THEY DAHOMEY

THE DAHOMEY AMAZONS

Girl Power. This phrase is pretty synonymous with one of my all-time favorite girl groups, the Spice Girls. However, in this instance girl power isn't just a  mantra; it's more so about actual power and  physical strength. No other group of women, in my opinion, have embodied power and physical strength like the Dahomey Amazons.

The Dahomey Amazons, also known as Mino, were an all-female militia from Dahomey, now the Republic of Benin. Initially, they were formed, around 1645, as elephant crushers, but after impressing the king with their fighting skills, they were promoted to his body guards, and what started off as a few dozen women turned into a full-fledged army consisting of 4,000 troops!

Theses ladies were no joke. They carried muskets, bows, machetes, spears. and their training consisted of  daily runs, calisthenics, wrestling, and sometimes they were left out alone in the woods for days  and told to survive the elements with just their machete. With this kind of intense training, it's no surprise these ladies were the most feared group in Western Africa for over 250 years. Eventually, the Dahomey's reign came to an end, once they came head-to-head with the French army in a David and Goliath-type match-up, also known as the First Franco-Dahomean War. 

THE D.A. LIVED BY THE CODE: CONQUER OR DIE

In March 1889, Dahomey attacked a village in the Ouémé Valley, which was under the protection of the French. Not a good idea.They set the city on fire, decapitated the village chief, and wrapped his head in the French flag he had been holding. Subtle. The French , of course, retaliated, and a full-blown war ensued. Though the French eventually won the war, because they had more advanced weaponry  which included machine guns and marine infantry,  The Amazons were still able to win a few battles. Some say it was because the French men were, at first, afraid to attack the women, and others say it was because the female warriors were very skilled in battle. Personally, I'd like to believe the latter. Girl Power!

 -DIVA