The Dahomey Amazons- The World's Most Fearless All-Female Army.

The Dahomey Amazons.

The Dahomey Amazons or "Mino" or "N'Nonmiton" meaning, "our mothers" were an African female army from present day Benin (The Kingdom of Dahomey) that lasted till the kingdom became a French protectorate. The Europeans named them "Amazons" after the Greek Mythology.The Dahomey Amazons are the only documented all-female official front-line combat arms military unit in modern history. They lived by the motto "If soldiers go to war, they should conquer or die."

Some Sources suggest the N'Nonmiton as Elephant hunters who later become soldiers. The most widely accepted theory is that they were royal bodyguards to King Hangbe and the kings after Hangbe.

The N'Nonmiton were strictly trained. Although the army did recruit Men, The majority of the army consisted of Females and Units were under female command. They prepared strongly, regular close by to-hand battle among themselves. Control was a lot of underscored as they learnt ingrained instincts. Their pain tolerance was tested, from acacia-thorn in military drills, and executing detainees. In 1861, Italian priest Francesco Borghero described an army exercise where thousands of women scaled 120m-high thorny acacia bushes barefoot. The women army was divided into huntresses, rifle-women, reapers, archers and gunners. Later, The Dahomean female warriors were armed with Winchester rifles, clubs and knives.

The ladies appreciated certain benefits like a decent load of tobacco and liquor, and living in the Ruler's royal residence after dark, which the men were not permitted to do. They likewise had upwards of 50 slaves for every fighter–accounts expressed that when leaving the royal residence to the outside network, the troopers for the most part had a slave before them, ringing a little ringer which was to alarm the people of the Amazons drawing nearer and for them to give way, bow and turn away their eyes as they drew closer. The Amazons were praised in the locale and effectively empowered the extension of the Dahomey realm past its capital Abomey.

During the Second Franco-Dahomean War, The Kingdom (ruled by Ehen King Behanzin) was defeated by the French, As a result, The Amazons were disbanded. In one of the battles against the French in 1892 before The Kingdom become a French colony, it is said only 17 of 434 Amazons came back alive. In 1889, French colonial administrator Jean Bayol stated witnessing one young Amazon approach a captive as part of her training. "[She] walked jauntily up, swung up her sword three times with both hands, then calmly cut the last flesh that attached the head to the trunk... She then squeezed the blood off her weapon and swallowed it."

The employment of these female warriors is a great example of how strong and fearless women can be. It also indicates the equality (or even superiority) women had over men in Africa. Regardless, The Mino have become a symbol of empowerment and icons for other women.