The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-07-28
THE AMAzoNs OF DAHoMEY.
Female Soldiers Who Are More Sayar
and nanuarutrg Vha, Ma,

Female Soldiers who Are More Savage
and Dangerous Than NIen.
In 1863 Sir Richard Burton. then Cap-
tain Burton, was sent by Lord Russell ON
mission To Dahomey with presents from
the queen. On his return he told his wife
that he had seen enough dreadful sights
to turn his brain. At that time there
were no Europeans Mt Dahomey, and the
savagcry of the king and his people amply
accounted for the fact. Burtons story
OF the mission is full of curious things,
and his widow has done well to republish
the work which would otherwise be diff
cult of access. Perhaps the most interest
ing part of IL is that which relates to the
so called amaZons-"w women crueler and
iiercer than men,
Burton explains their origin as troops
by saying that the state of Dahomey in
cludcd many more women than men, and
that military duties were therefore not un-
suited to the superfluous ladies' He adds:
"At the Dahomeyan court. curious to say,
in Africa women take precedence of men,
yet, with truly Hamnitic contradictions
ness the warehouses; say, I'VE are no longer
females, but malesr and soldier disgrac-
ing himself is called, in insult a woman.
1t Is clear, therefore, that they owe their
dignity to the fiction Of being royal wives.
Wherever she soldiery is, celibacy must
be one Of its rules"
BurtOn's account of these ladies il very
graphic He says: az saw all these women
troops marching on service out of Kama
The officers, distinguished by their white
head cloths and by an esquiress Mt arms.
generally small slave girl carrying the
musket, led their commands. ! expected
to see Penthesileas, Thalestrises, Dianas-
lovely namesl | saw old, ugly, square
built frows, trudging 'grumpily' along.
with the face of cook after being much
'nagged by the 'missus.' The privates
carried packs on cradles like those of the
male soldiery, containing their bed mats
clothes and food for n week or IA fortnight
mostly toasted grains and bean cake, hot
with peppers.
Cartridge pouches of two different
shapes were grit round their waists, and
slung to their sides were water gourds,
fetch sacks, bullet wallets, powder Gala
bashes fans (sic) little cutlasses wooden
pipe cases enveloped in leather tobacco
bags, flint, steel and finder and lilliputian
stools, with three or four legs, cut out of
single blocks. Their weapons were slung
and behind their backs dangled their
hats, scarecrow felts, extinguishers of
white cotton useful as sacs dc mutt, UNI
brellas of plated palm leaf and low
crowned, broad brimmed homemade straw
hats"
Compared with this force in "heavy
marching order we will give Burton's
account of another detachment in "review
order" at was now the amazons' turn
to advance, and they came up in better
style as regards marching and firing than
their brother soldiers. They passed us
with 'feu d'enfcr, and when the dust
was not flying the smoke hung like pail
upon the ground. These soldiery wore
TUNES of gray bait, stained brown with
blood and barks covering the bosom and
extending to the knees like men, short
drawers and white sashes hanging to the
right"
The same amazon warriors Mt the an
nual games, or kings CUSTOMS which
include a great slaughter of criminals and
prisoners, are thus described. Fourteen
of the tallest and most staggering, not
including n small girl, formed line, and
two mistresses of the ceremonies, armed
with horse tail chauris, chanted and some
times pranced to give time in rear. The
toilet was the pink of propriety-7-a vest, n
pague, shorter undergrad and Fion
chokoto, or 'pantalettes,' longer than the
male article and extending to the knees"
St James Gazette.