ASHANTI PEOPLE ( ASANTEMAN) Ashanti is a nation and ethnic group native to Ashantiland and the Kingdom of Ashanti of south Ghana. Ashanti are the largest sub-grouping of the Akan people. Ashanti speak Ashanti a dialect of the Akan language. Prior to European colonization, the Ashanti people developed a large and influential empire, the Ashanti Empire along the Gulf of Guinea. The Ashanti later developed the powerful Ashanti Confederacy or Asanteman and became the dominant presence on the Gulf of Guinea region. The Ashanti King Asantehene is the political and spiritual head of the Ashantis. The word Ashanti is a British misnomer and Asanti is the correct Twi. Asanti literally means “because of wars”.