Coast where the case was down for hearing, in any respect entered into<br />
the substantive argument or made any effort to look into the underlying<br />
causes. Instead, the judges attempted to bring about an amicable settlement<br />
by referring the case for arbitration to a committee chaired by Chief Biney<br />
of Cape CoasL I 3 But the Cape Coast chiefs could not bring the parties<br />
together and in the end the Court had to resume hearing the case. When at<br />
last, in October 1924, the judges arrived at a ruling, the Court ordered<br />
Asempah and Brew to withdraw their Public Notice publicly, while the<br />
defendant, Nana Otu Ababio II, had to apologize by means of a Public<br />
Notice to be published twice, 'for the suggestion that the plaintiff's ancestor<br />
Osam K wesi and others were domestics of the Abirankur Stoo I of Abura'.<br />
It is against the background of the Stool conflict and its history<br />
that we should see the concept of Stool land in its present use as a relative<br />
rather than absolute category. Accepting that in a general sense all Abura<br />
lands are somehow under the Stool of Abakrampa, there seem to be at least<br />
four categories ofsuch lands:<br />
1. The Asukwa land whose renting and leasing continues under the<br />
authority of Nana Quansah, the Asasewura of the Asukwa Twidan<br />
ebusua, without intervention by the Omanhene. 14<br />
2. The other Dunkwa lands as well as all those lands under sub-chiefs,<br />
whose owners recognize the authority of the Omanhene and have agreed<br />
to seek his consent for (and accordingly let him share in the proceeds<br />
of) any important land transactions. These chiefs and elders contribute<br />
equadoto to the annual festival of the Abakrampa Stool.<br />
3. Those lands within the Abura-Dunkwa territory: Owarakesem, (part<br />
of) Ampaah and Foopa, the cultivation of which is granted more<br />
directly by the Omanhene. For these lands he appoints his own<br />
caretakers whose task it is to ensure that all those farming there pay the<br />
yearly equadoto.<br />
4. The real Stool lands outside the Dunkwa territory, such as Esamang,<br />
Sikabiw ahd Nsendze. IS<br />
************<br />
The fact thatthe Paramount Stool has not been able to find any ways to put<br />
an end to present-day practice with regard to Asukwa land, and that Otu<br />
X and his predecessors have been able to assert their authority over the<br />
65
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