The Dahomey Amazons or "N'Nonmiton" meaning "Our Mothers", were regiments of female soldiers from the Fon tribe, in the kingdom of Dahomey, in what is now the Republic of Benin, in western Africa. They received the name, "Amazons" from European explorers & historians, who compared them to the tribe of militant women of Amazons, from Greek mythology.
Their history goes back to the 17th century. There is speculation that the Amazons were originally formed to hunt elephants. However, they impressed King Dahomey with their fighting prowess, after which he made them his personal guards. According to another legend, women were the only people allowed in the king's palace after dark and for that reason he made them his bodyguards.
Some of the Amazons were recruited from the ahosi, literally meaning "royal wives", whose number often reached into the hundreds. Women could volunteer for service or they may be forced to if they behaved inappropriately at home. While training, N'Nonmiton women honed combative characters & built up physical strength. Their training included intense exercise and very strict discipline. From the beginning, they were taught to be ruthless, fast, strong & virtually impervious to pain. Some exercises included, scaling walls made of thorny acacia branches, 10-day expeditions into the jungle, without equipment like, machetes and much more.
They were forbidden from having families or children while in service, so many remained virgins. During battle, Dahomey Amazons fought to the death, instilling fear in their neighbours for nearly 2 centuries, many enemies who fell to the Dahomey Amazons were decapitated. According to some historians, the combat compatibility of these female military units was rated higher than that of men. By the middle of the 19th century, women made up most of the Dahomean military, from 1000-6000 people. They were usually made of a single unit, lead by a female general & posted near the king.
Their weapons of choice were usually Dutch rifles & machetes, which they used to behead or dismember enemies, amongst Dahomey warriors it was common practice to bring home trophies like, the heads of opponents. At the end, they also armed themselves with Wincester rifles, knives & clubs.
Colonization of West Africa began in the later half of the 19th century & in 1890, the king of Dahomey, Behanzin, started a war with the French; which later became known as the first Franco-Dahomean War. There is evidence that the French hesitated to attack the Dahomeans, therefore causing them to suffer substantial losses. Other reports say that the French lost several battles against the Dahomey Amazons. However in the end, with the help of a foreign army & superior weapons, the French successfully inflicted serious losses on the Dahomean army. During the second Franco-Dahomean War, the Amazons also played a significant roles; at the same time they gained a negative reputation in Europe, as they were used as propaganda by the French media. According to some sources, the last Amazon died in 1979. These women are featured in the Werner Herzog film, Cobra Verde (1987).
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/dahomey-amazons.html
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Female Warriors
Non-FictionFrom Naotara li and Mulan to Eleanor of Aquitaine and Boudicca. Strong women throughout history who fought for the countries, families and beliefs; that made a stand against those who threatened to destroy them. They took charge when no else would.
