What is "abusua"

n. (context ethnography English) A matrilineal exogamous clan among the Ashanti.

Abusua is the name in Akan culture for a group of people that share a common maternal ancestor. The Abusua line is considered to be passed through the mother's blood (mogya). There are several Abusua that transcend the different ethnic subgroups. People of the same Abusua share a common ancestor somewhere within their bloodline, which may go back as far as 1000 years. It is a taboo to marry someone from the same Abusua. The different Abusua are the Agona (parrot), the Aduana (dog), the Asenie (bat), the Asakyiri (vulture), the Asona (crow), the Bretuo (leopard), the Ekuona (bull) and the Oyoko (hawk).