Taxes and duties collected from those two ventures helped Dahomey build an imposing military presence.Įventually, continuous raids on neighboring communities significantly reduced the number of males, which set the stage for women to step into the role of guardians and protectors. Unauthorized use is prohibited.īesides the slave trade, Dahomey fought to acquire fertile land for farming and to boost its trade in palm oil. On the contrary, powerful ancient civilizations flourished throughout the continent, including the prehistoric Land of Punt and the kingdoms of Aksum and Nubia in northeast Africa the West African empires of the Ashanti, Mali, and the Songhai and the Kingdom of Zimbabwe. Until recent decades, the vast majority of popular culture depictions of Africa have characterized the continent as an uncivilized, agrarian milieu before the arrival of Europeans like Portuguese explorer Henry the Navigator in the 15th century. In fact, an examination of their origins and the society they arose from provides a more multidimensional image of these women warriors and the legacy they left behind.
#WAS WERE STORY FULL#
Toler, author of the book Women Warriors: An Unexpected History, says it’s important to know the full story of the all-female regiment of warriors who existed from the late 1600s to the early 1900s. “That’s a very European perspective on these amazing women.”
“In addition to it being a decidedly colonial reference, you’re sort of reinforcing the idea that they are exceptions, and that no ordinary woman could be larger than life,” she says.
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