Yaa Asantewaa War
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| Part of | Anglo-Ashanti Wars  |
|---|---|
| Dem name after | Yaa Asantewaa, Golden Stool |
| Ein location | Ashanti Empire |
| Point for tym insyd | September 1900 |
| Tym dem start | March 1900 |
| End tym | September 1900 |
De War of de Golden Stool, wey people dey call am Yaa Asantewaa War, Third Ashanti Expedition, Ashanti Uprising or any oder name wey dey similar, be war wey happen for year 1900. De war dey part of de series of fights wey happen between United Kingdom and Ashanti Empire (later Ashanti Region). Ashanti Empire be autonomous state wey dey West Africa and e dey coexist with de British and de vassal coastal tribes wey dem dey control.
After several prior wars plus British troops, De British troops san occupy Ashanti once again for January 1896. For 1900, Ashanti cause yawa for de British troops. De British suppressed de violence and captured de city of Kumasi wey dem deport de Ashanti King, Asantehene, plus hin counselors. De final result of de war be say de British annex Ashanti, make e become part of His Majesty's dominions and a British Crown Colony. De administration of de colony go take place under a Chief Commissioner wey go take orders from de Governor of de Gold Coast. Dem class Ashanti as a colony by conquest. Ashanti people lose deir sovereignty but dem no lose de integrity of deir social-political system. For year 1935, limited self-determination for Ashanti people officially become regularized plus de establishment of Ashanti Confederacy. De Crown Colony of Ashanti still dey get administration as part of Gold Coast but e remain separate Crown Colony until e join de new dominion wey dem name am Ghana under Ghana Independence Act 1957.
De Golden Stool
[edit | edit source]De Golden Stool had long symbolized governing power for de Ashanti people. For 19 March 190,1 British statesman David Lloyd George talk for one parliamentary meeting say: "Frederick Hodgson's quest for de Golden Stool be like de quest for de Holy Grail". De Member of Parliament of Caernarfon and oder members of de House dey very concern about de money wey de House dey pay for de war. Joseph Chamberlain, de Secretary for de Colonial Office, dem question am plenty on whether Frederick Hodgson get permission before to demand de Golden Stool from Ashanti people, because e dey think say "if e fit get de Golden Stool e go fit run de country forever". Hodgson move go Kumasi with small force of British soldiers and local levies, e reach for 25 March 1900. Hodgson, as representative of powerful country, dem give am traditional honors when e enter de city, children dey sing "God Save de Queen" for Lady Hodgson. After e climb platform, e talk to Ashanti leaders wey dey gader. De speech, or de closest surviving account wey we get come through Ashanti translator say. Una King Prempeh I dey exile and no go come back to Ashanti again. Hin power and authority go transfer go de Representative of de Queen of Britain in dier. De terms of de 1874 Peace Treaty of Fomena wey make una pay for de 1874 war no dey forget. Una go pay with interest de sum of £160,000 a year. Den de matter for de Golden Stool of Ashanti happen.
Where de Golden Stool dey? I be de representative of de Paramount Power. Why una give me this ordinary chair? Why una no take opportunity when I come to Kumasi bring the Golden Stool make I sit on am? But una fit believe say even though de Government no receive the Golden Stool, e go rule una with de same fairness and impartiality as if una bring am.
De speech no dey make noise when dem hear am, but de chiefs wey dey present begin prepare for war when dem go back to dier homes. De anthropologist Reverend Edwin W. Smith write for hn book The Golden Stool: Some Aspects of the Conflict of Cultures in Modern Africa say "e be foolish speech! e be example of de mistakes wey dey happen when person no sabi African mind!". Gaurav Desai quote dis passage and talk say de Stool no be just physical object and symbol of power, e be spiritual and metaphysical representation of the Ashanti people as a whole. Dis misunderstanding be de cause of de conflict, and e happen wen de relationship between dem don already tight.
For her war speech, Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa I (Queen Mother of Ejisu dominion inside Ashanti Kingdom) rally dier people to resist the British: "I don see say some of una dey fear to go fight for our king. If e dey dier brave days, days of Osei Tutu, Okomfo Anokye and Opoku Ware, chiefs no go dey sit down dey wedge make dey carry demma king commot without firing one shot. No foreigner (Obroni) fit talk to Ashanti chief de way de Governor talk to una dis morning. De bravery of Ashanti people don finish? I no fit believe am. E no fit be! I must talk say, if una men of Ashanti no go forward, we go go. We de women go go. I go call my fellow women. We go fight! We go fight until de last of us fall for battlefield. " She collect men to form force wey go attack de British and bring back demma exiled king.
De people wey dey angry produce plenty volunteers. As Hodgson's deputy Captain Cecil Armitage dey search for de stool for nearby brush, demma force surround and ambush but sudden rainstorm save de survivors make dem run go de British offices wey dey for Kumasi. De offices become small stockade wey be 50 yards square with 12 feet high stone walls wey get loophole for shooting and firing turrets for each corner. Inside de stockade dey 18 Europeans, plenty mixed-race colonial administrators and 500 Nigerian Hausas plus six small field guns and four Maxim guns. De British detain some high ranking leaders inside de fort. De Ashanti people know say dem no ready to storm de fort so dem settle for long siege, dem only make one unsuccessful assault on de position for 29 April. De Ashanti people continue to shoot at de defenders, cut de telegraph wires, block food supplies and attack relief columns. Dem block all roads wey lead to de town plus 21 log barricades wey be six feet high plus loopholes for shooting and dem be hundreds of yards long and solid enough so that artillery no go fit destroy am. As food dey finish and disease dey affect de defenders, another rescue party of 700 people come for June. As dem know say dem need to run from de trap and save de remaining food for de wounded and sick people, some of de healthy men along with Hodgson, his wife and over a hundred Hausas run for 23 June and dem meet de rescue force and dem evacuate. 12,000 Ashanti warriors dey summon to attack de people wey run, but dem get head start on de long road back to de Crown Colony, so dem avoid de main body of de warriors. Days later, de few survivors of de attack take ship go Accra and dem receive medical treatment.
7 July 1900, The Star Newspaper wey dey Guernsey, dem talk say Yaa Asenatewaa dey get plenty support from Ashanti people. Dem say Colonial Office dem hear say Ashantuah Queen wey dey rule Ofesa, she don take charge of all de rebel soldiers. She get Asmarah General and 20,000 warriors follow her. Dem talk say dem get one battalion of Amazons and 1000 hand pick soldiers wey dey form some kind of Sacred Band bi (L'Estafette, Paris).
De rescue column
[edit | edit source]As Hodgson reach coast, dem gather 1,000 soldiers wey dem take come from different British units and police wey dey station across West Africa. Dem follow Major James Willcocks wey be demma leader from Accra. Dem see heavy casualties for de stockade dem dey call Kokofu. Willcocks and dem soldiers go dey face constant fights plus Ashanti people wey dey use unorthodox way fight dem. Early July dem reach Bekwai and dem prepare for final battle with Kumasi. For 14 July dem begin, dem use Yoruba warriors from Nigeria wey dey serve for Frontier Force, dem drive 4 heavily guarded stockades, dem finally relieve de fort on 15 July, wen de people inside dey 2 days to give up.
On July 17, di majority of di force (except for wen 160 men dey under five British officers and NCOs wey Captain Eden dey command) set go comot from Kumasi go Bekwai. Dem carry demma sick and wounded people. Wen dem reach two miles from Kumasi, dem hear gun sound from di city fort. Later we hear say Eden put demma garrison under cover, make di enemy wan come out to explore. Wen plenty of dem come out, dem use 7-pounders and Maxims fire shoot dem, and e be like say e work well. Willcocks talk say "e no fit be say demma garrison wey dem leave behind for Kumasi fit hold fort, and nothing go save dem if Ashantis wan attack, even if demma fort strong pass. I never see anything like di vicinity of di fort. I expect say I go get trouble wen I dey come out with my 1,700 unarmed native followers and demma sick and wounded, but since enemy scatter on July 15, dem no fire any shot for di 25 miles wey we take three days to reach, because of di heavy rain wey last two days."
Di column reach Bekwai on July 19th. On demma arrival day nu, Lieutenant Colonel Morland also reach with reinforcement from Nigeria. More reinforcement follow, wey include detachment of Sikhs, half a battalion of Central African Regiment and 2nd Battalion of Central African Regiment. On July 22nd, Morland use 800 men attack Kokofu, catch Ashanti people by surprise, dem scatter and abandon demma weapons and supplies.
For September, after Willcocks spend demma summer time to rest and take care of demma sick and wounded people wey dem capture for Kumasi, e send out flying columns go attack demma neighbouring areas wey support demma rebellion. On September 30th, dem defeat Ashanti force for Obassa, and dem also succeed to destroy dier fort and town for Kokofu wen dem previously lose demma attack, dem use Nigerian levies take hunt Ashanti soldiers. Ashanti defenders usually run comot fast after dem face strong attack.
Aftermath
[edit | edit source]Ashanti people become part of British Empire, but dem still dey run demma own government, dem no dey gree give respect to colonial authorities. Ashanti people succeed to protect demma Golden Stool before demma war, but de following year, British people arrest plenty Ashanti Chiefs, including Ejisu Queen Mother, Yaa Asantewaa, and dem send dem go Seychelles for 25 years. Many of dem die for dat 25-year period, including Yaa Asantewaa self in 1921. Kumasi City still get memorial for demma war and plenty big colonial houses. Ashanti and former Gold Coast later become part of Ghana.
De war make British people and demma allies get over 1,000 people wey die, but according to wetin MP David Lloyd George talk for Parliament for 1901, "colonial office suppose get some reason for demma foolish policy wey dem take for demma Golden Stool, wey make plenty bodies of savages dey rot around Coomassie fort"! David Lloyd George talk say Joseph Chamberlain suppose show more respect for Ashanti people wey die for dier war, and e talk say dem never capture dier Golden Stool. E talk say "human life suppose dey worth some respect", e talk. Di Golden Stool dem hide deep inside forest for dier war time, British people still dey look for am till 1921. Shortly after dat, labourers come find am by accident, dem take dier golden ornaments wey dey dier stool and leave dier rest, wey be wood. Ashanti court sentence dier labourers make dem die for dier desecration, but British officials come intervene and make dem go exile instead.
British soldiers collect Ashanti Medal for demma service for di war.
Return of the King Prempeh I to Ashanti
[edit | edit source]For 1924, dem allow dier king to come back. "Thousands of people, white and black, run go di beach to welcome am. Dem dey very disappointed wen dier news flash say Nana Prempeh no go show for anyone and say e go land by 5:30 pm and go straight go Kumasi by special train. Twenty minutes after dier train reach, beautiful car carry Nana Prempeh come inside dier crowd. E dey hard for us to believe say e don reach. A very charming and aristocratic person wey dey wear black long suit and fashionable black hat wave dier hand for dier crowd cheer. Dat noble person na Nana Prempeh."