Born: 1840 (circa), Ghana
Died: 17 October 1921
Country most active: Ghana
Also known as: Queen Mother Nana Yaa Asantewaa
As Queen Mother of Ejisu, Yaa Asantewaa led the Asante in a war against British colonization between 1900 and 1901, known as the War of the Golden Stool or the Yaa Asantewaa War. In her role, she also served as the keeper of the Golden Stool, the symbol of the Asante nation. When the British governor-general demanded the stool, Asantewaa was chosen by Asante leaders as commander of their army of 5,000 to rebel against the British. Although she was defeated and exiled to the Seychelles, Yaa Asantewaa’s bravery and military fortitude inspired future generations of Ghanaians in the long fight for independence. She is seen by Ghanaians as a queen mother who exercised her political and social clout to help defend her kingdom. Her dream for a free Asante was realized on 6 March 1957, when the Asante protectorate gained independence as part of Ghana.
This biography, written by Jack Beesley, is shared with permission from Team Queens, an educational history blog run by a collective of historical scholars. All rights reserved; this material may not be republished without the author’s consent.
Yaa Asantewaa (c.1840 – 17 October 1921) was a Ghanaian warrior queen, whose courageous fight against British Colonialism during the War of the Golden Stool immortalised her as a beloved figure in Ghanaian history.
Born c. 1840 in the Ashanti Confederacy (present-day Ghana), Yaa Asantewaa was the oldest of two children, the second being Afrane Panin, who would become the Edwesohene (Chief of Edweso).
Yaa Asantewaa’s childhood passed uninterrupted. She is said to have been a major farmer, who cultivated countless crops in her farms in Boankra.
During her brother’s reign, Yaa Asantewaa witnessed the Ashanti Confederacy go through a series of wars against the British that endangered its stability. The destabilisation caused by these wars plunged the Ashanti Confederacy into a civil war that lasted from 1883-1888.
Amidst this turmoil, Yaa Asantewaa ascended the throne as Queen Mother of Ejisu. As throne inheritance is matrilineal in Ashanti culture, she would have succeeded either her mother or grandmother.
As Queen Mother, Yaa Asantewaa held many duties including being the Gatekeeper of the Golden Stool, a powerful symbol of the Ashanti kingdom.
When her brother died in 1894, Yaa Asantewaa used her right as Queen Mother to nominate her grandson as Ejisuhene. When the British exiled him to the Seychelles in 1896, along with other members of the Asante government, Asantewaa became regent of the Ejisu–Juaben district.
The British demanded complete surrender of the Ashanti Confederacy, epitomised by the demand for the Golden Stool by British Governor Frederick Hodgson.
In response, Yaa Asantewaa rallied the chiefs to war with a powerful speech, during which she seized a gun and fired a shot into the air. Subsequently, she was appointed leader and commander-in-chief of the Ashanti forces, a role formerly only held by men.
Yaa Asantewaa was victorious; the British never succeeded to raid the Ashanti of the Golden Stool. However, Asantewaa was eventually captured and forced to surrender.
Exiled to the Seychelles, Yaa Asantewaa died in 1921.
Recommended Reading
Albert Adu Boahen, Yaa Asantewaa and the Asante-British War of 1900-1 (Oxford: James Currey, 2003)
Albert Adu Boahen, African Perspectives on Colonialism (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987).
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Yaa Asantewaa I was the Queen Mother of Ejisu in the Ashanti Empire, which is now part of modern-day Ghana. Her brother, Nana Akwasi Afrane Okese, appointed her to this role. 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 was the daughter of Kwaku Ampoma and Ata Po. Yaa Asantewaa was not just a farmer and mother but an intellectual, politician, human rights activist, queen, and fearless war leader. She is renowned for leading the Ashanti Kings in defending the Golden Stool’s sovereignty against British colonial rule in the War of the Golden Stool.
Yaa Asantewaa saw challenging times during her brother’s rule. After his death, she nominated her grandson as Ejisuhene. When the British exiled him in 1896, she became the regent of the Ejisu–Juaben district.
A crucial moment arrived when the British governor-general, Frederick Hodgson, demanded the Golden Stool, a symbol of the Asante nation. This led to a secret council meeting in Kumasi, where Yaa Asantewaa made a resolute statement:
“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 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 Asante’s chiefs, will behave like cowards and not fight, you should exchange your loincloths for my undergarments (Montu mo danta mma me na monnye me tam).”
Regional Asante kings chose Yaa Asantewaa to lead a 5,000-strong Asante fighting force in the Ashanti-British War of the Golden Stool, also known as the “Yaa Asantewaa War.”