Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-11-03
AMAZoNS OF DAHOMEY.
A German Correspondents Visit to thu
Portuguese Half-Breed.

Portuguese Half-Breed.
The tall, broad-chested man, with dark
yellow, almost brown, complexion. re-
ceived US with the amiable politeness of a
pompous aristocrat. He wore long, shirt
like cotton garment reaching down to his
feet, high European boots, an embroidered
smoking-cap, and although he is fetish
worshiper, a big black metal cross on his
chest. After apologizing TOR the remarka-
able costume which he had been obliged to
don because of indisposition, Juliano gave
the sign for the beginning of the festivities
The stage for these was the open space in
front of Juliano's house-a rather rickety
building OF two stores in the middle of the
village. which was filled with the upper ten
of Whydah, a multitude of black specta-
tors, all of whom pretend to be of Euro
pean descent. But woe TO him who, with
out being white man" dares to wear
European boots or allow himself to be car
ried in hammock. the European means
of conveyance Not even his Majesty, the
King, would ever dream of committing so
objectionable a breach of African ETH
quette. When it was dusk the army of
Amazons made their entrance into the
yard, Enthusiastically attired and looking more
Enthusiastically still by the glare of the torches
which were borne before them.
Shortly before the dance commenced the
"Chacha" distributed German beer and
Bahia rum among the audience, which
consisted of some five hundred spectators
many of whom were accompanied by their
tame sheep, which follow their masters
like dogs. Rum is the ordinary beverage
offered to visitors in Dahomey. The ANA
IONS of Abome, of whom there are at the
most some 6000, are nominally the wives
of the King, and as such form bodyguard
which is said to be superior to the male
soldiers in courage, discipline and loyalty.
But although these Amazons accompany
the King on all his wars, | think they are
more for show than for service. Among
all the savage and semi-savage tribes sing
ing and dancing are considered as essential
as drilling and drumming among our
selves. 1t is natural that the Amazons
having from their earliest childhood been
educated as warriors, dancers and singers,
should be superior to male soldiers in these
accomplishments as our guards are to the
reserves. The Amazons of the g Chacha,"
all of whom have served in the army of
Abome, are women between the ages of
Is and %, and, as the Chacha," does not
go to war, they are naturally only kept for
show. They have no separate barracks,
but live like the thirty male soldiers, in
different quarters of the town, whence they
are called together whenever they are
wanted
At their first entrance, when, marching
up in long procession, they saluted their
lord and master, | was aStoniShed at the
military exactitude of their movements.
Imagine sixty young women strong and
slender, who, without losing anything of
their womanliness, present a war-like APP
pearance. Among Europeans this COM
bination of the woman and the warrior
could not be imagined here it is ex-
planned by the peculiar formation of the
negro skeleton. The skeletons of negro
women Tin striking contrast to that of the
mulattoes) are strikingly like the skeletons
that the female warriors of Dahomey have
their breasts cut off like the NEUROLOGICAL
Amazons- of the ancient Greeks. Their
picturesque uniform might furnish our
masters of the ballet with fresh ideas. The
fresh young faces look roguishly from I'M
der the white, brimless yokey-cap, orna-
mented with black pictures of animals,
such as Lizards, birds and others. The
feet are bare; short knickerbockers of
green, red or yellow material, come down
nearly to the knees, and bright-colored
tunIc of striped silk or velvet, which leaves
only the neck and arms free, covers the
upper part of the body, which is supported
by corsets of native manufacture. A broad
belt of many colors brightens the slim APP
pearance of the female warrior. At the
left side of the belt short sword is fast
ened and a small cartridge pocket in front.
A scarf of white or light green silk is worn
like a Scotch plaid. The armament con-
sists of swords, battle-axes and guns, which
latter are put aside during the dance.
Quite apart from the effect of combined
dancing and singing. the performances,
which went on for several hours uninter-
ruptedly before our eyes, were quite in the
style of our corps de ballet, with the only
difference that perhaps no other corps de
ballet would dance with equal exactitude.
First came tall and somewhat elderly
woman. She was the Captain, and as she
entered the son of the "Chacha" whis-
pered to me, Just look how well my
mother dances" Then followed, with
battle-axes uplifted, the younger officers,
and in their rear the still younger troops,
now dashing towards US in their sham
fight, now wheeling round, dispensing. and
again uniting. And all this with rythmi-
cal movements, half war-ike, half coquet-
fish, but never clumsy, the eloquent play
of the bare, round arms recalling to the
mind the limbs of ancient classical statues
All dances which [ have seen performed
among savage and demi-savage peoples
have been grotesque and to certain de-
gree voluptuous. Here for the first time
performance was given which would have
held its own before serious critic and es-
Il.