Happy Independence Day, Benin! On August 1st, 1975, this West African country gained independence from the French. We are honoring this country’s independence by exploring the legacy of the Dahomey Kingdom. 

The Fon Kingdom of Dahomey was a kingdom made up of the Fon ethnic group that existed in present-day Benin from around 1625 to 1894. It was founded in approximately 1625 by a Fon leader named Do-Aklin. This kingdom is known for its female warriors and war customs. 

This society arguably included ancient African feminist ideals. Women took part in every aspect of society and took positions in spaces like high government and armies. In addition, the Dahomey Kingdom was one of the only known places at the time where women could own their own compound. Powerful men in the Dahomey Kingdom often married multiple wives.

(Dahomey Kingdom flag. Image by JoeChip85 via Wikimedia Commons)

Mawu-Lisa, the Dahomean creator deity, was adopted from a town near the Dahomey Kingdom called Aja and is a twin, male-female deity that indicates ideals of duality in the universe. This concept of duality and male and female equality was reflected in the society, as women’s places in the Dahomey Kingdom were varied. Mawu, the female counterpart, represents ideals like forgiveness, motherhood, fertility, rest, and joy, and Lisa, the male deity, represents toughness and work. Fon mythology says that Mawu-Lisa gave shape to the universe.

This kingdom was known as ‘Black Sparta’ and was respected for its war tactics. Dahomey ‘Amazons’ were all-female armies of the Dahomey Kingdom that were legally married to the King, and were known for their fierce war tactics and resistance to pain. In an 1861 report, missionary Francesco Borghero noted that Dahomean King Glele’s female army completed a treacherous mock battle by climbing walls with two-inch thorns, defeating an imaginary army, and wearing a belt of thorns in commemoration of their victory.

Works Cited

https://www.persee.fr/doc/outre_0300-9513_1978_num_65_238_2075

https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100141563

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/dahomeys-women-warriors-88286072/

https://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/01/archives/dahomey-announces-its-name-will-be-benin.html

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/dahomeys-women-warriors-88286072/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fon-people

https://www.britannica.com/place/Benin

https://www.britannica.com/place/Dahomey-historical-kingdom-Africa

https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/pre-colonial-history/the-history-of-the-kingdom-of-dahomey/

https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199846733/obo-9780199846733-0169.xml

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fon-people

https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/benin-oyo-and-dahomey/

https://www.persee.fr/doc/outre_0300-9513_1978_num_65_238_2075