# They were the world’s only all-female army. Their descendants are fighting to recapture their humanity. - Source:: [[Washington Post]] ###### Outline ## Highlights ### Benin has had women fighters for centuries > For at least three centuries, the Kingdom of Dahomey was a West African power that drew comparisons to Sparta. European visitors gushed about its women fighters: *She-soldiers. Medusas. Spinster warriors*. The name that stuck in modern Benin: Amazons. #pkm/synthesize with [[The Amazons by Adrienne Mayor]] ### Dahomey had fraternal twin co-rulers > Their origin is murky, but historians say the Amazons probably rooted under Queen Hangbè, who reigned alongside her twin brother in the early 1700s and kept an entourage of female bodyguards. ### Dahomey had thousands of female troops in the 1800s > By the mid-1800s, Dahomey boasted thousands of female troops as it sought to outmuscle rival kingdoms. When clashes erupted, victors were known to force their enemies into labor or sell them in the slave trade. > > Amazons began training in girlhood: swinging blades, loading Flintlock muskets, climbing thorny barricades. They drank imported brandy and belted out war songs. > >The tradition ended when France invaded. ### West African Amazons defended children > Houédanou was a teenager when the Amazon died. Memories surge when she smells a certain mustard spice. Navifovo cooked for neighborhood kids. They ran to the house when they were in trouble. > > “Their parents couldn’t beat them here,” Houédanou said, grinning. “Even before we started talking about ‘human rights,’ Navifovo wouldn’t allow it.” > > She laughed. “Everyone knew the old lady would win the fight.” ### West African Amazons valued the military lifestyle > Dahoui was about 12 when she first heard the war stories. Her grandmother urged her to join the military someday if she could. Adana thought battle imparted life lessons: Be patient. Stay calm. Act deliberately. > > The Amazon taught her grandchildren self-defense as they hit puberty.