What would you expect an African tribe to worship? The sun maybe, or the trees. However, did you know that the Ashanti tribe worshipped stools?! So let me tell you the weird tale of the stools of the Ashanti and the war they caused.
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| An Ashanti stool |
The Ashanti tribe of Africa believed that the ghosts of their dead family and friends, lived inside wooden stools owned by the chiefs of their tribe. There was one such stool owned by a certain Ashanti chief that was said to have been made of gold and buried under the chief's palace! When the British took over the region and found out about the stool, the British governor ordered the Ashantis to get the stool. The Ashantis were willing to do this until the governor told them that he wanted to sit on the stool! So, before he could find the stool the Ashantis buried it. The governor was very unhappy about this, so he declared war against the Ashantis! All because he wanted to sit on a golden stool.
Whose army would you expect soldiers dressed in a red waistcoat, bearskin hat and white trousers to be serving in? The British Army or any other European army. However, did you know that this was one of the uniforms of the Fauj-i-Khas? So, let me tell you the story of the European-trained Sikh army!
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| Fauj-i-Khas uniform |
The Fauj-i-Khas was an elite unit of the Sikh Khalsa army of Ranjit Singh set up in the 1600s. The Fauj-i-Khas was formed in 1822 by Ranjit Singh as he wanted to have an army that was capable of fighting the British, who at the time were better trained. Hence Ranjit Singh employed General Jean-François Allard, an ex-Napoleonic veteran. He also employed 2 Italian generals, General Paolo di Avitabile and General Jean-Baptiste Ventura and an American colonel named Alexander Gardner. Under the command of these veteran soldiers the Fauj-i-Khas soon became a formidable force of 5000 troops. Unfortunately, in January 1839 General Jean-François Allard passed away and 5 months later Ranjit Singh himself. After Ranjit Singh's death a number of courtiers and army chiefs vied for power. This led to the gradual disintegration of Sikh Empire. Understanding that the Sikh Empire's decline had begun many senior officers of the Fauj-i-Khas resigned. Only a few French colonels remained in the Fauj-i-Khas. Soon, they too were dismissed in 1844 as part of an anti-foreigner drive by the prime minister. The Fauj-i-Khas was eventually disbanded in 1849 after the British annexed Punjab.
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