The Story of Naa Dode Akabi: The Guan who became the first 'Woman King' of the Ga state and how she died

Men, gallant men for that matter, dominate the history books of Ghana when it comes to the establishment of the various kingdoms in the country and their ruling.

The great Okomfo Anokye is acclaimed for his role in the establishment of the Ashanti Kingdom, Naa Gbewaa for the Dagbon Kingdom, and Sumalia Ndewura Jakpa for the establishment of the Gonja Kingdom.

The one female most Ghanaians have heard of when it comes to the country’s traditional establishment is the legendary Queen Mother of Ejisu, Yaa Asantewaa, who is acclaimed for leading the Ashantis to the War of the Golden Stool against the British in September 1900.

Well, there are other legendary women, the history books have shown, who played great roles in their kingdoms but their tales are not known to most Ghanaians, and one such woman is the great Naa Dode Akabi.

Naa Dode Akabi was a Guan woman who became the first female ‘king’ of the Ga Kingdom, ruling the people of Ga for 25 years from 1610 to 1635.

According to Ghana Chronicles, there are two accounts of the reign of the Ga 'woman king', with one account describing her as a tyrant who forcibly took over the reins of the Ga State and the other seeing her as a great woman who brought modernity to the Ga kingship.

“There is a faction of historians who paint the story of her being an unpopular, tyrannical and autocratic woman who forced her way onto the powerful seat of ‘king’ of the Ga State.

"There is also the faction, which forms the majority, who writes the story of her life and reign to reflect how she broke the glass ceiling to become the first non-male, non-Ga and non-priest leader of the Ga people. However, there is a convergence for both schools of thought. Both sets of historians have an appreciation of her as a great leader who masterfully combined indigenous Ga rulership methods and European style to effectively rule the Ga people for nearly three decades,” parts of a series of tweets shared by Ghana Chronicles.

One of the interesting tales of the great woman is how she became the woman king of the Ga people despite being a Guan.

Naa Dode Akabi took over the Ga Kingdom after her husband, Nii Okai, who was king, died. Her son was supposed to take over his father’s position but was deemed too young, and fearing that the kingship might leave her family, Dode Akabi decided to be king herself.

“The interesting thing about Naa Dode Akabi is that she was not a Ga in the first place. She was a Guan and a princess of the Awutu people. Her association with the Ga state was a result of her marriage to a powerful Ga chief known as Mampong Okai. It is reported that she ably supported her husband under whose reign the Ga state witnessed a significant rise along the coastal areas through the annexation of smaller states during wars and playing middlemen in the gold trade between Europeans and Africans from non-coastal areas.

“When her husband, Nii Okai, died in 1610, custom required their firstborn, Okaikoi, to become the king but he was deemed to be too young to fill the vacuum left by his father. Determined not to allow the kingship title to leave her family, Nana Dode took the decision to become regent of the Ga State until her son came of age.”

Naa Dode, as a woman, could not become a priest, which was a requirement for becoming a Ga king. This forced her to come up with powerful legislation geared at empowering women and also moving the Ga state from a theocracy to a law-based one.

She is said to have instituted one of the most unforgiving punishments for rule-breakers in the Ga state, including self-exile, death, sending men to hunt wild animals without accoutrements, and fines, among others.

Another interesting story is how this great woman king died. Her strict rules as queen reportedly led to her demise.

Naa Dode was “buried alive after falling into a pit which she asked to be dug for persons who broke her strict rules.”

View the posts shared by Ghana Chronicles below:

GHANA HISTORY:

Naa Dode Akabi: The Guan woman who became the first female ‘king’ of the Ga state and was buried alive pic.twitter.com/Z8cVPZfn0L

— Ghana Chronicles (@_GhChronicles) August 8, 2024

There is also the faction, which forms the majority, who writes the story of her life and reign to reflect how she broke the glass ceiling to become the first non-male, non-Ga and non-priest leader of the Ga people.

However, there is a convergence for both schools of thought.…

— Ghana Chronicles (@_GhChronicles) August 8, 2024

How did she rule:

Since her ascension to the throne was a shift from the norm, Naa Dode had to do things differently to entrench her stay and make herself a powerful king.

Owing to the fact that she was a woman and could not become a Wulomei, which was the major requirement in…

— Ghana Chronicles (@_GhChronicles) August 8, 2024

How did she die:

Naa Dode is said to have been buried alive after falling into a pit which she asked to be dug for persons who broke her strict rules.

— Ghana Chronicles (@_GhChronicles) August 8, 2024