Stool Mother & Family Head
Madam Araba Nyanyiwah
The 2021 historical account records her as stool mother and head of the Ebiradze Abookye family in 1888.
Read the source (opens in a new tab)Home Royal heritageAn enduring
The story behind the stool
An enduring
lineage.
A living responsibility.
The Abookye House, the Queen Mother’s office, and the generations that connect Oguaa’s past with its present.
Journey through the history
OmanhembaaAbookye Royal HouseOguaa · Cape Coast
01 / An office rooted in lineage
The women who
carry continuity.
Queenmotherhood connects family heritage with public responsibility.
In Akan matrilineal traditions, descent is traced through the maternal line. The Queen Mother’s office brings that lineage into the work of customary leadership, including a role in the selection of chiefs.
In Oguaa, Nana Ekua Abookye VI belongs to the Abookye Royal House of the Cudjoe Ebiradze family. Her office stands within a wider community of elders, chiefs and traditional institutions.
Context: University of Ghana research (PDF) and Daily Graphic.
01The royal family
Cudjoe Ebiradze
Oguaa’s family heritage
02The royal house
Abookye
Custodians of the Queen Mother stool
03The office todayNana Ekua
Nana Ekua
Abookye VI
Paramount Queen Mother of Oguaa
Family, house and office — a guide to their connection.
02 / Across the generations
A story carried
forward.
Explore six recorded milestones, from family custodians to the Queen Mother’s office. Select a period to read its story.
Stool Mother & Family Head
Madam Amba Eyimah
The same account names her as Araba Nyanyiwah’s successor. It does not give the dates of her tenure.
Read the source (opens in a new tab)Head of the Abookye House
Mr. Sackey
A former Director of Agriculture, he is recorded as the next family head. The account dates his death to 1972.
Read the source (opens in a new tab)Paramount Queen Mother
Nana Ekua Abookye V
The historical account dates her tenure to 1974–2019. Her successor’s 2022 outdooring was also reported by Daily Graphic.
Read the source (opens in a new tab)Acting Paramount Queen Mother
Nana Ekua Abookye VI
The account records her appointment to carry out stool duties during Abookye V’s illness. This acting period began while her predecessor was still alive.
Read the source (opens in a new tab)Paramount Queen Mother
Nana Ekua Abookye VI
Outdoored at the Papratem Shrine in Cape Coast, she pledged allegiance to the chiefs and Omanhen Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, who reciprocated.
Read the source (opens in a new tab)Early milestones follow Elicot Nana Kweku Okyere III’s 2021 historical account. Unspecified dates remain undated. The acting office overlapped with Abookye V’s tenure; family heads and Queen Mothers held different roles.
03 / Customary leadership
A voice in
succession.
The stool carries responsibilities within the traditional community.
The 2021 Oguaa account describes the Queen Mother working with the clan head and elders in the nomination of an Omanhen. The diagram below follows that account’s broad sequence.
Historical account: Oguaa in perspectives.
- 01
Royal nomination
Clan head, principal elders and Queen Mother
- 02
Kingmakers’ consideration
Gyaasehen and elders, known as Wirempemfo
- 03
Presentation to the Oman
Tufohen and Supis
Fiekessim, Kassabiw and the family branches
The historical account places the Abookye House within the Nana Birempong Cudjoe Ebiradze Fiekessim clan and connects its heritage with Kassabiw.
It names Ntoto and Siwdu as family branches. In its 2021 account, Joseph Kwegyir Gerrar is listed as house head, Francis Essel Peter Brown at Ntoto, and Uncle Amissah at Siwdu alongside the Odzikro. These names describe that historical record.
Explore the original accountWhat does “matrilineal” mean?
It means tracing descent through the mother’s family line. In Akan royal traditions, lineage is important to eligibility for customary office, alongside the community’s nomination and installation processes.
Queenmotherhood is an office of leadership in its own right. It is not simply a title for the wife of a king.
Read University of Ghana research (PDF)04 / Heritage in the present
Tradition carried
into public life.
Nana Ekua Abookye VI’s public engagements connect customary leadership with contemporary community concerns.
01 / CommunityEducation
Safety
Coast
Education
& wellbeing
Her installation agenda called attention to girls, children, parenting and women’s opportunity.
Explore her public priorities ↗02 / Public voiceSafety
& care
In June 2026, she called for a thorough investigation following the death of a UCC student.
Read the Chronicle report ↗ (opens in a new tab)03 / Our environmentCoast
& culture
At Fantefest 2026 in London, she joined traditional leaders supporting coastal protection.
Read the Daily Graphic report ↗ (opens in a new tab)05 / Words of tradition
A few words.
A richer understanding.
A short guide to terms used in this story. Spellings vary across Fante and Akan accounts.
- Omanhembaa
- Paramount Queen Mother.
- Omanhen
- Paramount chief of the traditional area.
- Ebusuapanyin
- Head of the family or clan.
- Stool
- A symbol of customary office and its continuity.
Terminology follows the Oguaa historical account and installation reporting.
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