Some Important Rivers of Buoyem

 

Buoyem in Techiman is endowed with a lot of cultural, historical and geographical tourist sites. Among these are rivers. It has numerous water bodies to boast of but only a few will be mentioned here. In this expose’,  rivers of cultural and historical significance will be highlighted.

MPIRISI

This stream flows from the rocks of the cave that houses the bat colony. The name Mpirisi is a package and in this bouquet there is Deity, the Stream, the Cave and the 375+ hectares of Forest.

The stream plays a very signicant role in the cultural heritage of Buoyem. Installation rites of the following are sealed only when they are ritually cleansed in the stream. They are Buoyemhene, Buoyemhemaa, Krontihene, Krontihemaa, Mpirisi Bosomfoɔ, and Tano Kwabena Bosomfoɔ. These community leaders are estopped from playing some specific roles if these rites are not performed. They include; not riding in palanquins, not visiting the Bibiri River during Annual Yam Festivals for cleansing rites. The waters of Mpirisi stream is neither to be heated nor boiled. Any person who washes in the stream does not bathe with warm or hot water until the next day.

BIBIRI

When the ancestors completed the migration from Bono Manso through Amoma to Buoyem, Bibiri served as the main drinking source until the advent of modern day sources of treated water like boreholes and pipe borne water emerged. River Bibiri has two falls; Bibiri Falls and Ohemaa Falls. 

Bibiri Abena is the "wife" of Tano Kwabena Divinity. During the Fɔdwoɔ Yam Festival of Tano Kwabena as well as the Nwonafie Yam Festival of Buoyemhene and sub-chiefs, the fresh Yams are washed in the river before they are prepared into 'Tɔ' or mashed yam. Some are also pounded into fufuo for the festival. No cassava is added to the boiled yam in the preparation of the bayerɛ(yam) fufuo.

In a retinue of chiefs elders and citizens, Tano Kwabena is carried to the riverside for purification rites. In a similar fashion, the Buoyemhene rides in a palanquin to the riverside with his subchiefs for purification rites of stools. The taboo of Bibiri Abena is that no adult female sees, fetches or crosses the river on Kwabenada(a special Tuesday).

TAKYIA

Legend has it that, River Takyia came to meet Buoyem. It was Nana Owusu Kwakuru I who led the remnant Oyoko royals to Buoyem from Amoma with the Aduana and Aseneɛ clans. 

He nominated his nephew Nana Takyia Ameyaw I to be the first Takyimanhene after the collapse of the Bono Kingdom. One day he decided to visit his uncle at Buoyem to brief him on the happenings at Takyiman. For strange reasons he never reached Buoyem. The Pea and Besehene (Spear and White Kola Nut) which he was carrying were used to identify that he had turned into the river which hitherto was not there. These items were found at the source of the Asuo Takyia in the Mantukwa Hills.  

It is believed that Asuo Takyia has mystical powers and people make supplications to Takyia and their expectations are met. No sitting Takyimanhene is permitted to see the waters of Asuo Takyia. It crosses the Takyiman-Buoyem road. When crossing the river, Takyimanhene is blindfolded and or a ram is offered to Asuo Takyia before he can cross to visit his uncle.

ADWOA SIKA

Another important river is Adwoa Sika. It got its name as a result of being a source of mineral wealth (alluvial gold). Oral tradition has it that, in the olden days after a heavy downpour Nananom picked nuggets of gold on the bed of the river. In recent times exploratory activities have indicated that the valley is laden with this precious mineral wealth. Buoyem is averse to open illegal mining or galamsey. The community will however, embrace professional mining methods.

TIHURI

It is another water body that is believed to have mystical powers. People travel from far away places to make supplications and they say their expectations are met. Tihuri strongly abhors thievery, marital infidelity and bearing false witness against a neighbour.

As narrated and written by: Krontihene of Buoyem, Okokyeredom Ampomah Frimpong II.

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