Ashanti Empire
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Yaa Asantewaa
Besease, Ashanti Empire
Archival Overview
Queen Mother of Ejisu in the Ashanti Empire who led the historic 1900 War of the Golden Stool against the British Empire, inspiring Ashanti chiefs to besiege British colonial forces in the fort of Kumasi.
Biographical Record
Yaa Asantewaa (1840–1921) was the beloved Queen Mother of Ejisu. In March 1900, after the British had exiled King Prempeh I, British Governor Frederick Hodgson demanded to sit upon the sacred Golden Stool (Sika Dwa)—the spiritual soul and symbol of the Ashanti nation.
When Ashanti chiefs sat in stunned, terrified silence, Yaa Asantewaa rose and delivered her immortal challenge: 'If you, the men of Ashanti, will not go forward, then we will. We, the women, will. I shall call upon my fellow women. We will fight the white men until the last of us falls.' She took command of an army of 5,000, besieging the British fort at Kumasi for months before being exiled to the Seychelles.
Key Life Milestones
The Immortal Speech to the Ashanti Chiefs
Delivered her famous address shaming the chiefs into armed resistance to protect the Golden Stool.
Command of the War of the Golden Stool
Led the military siege of the British colonial fortress in Kumasi, preventing the desecration of the sacred stool.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialEjisu (Ashanti Region), Ghana