A year ago, we published a feature on the 18th and 19th century West African women warriors who called themselves N’Nonmiton. With the revelation that the Dora Milaje warriors in Black Panther were inspired by these real-life soldiers, we're resharing our piece.ADVERTISEMENT Imagine the most terrifying, capable, badass woman you know.
There are a number of theories surrounding how these fierce female fighters likely came to be. In one story, reported by historian Stanley Alpern in his book The Amazons of Black Sparta, the Dahomey women were such fearless hunters, they were known to attack entire herds of elephants, with many ending up gored and trampled. King Gezo, who ruled Dahomey from 1818 to 1858, was so impressed with their bravery, he enlisted the women into his army to fight alongside the men.
A N’Nonmiton’s military training was – in a word – intense. While they were, of course, taught to fight, they were also trained to face pain with a ruthless stoicism. They scaled walls covered in massive thorns, and even strapped on big branches of thorns to wear as belts. Oh, and trainees were also dropped into the middle of the jungle with only a machete and left to fend for themselves for up to ten days.
To become a N’Nonmiton meant transforming into a cold-blooded executioner – someone who could gut a man and then lick his blood from the weapon. But becoming a warrior also afforded women a freedom and lifestyle they never could have experienced otherwise. A typical woman’s life in Dahomey was one of submission and servitude. Becoming a N’Nonmiton, however, put a woman in a different category altogether. It meant rising to the ranks of the elite, and living in the royal palace.
Which brings us to another aspect of N’Nonmiton life: their sexuality. In yet another show of extreme self-discipline, female soldiers undertook a vow of celibacy. As “wives of the King,” they were not allowed to have relations with anyone else, under punishment of death. The main purpose of this celibacy was to keep the soldiers from becoming pregnant, as they would then become unfit for battle.
By the late 1870s, the N’Nonmiton forces had been whittled down considerably to around 1,500 soldiers. Then in 1887, they became embroiled in an incident that would ultimately bring about their demise. Around this time, the Europeans were all fighting to snatch up their own little slices of Africa, and there was a strong French presence near the Dahomey kingdom. One day, the Dahomey decided to attack a port town that was a French protectorate.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: papermagazine - 🏆 409. / 53 Read more »
Source: Reuters - 🏆 2. / 97 Read more »
Source: NylonMag - 🏆 697. / 51 Read more »
'The Flash' recap: Wally's return reveals the real fallout of 'Crisis'Right now it feels like The Flash is the busiest it's ever been. There’s the Black Hole storyline, Iris’ adventures with Eva McCulloch in the…
Source: EW - 🏆 713. / 51 Read more »
'Real Housewives' star Barbara Kavovit demolishing Harvey Weinstein's NYC officeHarvey Weinstein's former Manhattan offices are literally buckling under the weight of Real Housewives of New York City star Barbara Kavovit's sledgehammer. In a recent… and yall thought the housewives didn't have range... Well done 👍 Any plans to destroy women who lie about rape?
Source: EW - 🏆 713. / 51 Read more »
Source: latimes - 🏆 11. / 82 Read more »