Madam Yoko, () was a brilliant woman of culture and ambition. She employed her capacity for friendly communications to persuade the British to give her control of the Kpaa Mende chiefdom. She used diplomacy to communicate with many local chiefs who did not trust her friendship with the British. Because Madam Yoko supported the British, some sub-chiefs rebelled, causing Yoko to take refuge in the police barracks. For her loyalty, she was awarded a silver medal by Queen Victoria. Until 1906 Madam Yoko ruled as a paramount chief in the new British Protectorate. Sadly, it appears that she committed suicide at the age of fifty-five, perhaps due to the loss of support from her own people. http://www.sierra-leone.org/Heroes/heroes5.html.