Yennenga (born 11th-15th century) was a legendary princess, considered the mother of the

Mossi people The Mossi or Mosi are a Gur languages, Gur ethnic group native to modern Burkina Faso, primarily the Volta River basin. The Mossi are the largest ethnic group in Burkina Faso, constituting 52% of the population, or about 11.1 million people. The ...

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

. She was a famous warrior within the

Kingdom of Dagbon The Kingdom of Dagbon ( ) is the oldest and one of the most organised traditional kingdoms in Ghana founded by the Dagomba people (Dagbamba) in the 15th century. During its rise, it comprised, at various points, the Northern Region (Ghana), North ...

, now in present day

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

. The founder of the Kingdom of Dagbon was her father, Nedega. Nedega refused to let Yennenga marry, resulting in her leaving the kingdom. On the run with her horse, she met a young hunter, Rialé with whom she had a child called Ouedraogo. Ouedraogo is a famous last name in Burkina Faso and means "male horse" in honour of the horse which led the princess to Rialé. Yennenga or her son Ouedraogo are considered the founder of the

Mossi Kingdoms The Mossi Kingdoms, were a group of kingdoms in modern-day Burkina Faso that dominated the region of the Volta River, upper Volta river for hundreds of years. The largest Mossi kingdom was that of Ouagadougou. The king of Ouagadougou, known as ...

. There are different versions about the escape of the princess.

Biography

Yennenga was the daughter of Nedega and Napoko, king and queen in the early 12th century of the

, now in present day

. She is described in oral histories as beautiful, with her name, Yennenga, meaning "the slim", referring to her beauty. Her father raised her to be a skilled hunter and fighter and from the age of 14, she fought in battles for her father against the neighbouring Malinkés. Skilled with

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon. Today, the javelin is predominantly used for sporting purposes such as the javelin throw. The javelin is nearly always thrown by hand, unlike the sling ...

spear A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with Fire hardening, fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable materia ...

s and bows, she was an excellent horsewoman and commanded her own

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

. She became a cultural icon, a woman with a strong character and an independent mind and beloved princess. When Yennenga reached a marriageable age, her father refused to choose a husband for her, or allow her to marry, because of her value as a warrior. To express her unhappiness to her father, Yennenga planted a field of wheat. When the crop grew, she let it rot. She explained to her father that was how she felt, being unable to marry. Nedega failed to be moved by this gesture and locked his daughter up. One of the king's horsemen helped Yennenga, disguised as a man, escape on her stallion. Attacked by Malinkés, her companion was killed, and Yennenga was left alone. She continued to ride north. One night, when she was exhausted from crossing a river, Yennenga's stallion took her into a forest. She met and befriended a solitary

elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...

hunter called Rialé. When he saw through Yennenga's disguise, they fell in love. Yennenga and Rialé had a son they named Ouedraogo, which means "stallion" and is now a common name in

. Ouedrago visited his grandfather Nedega, who has been searching for Yennenga over the years. On discovering his daughter was still alive, Nadega arranged for a feast as well as sent delegates to retrieve his beloved daughter back home. Yennenga together with Rialé returned to the

with open arms from her father; who ensured that his grandson Ouedraogo received the best of trainings. He was also gifted with cavalry, cattle and other goods which he used to found the Mossi Kingdom.

Legacy

Yennenga is considered by the

to be the mother of their empire and many statues of her can be found in the capital city of Burkina Faso,

Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...

. A statue of a golden stallion, called the Étalon de Yennenga, is awarded as the first prize in the biennial Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO). The national football team is nicknamed "Les Étalons" ("the Stallions") in reference to Yennenga's stallion. Since 2017, a project of a new city is in progress near Ouagadougou and will be called Yennenga.

In media

* ''La fille de la Volta'' * ''LOOFO''Thenortonbrothers.com - Feature film, 2014 "The cryptoanarchist faction NARODVOLYA of a small group of haphazard reactionaries, one of which is only known for her alias: Yennenga, a reference to the African princess. Contrary to her unpredictable outbursts and traumatizing torturous techniques, she and Loofo eventually develop feelings for each other."

References

{{Reflist 12th-century births 12th-century deaths 12th-century women African women in war Burkinabe royalty Burkinabe women Ghanaian royalty Mythological princesses Women in 12th-century warfare 12th-century Burkinabe people