It seems like they only exist in MCU superhero movies, but these female warriors are completely real, they are Dahomey soldiers - brave female warriors and are often called Dahomey Amazons . Their descendants today currently live in a small village in the Republic of Benin , West Africa.
But in the past, the kingdom of Dahomey once ruled a huge area of West Africa, this country was built on the strength of war and slavery. They had a huge army and international trade relations with Europeans.
The remnants of this empire lie in what is now the Republic of Benin, a small sliver of coastline between Nigeria and Togo. Whether on missions to subjugate neighboring tribes or to fight against European colonial forces, these female warriors were a constant terror to their enemies. In the final battle against the French colonialists in 1892 before the kingdom became a French colony, only 17 of the 434 female warriors survived to return.
Today, there is little information about how the Dahomey female warriors were trained and educated, and even what happened to the last female warriors in history is not mentioned in the records.
However, in oral traditions, it is said that the Dahomey female warriors are descendants of Hangbe , the twin sister of the Dahomey king - Akaba. It is said that after Akaba died in a battle, Agaja (the king's younger brother) stood up to lead the kingdom, Hangbe became the queen, and together they divided their time to stand up to lead their kingdom.
However, Queen Hangbe was a warrior, so she personally led and recruited an all-female army during her reign (which could last from 3 months to 3 years), thereby establishing the Dahomey female warriors.
The Dahomey women warriors were soldiers in the army of the Kingdom of Dahomey, a West African empire that existed from about 1625 to 1894. The remnants of this empire are located today in Benin, a country that covers the coast between Nigeria and Togo.
There is also another story about the origin of these female warriors and perhaps the most popular and reasonable explanation, the Dahomey female warriors were established to protect their own kingdom.
It all started when the war between Dahomey and the Yoruba broke out. Due to the lack of soldiers (during this time, the increase of the slave trade to Europe caused the country to have a shortage of men), the king of Dahomey was forced to recruit women into his army to defend the kingdom.
The Dahomey female warriors were created to defend their own kingdom.
By the mid-19th century, these women warriors made up 40% of the Dahomey warriors, and their selection was rigorous. They were subjected to physical and mental tests – fight or die. The discipline and intensity of their training transformed these women into true war machines.
Throughout history, we have seen women holding important and powerful positions such as Queen Nzinga of Angola (1583-1663), Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603).
But in reality, an army composed entirely of female warriors was a rare occurrence. Historical records of the Amazons that the world knows are largely inaccurate and exaggerated. However, European slave traders, missionaries, and field administrators recorded their encounters with this tribe of fearsome warriors.
And it's also hard not to see the similarities and inspiration of the Dahomey warrior women to the Dora Milaje army featured in the comics and in the Wakanda-related films in the MCU.
The Dahomey people worship a dual cosmological creator – Mawu is female and Lisa is male. They believe that their universe can only function effectively when both men and women work together as equals. This religious foundation is maintained in both the politics and military of the kingdom of Dahomey. These traits are also present and prominent in the Dora Milaje of Wakanda.
So what happened to the kingdom of Dahomey?
In the late 19th century, the kingdom of Dahomey had to fight the French - who were racing with other European countries to gain a piece of the pie in the process of colonizing Africa.
Although the French soldiers suffered many casualties due to underestimating the bravery of the Dahomey Amazons, the kingdom of Dahomey eventually had to surrender to the French army because they possessed modern weapons and had greater destructive power.
In a fierce battle with the French, more than 400 Dahomey female warriors fought to the death to protect their kingdom, but only 17 survived.
Despite their failure, the incredible bravery of the Amazons left a lasting impression on the French soldiers. The army was disbanded when the kingdom of Dahomey became a French colony. Some historians believe that some of the surviving women secretly remained in Abomey and continued their mission of assassinating French officers. The French were so frightened that they issued an order that Dahomey women would never serve in the army or carry weapons.
Many sources claim that the last female warrior of Dahomey named Nawi was discovered living in a remote village and died at the age of 100 in 1979. But one thing is for sure, the female warriors of Dahomey did exist , they were brave, fearless warriors, but also ruthless and respected defenders of the kingdom.
