I’m going to sit this passage here and come back to it later when I learn a bit more about MAAT for comparison.

Ephirim-Donkor, Anthony. African Religion Defined: A Systematic Study of Ancestor Worship among the Akan (pp. 32-33). UPA. Kindle Edition.

Ontologically, the first human, the Abrewa (Old woman), is acknowledged as the originator of ultimate justice existentially, because she was the originator of speech and language as mother of her children. Thus from the very beginning the Abrewa taught her children everything there was—and is—to know about fairness; and, in return, her children consult with her as final arbiter whenever they reach impasses during deliberations and adjudications.

The principle of fairness and equity is predicated on the notion that all humans are the children of the Abrewa, physically; and consequently, there is no reason for her to discriminate against her own children. Biologically, the Akan emerged from the Abrewa’s womb and thus constitute what they called the Ābusua; that is, a people who are physio-materially composed of the Abrewa’s blood.

Spiritually though a father is the progenitor of his children, not a woman. This notion is via courtesy of the Abosom who transmit their Sunsum (spirit) through a father’s semen, which then activates a woman’s blood (Mogya). Divinely, above all, all human beings are children of God (Nyame), and none the child of the earth (mother) because the gift of life is God’s alone. Meaning, existence is more spiritual than mundane.

Ethically, the Abrewa symbolized truth and justice as all cases are deferred to her as the final arbiter during impasses. The principle of truth and justice is the first psychosocial instruction taught to a neonate during a naming rite, when water and liquor are touched on a neonate’s lip or tongue with the accompanying words: ‘when you say it’s water or liquor, then it’s water or liquor.’