Legendary female warriors in the Black Continent

It seems to be only in fantasy films or mythological films, but the female warrior tribe used to scare the horrors for every enemy they once faced, the Amazon tribe, actually existed. And their descendants now live in a small village in the Benin Republic, West Africa region.

The origin of the mighty warrior female race is only in legend, in fact originating from a small country located in the western region of the Black Continent. Today, descendants of the Amazon warriors maintain the traditions left by their ancestors. 'She is our Queen. She is our God. Rubinelle, a 24-year-old female secretary, tells of her grandmother sitting on the counter in the living room of a house in Abomey, the former capital of the Dahomey Kingdom and now a southern city. Benin . On the head of that woman was a crown.

Amazon is a mighty female warrior clan, known for its brutality and fearless fighting style for its enemies.(Source: BBC).

The older woman is the descendant of the Queen of Hangbe , according to the legend who is the founder of Amazon, the elite warrior clan comprising only women. She inherited the fame and power of the ancestors. Always close to the Queen who is 4 Amazon warriors . The room in her room is quite large: There is a table and chairs for visitors, in the corner of the room is an old TV and a cupboard of homemade drinks.

According to the Queen, the Amazon Dahomey warrior was a soldier of the Dahomey Kingdom army, a West African empire that existed between 1625-1894. The remnants of this empire are now located in Benin, a country that covers the coastline between Nigeria and Togo.

Whether in wars with other tribes or against the forces from Europe, the Amazon warriors always show themselves as elite warriors without fear. In one of the last battles against the French in 1892 before the country became a French colony, only 17 of the 434 Amazon warriors survived. According to legend, the Hangbe became Queen in the early 18th century after the sudden death of her brother, Akaba. But after a brief period of reign, she was overthrown by her lustful brother, Agaja. Under the rule of Agaja, all the legacies left by the Queen of Hangbe were obliterated.

The women of Benin today still retain some of the legacy that the ancestors are the Amazon warrior clan.(Source: Reuters).

Today, in a dusty museum inside the Royal Palace in Abomey, royal scepteres are arranged in chronological order, but there is no Queen Hangbe's scepter. This has led historians to question whether the Hangbe Queen really exists? However, the only legacy of the Queen of Hangbe is still preserved, which is the female Amazon warriors . So far, historians have found many handwritten documents and word of mouth about the origin of this all-female warrior force. Some sources describe the Amazon warrior as elephant hunters, after being recruited into warriors. Another more accepted theory is that Amazon is the guard force of Queen Hangbe, and later kings.

It was King Ghezo, who ruled Dahomey between 1818 and 1858, who formally annexed the female Amazon warrior force into the army. This is considered a practical decision, given the lack of male human resources due to slavery trade in Europe at that time.

The official recognition of Amazon as Dahomey's regular soldiers has increased the diversity of this kingdom's society, especially in religion, when forming a new religion called Vodun - today one of the official religions in Benin.

The historical records of the Amazon female warriors the world is known to be almost inaccurate. However, European slave traders, missionaries and colonialists once recorded the times they had to face this frightening female warrior.

In 1861, Italian pastor Francesco Borghero said that he had inadvertently witnessed a drill in which thousands of women climbed a large 120-meter bush without wearing protective gear. In 1889, French colonial manager Jean Bayol said he had witnessed a young Amazon warrior approaching a prisoner during a training session . 'She came, swung the sword three times with both hands, then slowly cut off the head of the prisoner . Then she took all the blood from her weapon and drank it' - according to the story. Bayol.

Europeans who visited the kingdom in the nineteenth century even described Amazon as scary warriors in Greek mythology. Today, historians call them 'Mino' , in the local Fon language meaning 'Our mothers' . However, Leonard Wantchekon, who founded the African Economic School of Cotonou, Benin, said that many people misunderstood the role of these warriors in Dahomey society before. 'Mino actually means a witch,' Wantchekon said.

Each ruler had to build a new palace close to the palace of his predecessor, which made the old palace the tomb of the previous king. However, the reign of King Behanzin, the last king of the Dahomey Empire, burned down all the palaces before the French arrived, thus leaving only a part of the castle's remains in Abomey. .

The relief on this wall shows how the Amazon warriors use weapons like mace, long rifle and machete to fight the enemy. In a display area of ​​the ancient city area is the museum is a skull with horse tail feathers - a skull of an enemy that the Amazon warrior brought to their King for use as a fly swatter.

Today, it seems like the myth of the mighty Amazon warrior girl has faded over time, but the reality is that more and more people are more interested in these mysterious warriors, in large part thanks to the Hollywood movies inspired by them. Besides, the role of women in Africa is getting bigger, which makes many people want to learn more about their role in the past.