Ntam Kɛseɛ

The Great Oath: Ntam Kɛseɛ

Level 6

To swear an oath is ka ntam. Meka Ntam Kɛseɛ means I swear the Great Oath, the most serious oath in Asante.

How It Works

1. The words
Ntam means oath and kɛseɛ means big or great, so Ntam Kɛseɛ is a noun + adjective phrase: the Great Oath. To swear is ka ntam (say an oath); in the past, ɔkaa ntam (he swore). This ntam is spelled the same as ntam (between); the verb ka tells you it is an oath. The noun ntamka (oath-swearing) puts the object first, like other verb-object nouns.

2. Swearing it
The claim follows sɛ (that): Meka Ntam Kɛseɛ sɛ asaase yi yɛ me dea (I swear the Great Oath that this land is mine). A recorded formula begins Mesrɛ Otumfoɔ Ntam Kɛseɛ, meka Ntam Kɛseɛ sɛ ... (I appeal to Otumfoɔ's Great Oath, I swear the Great Oath that ...); srɛ means beg or ask. The other side may answer with the same oath: Me nso meka Ntam Kɛseɛ (I too swear the Great Oath).

3. What it does
Every chief has an oath, and the court that hears a case depends on whose oath was sworn. Ntam Kɛseɛ belongs to the Asantehene, the highest of all (see -hene and Royal Titles: Otumfoɔ, Nana). Once it is sworn, the case goes to his court at Manhyia in Kumasi. The person found to have sworn wrongly pays a fine to the Asantehene and to the other side.

4. Why it is so heavy
The oath recalls the death of Osei Tutu I, the founder of the Asante kingdom, who was killed in battle at Koromante on a Saturday, around 1717. The words Koromante ne Memeneda (Koromante and Saturday) are taboo, so people say Ntam Kɛseɛ instead, the same careful habit as Saying Hard Things Gently. Chiefs swear it when they pledge loyalty to the Asantehene, and an oath sworn this way cannot be taken back.

5. Everyday oaths
Ka ntam is also used for ordinary oaths and firm promises, and the Twi Bible uses it too: Ɔkaa ntam sɛ ɔbɛba (He swore that he would come). The Great Oath is different: never swear it as a joke or in anger. Mfa Ntam Kɛseɛ nni agorɔ (Do not play with the Great Oath).

Examples (5)

  1. Meka Ntam Kɛseɛ sɛ asaase yi yɛ me dea.

    I swear the Great Oath that this land is mine.

    Word by Word: I-say oath great that land this is my own

    The claim follows sɛ (that).

  2. Me nso meka Ntam Kɛseɛ.

    I too swear the Great Oath.

    Word by Word: I also I-say oath great

    The other side answers with the same oath, and the court must decide.

  3. Sɛ obi ka Ntam Kɛseɛ a, asɛm no kɔ Manhyia.

    If someone swears the Great Oath, the case goes to Manhyia.

    Word by Word: if someone says oath great, matter the goes Manhyia

    Manhyia is the Asantehene's palace in Kumasi.

  4. Ɔkaa ntam sɛ ɔbɛba.

    He swore that he would come.

    Word by Word: he-said oath that he-will-come

    Ka ntam also works for ordinary oaths and promises.

  5. Mfa Ntam Kɛseɛ nni agorɔ.

    Do not play with the Great Oath.

    Word by Word: not-take oath great not-eat play

    De ... di agorɔ means play with something. In a negative command, both verbs take the nasal and de becomes fa.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the wrong verb with ntam.

    Medi Ntam Kɛseɛ.
    Meka Ntam Kɛseɛ.

    An oath is sworn with ka (say): ka ntam. Di goes with a different word, nseɛ, in nseɛdie (swearing by a god or a shrine).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Ntam KɛseɛLevel 6The Great Oath: Ntam Kɛseɛ

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The Great Oath builds on chiefly titles.

Words in This Pattern

ntamkɛseɛka