TIMOTHY WEISKEL The Precolou al Baule Reconstruction

I. The Quaqua Coast and its Hinterland in the 17th and 18th Centuries Akan Westward Migrations and the Formation of the Baule Peoples

In the trade jargon of the i7th and i8th centuries the Quaqua Coast designated the region between Cape Lahou in the west and the town of Assini in the east corresponding roughly to what has become the eastern half of the present-day Republic of the Ivory Coast See Map Although there is evidence of continuous habitation in the area from the late stone age Mauny 1972 19-23) and although some early records suggest that the peoples there conducted significant trade with groups far in the interior1 European merchants were generally reluctant to establish permanent trading stations onshore The trading partners of these coastal populations were primarily interlopers who sought to operate beyond the western margin of control of the major trading forts along the Gold Coast In effect the Quaqua Coast remained backwater area for the bulk of European trade throughout most of the i7th and i8th centuries There seems to be several reasons for the relative neglect of the Quaqua Coast by the main European trading powers In the nrst place the coastal geography of the Quaqua Coast was difficult to navigate safely with the available sailing technology in the i7th and i8th centuries There were no natural harbours along the coast and the mouth of the Bandama river at Lahou and that of the river at Bassam were separated from easy access to the open sea by series of shifting sand bars In addition the pattern of coastal currents and winds made it hazardous to approach too closely to the shore Anchoring offshore was also difficult for the strong coastal currents were capable of dislodging an anchor and placing vessel in peril of shipwreck One spot in par ticular about half-way between Lahou and Assini was nicknamed the

Cahiers tudes africaines 72 II 1-4 pp 503-560