Yaa Asantewaa War

Yaa Asantewaa War

war

Part of	Anglo-Ashanti wars
Dem name after	Yaa Asantewaa, Golden Stool
Ein location	Ashanti Region
Tym dem start	March 1900
End tym	September 1900
Participant	British Empire, Asante Empire

De War of the Golden Stool, dem sanso know am as de Yaa Asantewaa War, de Third Ashanti Expedition, de Ashanti Uprising, anaa variations thereof, na e be a campaign insyd 1900 during de series of conflicts between de United Kingdom den de Ashanti Empire (later Ashanti Region), an autonomous state insyd West Africa wey fractiously co-exist plus de British den ein vassal coastal tribes.

After chaw prior wars plus British troops, na Ashanti once again be occupied by British troops insyd January 1896. Insyd 1900 na de Ashanti stage an uprising. Na de British suppress de revolt den capture de city of Kumasi. Na dem deport Ashanti ein traditional king, de Asantehene, den ein counselors. Na de outcome be de annexation of Ashanti by de British so say e cam turn part of His Majesty ein dominions den a British Crown Colony plus ein administration undertaken by a Chief Commissioner under de authority of de Governor of de Gold Coast. Na Ashanti be classed as a colony by conquest. Na de Ashanti lost dema sovereignty buh no be de essential integrity of dema socio-political system. Insyd 1935, na dem officially regularize de limited self-determination for de Ashanti insyd de formal establishment of de Ashanti Confederacy. Na de Crown Colony of Ashanti continue to be administered insyd a scheme plus de greater Gold Coast buh na e remain, nonetheless, a separate Crown Colony til e cam be united as part of de new dominion dem named Ghana under de Ghana Independence Act 1957.

De Golden Stool

An Akan stool dem believe e be for a Queen mother, 1940–1965, insyd de collection of de Children's Museum of Indianapolis

De Golden Stool get long symbolized governing power give de Ashanti people.

For 19 March 1901 British statesman David Lloyd George state insyd a Parliamentary session dat: "Na Frederick Hodgson ein quest of de Golden Stool be sam thing like de quest of de Holy Grail". Na de Member of Parliament of Caernarfon as well as oda members of de House be extremely concerned about de huge expense dat na dem make de House pay for de war. Joseph Chamberlain, then Secretary give de Colonial Office, na ebe questioned extensively as to whether anaa na dem no give Frederick Hodgson prior permission make he demand de Golden Stool from de Asante people, secof na he seem to think dat "if he fi only get possession of de Golden Stool he go be able to govern de country for all time".

Na Hodgson advance toward Kumasi plus a small force of British soldiers den local levies, wey arrive for 25 March 1900. Na Hodgson, as representative of a powerful nation, be accorded traditional honors upon he enter de city wey kiddies dey sing "God Save 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 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 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.

Na dem receive de speech in silence by de assembly, buh na de chiefs wey be present begin war preparations upon dema return to dema homes. Insyd ein book The Golden Stool: Some Aspects of the Conflict of Cultures in Modern Africa na de anthropologist Reverend Edwin W. Smith wrep of dis: "A singularly foolish speech! An excellent example of the blunders that are made through ignorance of the African mind!" Gaurav Desai dey quote dis passage wey he go on make he clarify dat na dem no dey see de Stool as a mere physical object den symbol of power buh as a metaphysical den spiritual representation of de soul of de Ashanti people as a whole – na dis misunderstanding be de catalyst for de conflict, wey dey cam for a time of already strain relations.

Ashanti War insyd 1900 (Battles of de nineteenth century, 1901)

Insyd ein war speech na Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa I (de Queen Mother of de Ejisu dominion within de Ashanti kingdom) rally resistance against de British:

Now I have seen that some of you fear to go forward to fight for our king. If it were in 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, 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.

Na she collect men make dem form a force plus wich to attack de British den retrieve de exiled king.

Na de enraged populace produce a large number of volunteers. As na Hodgson ein deputy Captain Cecil Armitage search for de stool insyd a nearby brush, na ein force be surrounded den ambushed, buh na a sudden rainstorm allow de survivors make dem retreat to de British offices insyd Kumasi. Na dem fortify de offices into a small stockade 50 yards (46 m) square plus 12 feet (3.7 m) loopholed high stone walls den firing turrets for each corner wey na e house 18 Europeans, dozens of mixed-race colonial administrators den 500 Nigerian Hausas plus six small field guns den four Maxim guns. Na de British detain chaw high ranking leaders insyd de fort. De Ashanti, na dem be aware say dem be unprepared for storming de fort, settle into a long siege. Na dem make one unsuccessful assault per for de position, wich occur for 29 April. Na de Ashanti continue to snipe for de defenders, dem cut de telegraph wires, dem blockade food supplies, den attack relief columns. Dem block all roads wey dey lead to de town plus 21 log barricades six feet high plus loopholes make dem fire thru, hundreds of yards long den so solid dem go be impervious to artillery fire.

As na supplies run low wey disease take ein toll for de defenders dema top, anoda rescue party of 700 arrive in June. Na dem dey recognise say na ebe necessary make dem escape from de trap den make dem preserve de chow wey remain give de wounded den sick, na sam of de healthier men along plus Hodgson, ein wifey den over a hundred of de Hausas make a break for 23 June, wey dem meet up plus de rescue force na dem be evacuated. Na dem summon 12,000 Ashanti abrade (warriors) make dem attack de escapees, wey dem gain a lead for de long road back to de Crown Colony, thus dem avoid de main body of de Abrade. Days later na de few survivors of de abrade assault take a ship for Accra, wey dem receive all available medical attention.

For 7 July 1900 na The Star newspaper insyd Guernsey feature an article about Yaa Asenatewaa den ein growing support amongst de Ashanti: "The Colonial Office has received disquieting news that 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) Paris)".

De rescue column

General Sir James Willcocks, KCMG, DSO, den staff, for de entrance to de fort at Kumasi

As na Hodgson arrive for de coast, na a rescue force of 1,000 men assemble from various British units den police forces station across West Africa den under de command of Major James Willcocks set out from Accra. For de march na Willcocks ein men be repulsed from chaw well-defended forts wey dey belong to groups dem ally plus de Ashanti – most notably de stockade for Kokofu, wer na dem suffer heavy casualties. During de march na Willcocks be faced plus constant trials of skirmishing plus an enemy insyd ein own element while he dey maintain ein supply route insyd de face of an opposing force wey dey utilize unconventional warfare. Insyd early July, na ein force arrive for Bekwai wey dem prepare for de final assault for Kumasi, wich begin on de morning of 14 July 1900. Dey use a force wey Yoruba warriors from Nigeria lead wey dey serve insyd de Frontier Force, Willcocks drive insyd four heavily guarded stockades, finally dem relieve de fort on de evening of 15 July, wen na de inhabitants be just two days from surrender.

Group of NCO ein plus Maxim guns at Kumasi

For 17 July na de majority of de force (wey dey exclude a garrison of 160 men under de supervision of five British officers den NCOs under de command of Captain Eden) set off for de return journey to Bekwai wey dey carry dema sick den wounded. Once na de column travel approximately two miles from Kumasi na dem fi hear de sound of guns from de city fort. Willcocks dey wrep dat "we afterwards learnt that Eden had placed 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 dey say later insyd 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 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."

Na de column make dema arrival insyd Bekwai for 19 July. For de day of dema arrival na Lieutenant Colonel Morland sanso arrive plus reinforcements from Nigeria, den further reinforcements wey dey consist of a detachment of Sikhs, half a battalion of de Central African Regiment den then de 2nd Battalion of de Central African Regiment follow. For 22 July na Morland attack Kokofu plus a force of 800 men, wey dem take de Ashanti by surprise wey e result in a rout wey dem abandon weapons den supplies.

Insyd September, after dem spend de summer dem dey recuperate den dey tend to de sick den wounded for captured Kumasi insyd, na Willcocks send out flying columns to de neighbouring regions wey na dem support de uprising. Na ein troops defeat an Ashanti force insyd a skirmish for Obassa for 30 September wey dem sanso succeed in destroying de fort den town for Kokofu wer na he be previously repulsed, dey use Nigerian levies make dem hunt Ashanti soldiers. Ashanti defenders go usually exit de engagement quickly after a stiff initial assault. Dey follow de storming of de town, na dem award Captain Charles John Melliss de Victoria Cross for ein bravery insyd de attack.

Aftermath

Na Ashanti be annexed into de British Empire; however, na de Ashanti still largely govern demaselves. Dem give little anaa no deference to colonial authorities. Na de Ashanti be successful insyd dema pre-war goal make protect de Golden Stool. Buh, de year wey dey follow (1901), na de British arrest chaw chiefs, wey dey include de Queen Mother of Ejisu, Yaa Asantewaa, wey na dem exile dem to de Seychelles for 25 years. Insyd dat 25-year period na chaw of dem die, wey dey include Yaa Asantewaa einself insyd 1921. Kumasi City dey retain a memorial to dis war den chaw large colonial residences. Ashanti den de former Gold Coast eventually cam be part of Ghana.

Na de war cost de British den dema allies approximately 1,000 fatalities for total; however, according to a statement wey MP David Lloyd George make insyd Parliament insyd 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"! Na David Lloyd George further admonish Joseph Chamberlain for ein dismissive attitude towards de Ashanti casualties insyd de war, wey he dey note dat na de Golden Stool never be captured by de British: "Surely human life was worth some respectful treatment", na he say. Na dem hide de Golden Stool deep insyd de forests for de duration of de war, wey de British continue dey seek am til 1921. Shortly after dis, na ebe accidentally uncovered by a team of labourers wey take de golden ornaments wey dem adorn de stool wey dem lef de rest, wich na ebe of wood. Na an Ashanti court sentence de labourers to death for dema desecration, buh na British officials intervene wey dem arrange for dema exile instead.

Na dem award de British troops de Ashanti Medal for service during de war.

Return of de King Prempeh I to Ashanti

Insyd 1924, na dem allow de King make he return.

{{Blockquote|Thousands of people, white and black, flocked down to the beach to welcome him. They were sorely disappointed when 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 a fashionable black hat held up his hand to the cheers of the crowd. That noble figure was Nana Prempeh.

Bibliography

• "The Yaa Asantewaa War of Independence Podcast".
• A. Adu Boahen (2003). Yaa Asantewaa and the Asante-british War of 1900-1. ISBN 978-9988550998.
• "Yaa Asantewaa Profile", GhanaWeb
• "Yaa Asantewaa's War". WebCite
• http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/history/giblinstate.html
• "The Golden Stool".
• "The story of Africa – West African Kingdoms", BBC World Service.
• Hernon, Ian Britain's Forgotten Wars, 2002 (ISBN 0-7509-3162-0)
• Lewin, J Asante before the British: The Prempean Years 1875-1900
• The Siege of Kumassi, Lady Mary Alice Hodgson
• Letters from a Bush Campaign, David Martineau Haylings
• The Ashanti Campaign of 1900, Captain C. H. Armitage DSO and Lieutenant Colonel A. F. Montanaro
• The Relief of Kumasi, Captain Harold C.J. Biss
• Dark and Stormy Days at Kumassi, 1900, or Missionary Experience in Ashanti according to the diary of Rev. Fritz Ramseyer, Friedrich Augustus Louis Ramseyer
• The Romance of Soldiering and Sport, General Sir James Willcocks, GCB,GCMG, KCSI, DSO
• The Golden Stool: Some Aspects of the Conflict of Cultures in Modern Africa, The Reverend Edwin W. Smith
• The Great Drama Of Kumasi, Major Wynyard Montagu Hall