Inconclusive
63-903: Yaa Asantewaa I (c. 1840 – 17 October 1921) was the Queen Mother of Ejisu in the Ashanti Empire , now part of modern-day Ghana . She was appointed by her brother Nana Akwasi Afrane Okese, the Edwesuhene, or ruler, of Edwesu. In 1900, she led the Ashanti war also known as the War of the Golden Stool , or the Yaa Asantewaa War of Independence, against the British Empire . Yaa Asantewaa
126-614: A Chief Commissioner under the authority of the Governor of the Gold Coast . Ashanti was classed as a colony by conquest. The Ashanti lost their sovereignty but not the essential integrity of their socio-political system. In 1935, limited self-determination for the Ashanti was officially regularized in the formal establishment of the Ashanti Confederacy. The Crown Colony of Ashanti continued to be administered in
189-420: A demand for the Golden Stool. The Golden Stool only means money to the whitemen; they have searched and dug everywhere for it. I shall not pay one predwan to the governor. If you, the chiefs of Asante, are going to behave like cowards and not fight, you should exchange your loincloths for my undergarments ( Montu mo danta mma me na monnye me tam ). To dramatize her determination to go to war, Yaa Asantewaa seized
252-536: A group of African railroad builders discovered the hidden golden stool and vandalized it. They were judged and sentenced to death by the Ashanti people. British authorities exiled the criminals from the Golden Coast colony before they were killed. British colonists agreed to not get involved with the Golden stool after realizing the significance of the object. The Golden Stool is still used today to initiate and crown
315-515: A gun and fired a shot in front of the men. Yaa Asantewaa was chosen by a number of regional Asante kings to be the war leader of the Asante fighting force. This is the first and only example of a woman being given that role in Asante history . Yaa Asantewaa inspired and rallied her people to fight back against the British during which she gave this speech: Brave men of Ashanti, we are now faced with
378-535: A scheme with the greater Gold Coast but remained, nonetheless, a separate Crown Colony until it became united as part of the new dominion named Ghana under the Ghana Independence Act 1957 . The Golden Stool had long symbolized governing power for the Ashanti people . On 19 March 1901 British statesman David Lloyd George stated in a Parliamentary session that: "Frederick Hodgson's quest of
441-458: A senseless war on us, destroyed the seat of the Ashanti monarch and burnt our palace after looting all the treasures bequeathed to us by our fore father. Taking our brave men for a ride, the governor arbitrarily arrested and deported our King together with some prominent Chiefs of Ashanti without you men raising a finger. Today, he has come again to demand the Golden Stool. Gallant youth and men of our fatherland, shall we sit down to be dehumanized all
504-452: A serious confrontation by the Governor‘s extremely provocative request for the Golden Stool, which is the religious symbol of unity of the Ashanti nation. Not quite long ago the white man came and unilaterally occupied our God-given land and by force of arms has declared Ashanti Kingdom a British protectorate. We should also not forget that during the reign of King Karikari, the aggressors waged
567-508: A sudden rainstorm allowed the survivors to retreat to the British offices in Kumasi . The offices were then fortified into a small stockade 50 yards (46 m) square with 12 feet (3.7 m) loopholed high stone walls and firing turrets at each corner that housed 18 Europeans, dozens of mixed-race colonial administrators and 500 Nigerian Hausas with six small field guns and four Maxim guns . The British detained several high ranking leaders in
630-525: A women's convention, and a funeral service for Yaa Asantewaa's remains. The first lady of Ghana, Nana Konadu Rawling unveiled the Yaa Asantewaa museum alongside her daughters, continuing the matrilineage. The museum features traditional Ashanti architecture and a house Yaa Asantewaa might have lived in. Dedications to the Ashanti culture are visited by locals and tourists. These attractions memorialize Yaa Asantewaa's legacy and bring people from all over
693-650: Is a worldwide recognized historic figure with contemporary value for women rights and freedom. In Germany an award was named after her to honor strong women with African origins. For details see Yaa Asantewaa Festival . Queen mothers (Africa) Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.237 via cp1104 cp1104, Varnish XID 199680967 Upstream caches: cp1104 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:40:50 GMT War of
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#1732779650237756-494: Is immortalized in song as follows: Yaa Asantewaa's legacy and memorials are a tourist attraction and revenue generator for Ghana. In 1999, 350,000 tourists came to the country and Ghana made $ 340 million in return. In 2000, the hundredth anniversary of the Yaa Asantewaa war, the Yaa Asantewaa festival was celebrated throughout Ghana. The festival included the Yaa Asantewaa Museum launch, an international conference,
819-570: The Amanhene , had their female counterparts known as the ôhemaa : a female ruler who sat on their councils. The ôhemaa and ôhene were all of the same mogya , blood or localized matrilineage. The Asantehemaa, the occupant of the female stool in the Kumasi state, played a crucial role in the united Asante. As her male counterpart served as an ex-officio member of the Asantehene's council, she
882-597: The Asantehene (Ashanti ruler). Nana Yaa Asantewaa died in exile in the Seychelles on 17 October 1921. Three years after her death, on 17 December 1924, King Prempeh I and the other remaining members of the exiled Asante court were allowed to return to Asante. King Prempeh I made sure that the remains of Nana Asantewaa and the other exiled Ashantis were returned for a proper royal burial. Queen Asantewaa's dream for an Asante independent from colonial rule
945-617: The Golden Stool . But, the following year, the British arrested numerous chiefs, including the Queen Mother of Ejisu, Yaa Asantewaa , and exiled them to the Seychelles for 25 years. In that 25-year period many of them died, including Yaa Asantewaa herself in 1921. Kumasi City retains a memorial to this war and several large colonial residences. Ashanti and the former Gold Coast eventually became part of Ghana . The war cost
1008-406: The Seychelles , even though the specific names of her advisers are not extensively detailed in the available literature. The rebellion represented the final war in the series of Anglo-Asante wars that spanned the 19th century. In this confrontation, more than 2,000 Ashanti warriors lost their lives while approximately 1,000 British troops were also killed. This was the highest death toll from
1071-536: The Anglo-Asante wars and it lasted for 6 months. On 1 January 1902 the British finally annexed the territory that the Asante Empire had been controlling for almost a century, transforming the Asante into a protectorate of the British crown. Fredrick Mitchell Hodgson required the Ashanti empire to sacrifice their ancient "golden stool" when they surrendered. The golden stool has been a revered symbol of
1134-466: The Ashanti casualties in the war, noting that the Golden Stool was never captured by the British: "Surely human life was worth some respectful treatment", he said. The Golden Stool was hidden deep in the forests for the duration of the war, with the British continuing to seek it until 1921. Shortly after this, it was accidentally uncovered by a team of labourers who took the golden ornaments that adorned
1197-453: The Ashanti men to battle the British appears to be a function of her matriarchal status. The Ashanti people are organized in a matrilineal system, where lineage is traced through women who descend from a common female ancestor. The Ashanti believe a person's blood comes from the mother and spirit comes from the father. The queen mother was the sister of the chief and was the head of kinship relations. Yaa Asantewaa's status and warrior spirit led
1260-426: The Ashanti nation's soul since the 17th century. The stool is 18 inches tall and 12 inches wide. It is never to be sat on but instead is placed next to the throne of the Ashanti king. Despite the British defeating the Ashanti army, the golden stool was never turned over. A fake golden stool was delivered to the British governor while the nation's symbol of freedom, the ancient golden stool was kept safely hidden. In 1920,
1323-467: The Ashanti people during a time of uncertainty. Nana Yaa Asantewaa's call to the women of the Asante Empire is rooted in the political obligations of Akan women and their significant roles in legislative and judicial processes. The hierarchy of male stools among the Akan people was complemented by their female counterparts. Within the village, elders who were heads of the matrilineages ( mpanyimfo ), constituted
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#17327796502371386-621: The British and their allies approximately 1,000 fatalities in total; however, according to a statement made by MP David Lloyd George in Parliament in 1901, "the Colonial Office should have had some justification for the foolish policy of the [British] Government in regard to the Golden Stool, that had led to the hundreds and thousands of the corpses of savages festering round the fort of Coomassie"! David Lloyd George further admonished Joseph Chamberlain for his dismissive attitude towards
1449-627: The British exiled him to the Seychelles in 1896, along with the King of Asante Prempeh I and other members of the Asante government, Yaa Asantewaa became regent of the Ejisu–Juaben district . After the exile of Prempeh I, the British governor-general of the Gold Coast , Frederick Hodgson , demanded the Golden Stool , the symbol of the Asante nation. This request led to a secret meeting of
1512-633: The Conflict of Cultures in Modern Africa the anthropologist Reverend Edwin W. Smith wrote of this: "A singularly foolish speech! An excellent example of the blunders that are made through ignorance of the African mind!" Gaurav Desai quotes this passage and goes on to clarify that the Stool was not seen as a mere physical object and symbol of power but as a metaphysical and spiritual representation of
1575-874: The Golden Stool The War of the Golden Stool , also known as the Yaa Asantewaa War , the Third Ashanti Expedition , the Ashanti Uprising , or variations thereof, was a campaign in 1900 during the series of conflicts between the United Kingdom and the Ashanti Empire (later Ashanti Region ), an autonomous state in West Africa that fractiously co-existed with the British and its vassal coastal tribes. After several prior wars with British troops, Ashanti
1638-480: The Golden Stool for me to sit upon? However, you may be quite sure that though the Government has not received the Golden Stool at his hands it will rule over you with the same impartiality and fairness as if you had produced it. The speech was received in silence by the assembly, but the chiefs that were present began war preparations upon their return to their homes. In his book The Golden Stool: Some Aspects of
1701-436: The Golden Stool from the Asante people, because he seemed to think that "if he could only get possession of the Golden Stool he would be able to govern the country for all time". Hodgson advanced toward Kumasi with a small force of British soldiers and local levies, arriving on 25 March 1900. Hodgson, as representative of a powerful nation, was accorded traditional honors upon entering the city with children singing " God Save
1764-601: The Golden Stool was something like the quest of the Holy Grail ". The Member of Parliament of Caernarfon as well as other members of the House were extremely concerned about the huge expense that the House was being made to pay for the war. Joseph Chamberlain , then Secretary for the Colonial Office , was questioned extensively as to whether or not Frederick Hodgson had actually been given prior permission to demand
1827-563: The Heroism of An African Queen , premiered in Ghana in 2001. A stage show written by Margaret Busby , Yaa Asantewaa: Warrior Queen , directed by Geraldine Connor and featuring master drummer Kofi Ghanaba , with a pan-African cast, toured the UK and Ghana in 2001–02. A radio drama by the same author was also serialized in five episodes (13–17 October 2003) on BBC Radio Four 's Woman's Hour ,
1890-566: The Queen " to Lady Hodgson. After ascending a platform, he made a speech to the assembled Ashanti leaders. The speech, or the closest surviving account that comes through an Ashanti translator, reportedly read: Your King Prempeh I is in exile and will not return to Ashanti. His power and authority will be taken over by the Representative of the Queen of Britain. The terms of the 1874 Peace Treaty of Fomena , which required you to pay for
1953-616: The Queen Ashantuah [sic] ruler of Ofesa, has taken Supreme Command of the insurgent forces. She has under her Command General Asmarah, the Cacique of Esili, and an army of 20,000 warriors, including a battalion of Amazons and 1000 hand picked Soldiers who form a kind of Sacred Band ( Estafette (journal) [ fr ] Paris)". As Hodgson arrived at the coast, a rescue force of 1,000 men assembled from various British units and police forces stationed across West Africa and under
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2016-594: The Queen Mother. This was a prestigious position as she was responsible for protecting the golden stool, advising the King of Ashanti, and choosing candidates for the next king. During her brother's reign, Yaa Asantewaa saw the Ashanti Confederacy go through a series of events that threatened its future, including a civil war from 1883 to 1888. When her brother died in 1894, Yaa Asantewaa used her right as Queen Mother to nominate her own grandson as Ejisuhene. When
2079-509: The brave days, the days of Osei Tutu, Okomfo Anokye, and Opoku Ware, chiefs would not sit down to see their king taken away without firing a shot. No foreigner [Obroni] could have dared to speak to a chief of the Ashanti in the way the Governor spoke to you chiefs this morning. Is it true that the bravery of the Ashanti is no more? I cannot believe it. It cannot be! I must say this, if you, the men of Ashanti, will not go forward, then we will. We,
2142-428: The cast including Glenna Forster-Jones and Jack Klaff , directed by Pam Fraser Solomon , with music by Nana Tsiboe, Kofi-Adu, Jojo Yates, Asebre Quaye and Atongo Zimba . The album from the British jazz troupe Sons of Kemet , Your Queen Is a Reptile , names songs after both contemporary and historical influential black women. Asantewaa's name was used for the seventh track, "My Queen is Yaa Asantewaa". Yaa Asantewaa
2205-417: The command of Major James Willcocks had set out from Accra . On the march Willcocks's men had been repulsed from several well-defended forts belonging to groups allied with the Ashanti – most notably the stockade at Kokofu , where they had suffered heavy casualties. During the march Willcocks was faced with constant trials of skirmishing with an enemy in his own element while maintaining his supply route in
2268-483: The cost of the 1874 war, have not been forgotten. You have to pay with interest the sum of £160,000 a year. Then there is the matter of the Golden Stool of Ashanti. The Queen is entitled to the stool; she must receive it. Where is the Golden Stool? I am the representative of the Paramount Power. Why have you relegated me to this ordinary chair? Why did you not take the opportunity of my coming to Kumasi to bring
2331-629: The day of their arrival Lieutenant Colonel Morland also arrived with reinforcements from Nigeria, and further reinforcements consisting of a detachment of Sikhs, half a battalion of the Central African Regiment and then the 2nd Battalion of the Central African Regiment followed. On 22 July Morland attacked Kokofu with a force of 800 men, taking the Ashanti by surprise and resulting in a rout with weapons and supplies being abandoned. In September, after spending
2394-510: The defenders, another rescue party of 700 arrived in June. Recognising that it was necessary to escape from the trap and to preserve the remaining food for the wounded and sick, some of the healthier men along with Hodgson, his wife and over a hundred of the Hausas made a break on 23 June, meeting up with the rescue force they were evacuated. 12,000 Ashanti abrade (warriors) were summoned to attack
2457-610: The engagement quickly after a stiff initial assault. Following the storming of the town, Captain Charles John Melliss was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery in the attack. Ashanti was annexed into the British Empire; however, the Ashanti still largely governed themselves. They gave little or no deference to colonial authorities. The Ashanti were successful in their pre-war goal to protect
2520-657: The escapees, who gained a lead on the long road back to the Crown Colony, thus avoiding the main body of the Abrade. Days later the few survivors of the abrade assault took a ship for Accra , receiving all available medical attention. On 7 July 1900 The Star newspaper in Guernsey featured an article about Yaa Asenatewaa and her growing support amongst the Ashanti: "The Colonial Office has received disquieting news that
2583-524: The face of an opposing force utilizing unconventional warfare. In early July, his force arrived at Bekwai and prepared for the final assault on Kumasi , which began on the morning of 14 July 1900. Using a force led by Yoruba warriors from Nigeria serving in the Frontier Force, Willcocks drove in four heavily guarded stockades, finally relieving the fort on the evening of 15 July, when the inhabitants were just two days from surrender. On 17 July
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2646-555: The fort. The Ashanti, aware that they were unprepared for storming the fort, settled into a long siege. They only made one unsuccessful assault on the position, which occurred on 29 April. The Ashanti continued to snipe at the defenders, cut the telegraph wires, blockade food supplies, and attack relief columns. Blocking all roads leading to the town with 21 log barricades six feet high with loopholes to fire through, hundreds of yards long and so solid they would be impervious to artillery fire. As supplies ran low and disease took its toll on
2709-608: The garrison under cover, and thus drawn out the enemy to explore the precincts. When a good number had come out into the open, 7-pounders and Maxims were turned on them with excellent effect". Willcocks says later in The Great Drama Of Kumasi by Major Wynyard Montagu Hall that "In my opinion the garrison left behind at Kumasi was altogether unequal to the task of holding fort, and nothing less than fear of Ashantis to attack could have saved them not with standing strong fort. I have never seen anything so gruesome as
2772-459: The majority of the force (excluding a garrison of 160 men under the supervision of five British officers and NCOs under the command of Captain Eden ) set off on the return journey to Bekwai carrying their sick and wounded. Once the column had travelled approximately two miles from Kumasi the sound of guns from the city fort could be heard. Willcocks writes that "we afterwards learnt that Eden had placed
2835-409: The news flashed through that Nana Prempeh was not to be seen by anyone, and that he was to land at 5:30 pm and proceed straight away to Kumasi by a special train. Twenty minutes after the arrival of the train, a beautiful car brought Nana Prempeh into the midst of the assembly. It was difficult for us to realise even yet that he had arrived. A charming aristocratic-looking person in a black long suit with
2898-732: The rebellion laid siege to the British fort at Kumasi, where they had sought refuge. The fort still stands today as the Kumasi Fort and Military Museum. After several months, the Gold Coast governor eventually sent a force of 1,400 to quell the rebellion. During the fighting, Queen Yaa Asantewaa and fifteen of her closest advisers—Nana Akwasi Afrane Okpase, Nana Kwaku Duah, Nana Yaw Akoto, Nana Abena Nkyinkyim, Nana Osei Tutu II, Nana Adjei Kwaku, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem, Nana Kofi Kumi, Nana Kwabena Nkyinkyim, Nana Okwan Nkyinkyim, Nana Agyeman Badu, Nana Ntiamoah, Nana Ababio, Nana Afia Nkyinkyim, and Nana Osei Bonsu—were captured and sent into exile to
2961-434: The remaining members of the Asante government at Kumasi, to discuss how to secure the return of their king. There was a disagreement among those present on how to go about this. Yaa Asantewaa, who was present at this meeting, stood and addressed the members of the council with these words: How can a proud and brave people like the Asante sit back and look while white men took away their king and chiefs, and humiliated them with
3024-515: The soul of the Ashanti people as a whole – this misunderstanding being the catalyst for the conflict, coming at a time of already strained relations. In her war speech Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa I (the Queen Mother of the Ejisu dominion within the Ashanti kingdom) rallied resistance against the British: Now I have seen that some of you fear to go forward to fight for our king. If it were in
3087-492: The stool and left the rest, which was of wood. An Ashanti court sentenced the labourers to death for their desecration, but British officials intervened and arranged for their exile instead. British troops were awarded the Ashanti Medal for service during the war. In 1924, the King was allowed to return. Thousands of people, white and black, flocked down to the beach to welcome him. They were sorely disappointed when
3150-442: The summer recuperating and tending to the sick and wounded in captured Kumasi, Willcocks sent out flying columns to the neighbouring regions that had supported the uprising. His troops defeated an Ashanti force in a skirmish at Obassa on 30 September and also succeeded in destroying the fort and town at Kokofu where he had been previously repulsed, using Nigerian levies to hunt Ashanti soldiers. Ashanti defenders would usually exit
3213-466: The time by these rogues? We should rise and defend our heritage; it is better to perish than to look on sheepishly while the white man whose sole business in our country is to steal, kill and destroy, threatens to rob us of our Golden Stool. Arise men! And defend the Golden Stool from being captured by foreigners. It is more honorable to perish in defense of the Golden Stool than to remain in perpetual slavery. I am prepared and ready to lead you to war against
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#17327796502373276-456: The vicinity fort. I expected, with my one thousand seven hundred unarmed native followers and the sick and wounded, some difficulty in coming out; but enemy's being completely dispersed on July 15th seems to have frightened them, as they did not fire a shot for twenty-five miles' march which took three days owing to two days' excessive rain." The column made their arrival in Bekwai on 19 July. On
3339-426: The village council known as the ôdekuro . The women, known as the mpanyinfo , referred to as aberewa or ôbaa panyin , were responsible for looking after women's affairs. For every ôdekuro , an ôbaa panyin acted as the responsible party for the affairs of the women of the village and served as a member of the village council. The head of a division, the ôhene , and the head of the autonomous political community,
3402-475: The white man. The traditional Ashanti military was revitalized by her passion to resist colonization. She questioned male leader's response to British colonization. Yaa Asantewaa challenged gender roles and urged women to stand up to fight. The Ashanti-British War of the Golden Stool – also known as the "Yaa Asantewaa War" – was led by Queen Mother Nana Yaa Asantewaa with an army of 5,000. Beginning in March 1900,
3465-483: The women, will. I shall call upon my fellow women. We will fight! We will fight till the last of us falls in the battlefields. She collected men to form a force with which to attack the British and retrieve the exiled king. The enraged populace produced a large number of volunteers. As Hodgson's deputy Captain Cecil Armitage searched for the stool in a nearby brush, his force was surrounded and ambushed, but
3528-624: The world together. Her legacy in Ghana holds pride for Ashante heritage. The effects of British colonization in Ghana are resisted by keeping Yaa Asantewaa's history alive. To emphasize the importance of fostering female leadership in Ghanaian society, the Yaa Asantewaa Girls' Secondary School was established in Kumasi in 1960, funded by the Ghana Education Trust. In the year 2000, a week-long centenary celebration
3591-678: Was also a member of the Kôtôkô Council, which acts as the executive committee or cabinet of the Asanteman Nhyiamu, the General Assembly of Asante rulers. Female stool occupants participated not only in the judicial and legislative processes, but also in the making and unmaking of war, and the distribution of land. Yaa Asantewaa remains a beloved figure in both Ashanti history and the broader history of Ghana, renowned for her role in confronting British colonialism. She
3654-519: Was an intellectual, a politician, a human rights activist, a queen and a war leader. Yaa Asantewaa became famous for commanding the Ashanti Kings in the War of the Golden Stool, against British colonial rule, to defend and protect the sovereign independence of the Golden Stool. Yaa Asantewaa's older brother, Nana Akwasi Afrane Okpase was in a powerful position in the empire and selected Asantewaa as
3717-480: Was born in 1840 in Besease , the daughter of Kwaku Ampoma and Ata Po. Her brother, Afrane Panin, became the chief of Edweso , a nearby community. After a childhood without incident, she cultivated crops on the land around Boankra . She entered a polygamous marriage with a man from Kumasi , with whom she had a daughter. Asantewaa died in exile in the Seychelles in 1921. She was a successful farmer and mother. She
3780-641: Was held 1–5 August 2006 in Ejisu. The Yaa Asantewaa Centre in Maida Vale , west London , is an African–Caribbean arts and community center. It was established in 1986 and named after her. The center serves as a hub for cultural activities and community engagement, aiming to promote the arts and heritage of the African and Caribbean communities in the UK. A television documentary by Ivor Agyeman-Duah , entitled Yaa Asantewaa – The Exile of King Prempeh and
3843-504: Was held in Ghana to acknowledge Yaa Asantewaa's accomplishments. As part of these celebrations, a museum was dedicated to her at Kwaso in the Ejisu–Juaben District on 3 August 2000. Unfortunately, a fire on 23 July 2004 destroyed several historical items, including her sandals and battle dress ( batakarikese ) seen in the photograph above. The current Queen-mother of Ejisu is Yaa Asantewaa II. A second Yaa Asantewaa festival
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#17327796502373906-474: Was once again occupied by British troops in January 1896. In 1900 the Ashanti staged an uprising. The British suppressed the revolt and captured the city of Kumasi. Ashanti's traditional king, the Asantehene, and his counselors were deported. The outcome was the annexation of Ashanti by the British so that it became part of His Majesty's dominions and a British Crown Colony with its administration undertaken by
3969-407: Was realized on 6 March 1957, when the Asante protectorate gained independence as part of Ghana . Ghana was the first African nation in West Africa to achieve this feat. Nana Yaa Asantewaa understood the ramifications of British colonial rule. She is seen by Ghanaians today as a queen mother who exercised her political and social right to help defend her kingdom. The role she played in influencing
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