The Agojie: Dahomey’s Warrior Women

2022-11-01

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*This episode may contain The Woman King spoilers*The Agojie were fearless and skilled warrior women in the Dahomey Kingdom. By the mid 1800s, the all-female regiment was in its thousands, outmuscling rival kingdoms and participating in annual warfare. They lived in the royal palace and were taught how to fight and survive from an early age. However, the Agojie's existence is thought to have upset the invading French's understanding of gender roles, and their invasion led to the disbanding of the Agojie. Why has their history been neglected until recently?...

*This episode may contain The Woman King spoilers*

The Agojie were fearless and skilled warrior women in the Dahomey Kingdom. By the mid 1800s, the all-female regiment was in its thousands, outmuscling rival kingdoms and participating in annual warfare. They lived in the royal palace and were taught how to fight and survive from an early age. However, the Agojie's existence is thought to have upset the invading French's understanding of gender roles, and their invasion led to the disbanding of the Agojie. Why has their history been neglected until recently? Let's dig in.

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Sources for further reading:

They were the world’s only all-female army. Their descendants are fighting to recapture their humanity.

Law, Robin. “The ‘Amazons’ of Dahomey.” Paideuma, vol. 39, 1993, pp. 245–60. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40341664. Accessed 30 Oct. 2022.

Amazons of black Sparta : the women warriors of Dahomey, Stanley B Alpern

The Dahomey Amazon Women, a story