19th-century illustration of a Dahomey warrior
The Kings of Dahomey (modern-day Benin) had used women as palace
guards back in the 18th century, but by 1850, Gezo had thousands of
all-female regiments in his army. The Dahomeans were fighting enemies
who greatly outnumbered them, so it was decided to bolster their forces
with fierce female warriors, known as the Mino.
They were skilled and deadly opponents, thanks in part to their often brutal training. The Mino climbed thorn hedges to get used to pain, and executed prisoners in order to hone killer instincts.
Although they were equipped with firearms, their specialty was hand-to-hand combat and they went into action wielding razor sharp machetes. Their last battles were in the 1890s, when they found themselves up against the French who were colonizing West Africa.
The undoubted bravery of Dahomey’s soldiers, both male and female, was no match for the modern weaponry of the French and they were eventually, and bloodily, defeated.
They were skilled and deadly opponents, thanks in part to their often brutal training. The Mino climbed thorn hedges to get used to pain, and executed prisoners in order to hone killer instincts.
Although they were equipped with firearms, their specialty was hand-to-hand combat and they went into action wielding razor sharp machetes. Their last battles were in the 1890s, when they found themselves up against the French who were colonizing West Africa.
The undoubted bravery of Dahomey’s soldiers, both male and female, was no match for the modern weaponry of the French and they were eventually, and bloodily, defeated.
No comments:
Post a Comment