The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1885-07-10
The AmasOns.

lie OefnanSt 10 WnOM AIFlca AS
field of colOnozatiOn as mine of In.
exhaustible novelty, have just redis-
covered the Amaz0ns OF DahOmey
These famous warriors whom so,
little has teen heard for so many
years, have been inspected by DR..
ZOller, who gives an account of his
recsption at the court of the POrtu-
guise half-brede JulianC de Soma,
This potentate rejOices in the position
of a fully equipped battalion Of
women who fight. Alasi however
! for our precOnceived notions, the
Amazons of De Soma have more re-
semblance to corps de ballet than
to corps d'arInee. and the deepest
impression which they left ON the
minds of their visitors was that they
wOIld make the fortune of any enter
pressing impresalo who would intro
duce them to European audencer.
When it was dusk the army of the
Amazons made its intrance into the
yard fautastically attired, looking
more fantastic still by the glare of the
torches which were born before them
Shortly before their dance commen-
ced German beer and Bahia rnm
were distributed among the audience
which consisted of some 500 spectators.
Rnm is the ordinary beverage offered
to visitors in DahOmey. The ANA
IONS are noninalY the wives of the
king, and as such form body guard
which is said to be superior to the
mail soldiers in courage, discipline
and loyalty. But although these
Amazons accompany the kind on all
his wars, they are more for show
than for service. Among all the
savage and semi-savage tribes, sing
ing and dancing are cinsidered as
essential as drilling and drumming
among ourselves.
It is natural that the Amazons,
having from their earliest childhood
been educated as warriors, dancers
and singers, should be superior to
mail soldiers in these accomplish.
ments' The AmozOns are women
between the ages of Is and %. They
have no seperate barracks, but live
like the mail soldiers, in different
quarters of the town, whenceltheY are
called together whenever they are
wanted. At their first entrance,
when marching mp in a long process
son, they saluted their lord and mas
ter, was astOnished at the military
exactitude of their movements.
Without losing anything of their
wOmanliness. they presented decid-
edly warlike appearance.
The fresh young faces look rogulsh-
ly from under the white, brimless,
yOkey cap. The feet are bare short
knickerbOckers of gOeen red or yellow
material come down nearly to the
knees, and a bright-cOlOred tuniC of
stripped silk or velvet, which leaves
only the neck and arms free, coYers
the upper part Of the body. Quite
adairt from the effect of combined
dancing and singing the performances
which went On for several hours unin-
terruptedly before our eyes, war quite
in the style of our corps de ballet. |
First came tall and someW what elder
ly woman. She was the captain.
Then followed with battle-axes up
lifted, the younger officers, and in the
rear the still younger troops, now
dashing towards US In their sham
fight, now wheeling round. dispensing
and again uniting: And all this with
rhYthmical movement, half war-like,
half-cOquettish,~ but never clumsy.
ALI dances which l had previously
seen performed among saYage and semi
savage people han been grOtesque.
Here for the first time performance
was given which would have held its
own before an athete.