{"id":4128,"date":"2020-08-18T13:32:07","date_gmt":"2020-08-18T12:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/?page_id=4128"},"modified":"2020-11-20T15:01:44","modified_gmt":"2020-11-20T15:01:44","slug":"le-roi-de-dahomey-et-les-amazones","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/dahomeenne-fon-mythology\/the-king-of-dahomey-and-the-amazons\/","title":{"rendered":"The King of Dahomey and the Amazons"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"4128\" class=\"elementor elementor-4128\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3be2c4f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3be2c4f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2d1646f\" data-id=\"2d1646f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-04a19ea elementor-align-justify elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"04a19ea\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/dahomeenne-fon-mythology\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Dahomean-Fon mythology<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e877578\" data-id=\"e877578\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-58094cf elementor-align-justify elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"58094cf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/fr.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Royaume_du_Dahomey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Wiki<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9136f98 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9136f98\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-59b90b4\" data-id=\"59b90b4\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-12ece42 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"12ece42\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In the ancient kingdom of <a href=\"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/dahomeenne-fon-mythology\/\">Dahomey<\/a>, it is the King of Dahomey who essentially represents the government; but he was helped by a few dignitaries: the <em>mingan<\/em>, sort of prime minister; of them\u00a0<em>meo<\/em>, secondary ministers, and many cab\u00e9ceres which have one, two, three or four ponytails according to their importance. The king is represented in Ouidah by the\u00a0<em>yevoghan<\/em>\u00a0and by the<em>agor<\/em>. Moreover, these different characters do not have their own authority: they are real slaves of the king.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-0e22886 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"0e22886\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-075fa8c\" data-id=\"075fa8c\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e85892e elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e85892e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseprofile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/dahomeenne-fon-mythology\/the-king-of-dahomey-and-the-amazons\/#Roi-de-Dahomey-et-Amazones\" >King of Dahomey and Amazons<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Roi-de-Dahomey-et-Amazones\"><\/span>King of Dahomey and Amazons<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5b735d11 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5b735d11\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-46156451\" data-id=\"46156451\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6b23a1c0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6b23a1c0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>One of the main characteristics of the Dahomey regime is its reigning despotism, comparable to that of the Ashanti; the king and the nobles carefully based their power on religious ceremonies. The king &quot;lion of Abomey&quot;, &quot;cousin of the Leopard&quot; is considered a god; his power is unlimited, he disposes of the life and property of his subjects; he inherits from the dead.<\/p>\n<p>The custom had disappeared in\u00a0<strong>XIX<sup>e<\/sup>\u00a0century<\/strong>, but before that he took his meals in secret, being supposed not to eat or drink like ordinary mortals; in the same way he listened to the pleas behind a curtain which hid him from the sight of his subjects. Let us add that, according to tradition, there reigned in the undergrowth a phantom king in whose name the levying of taxes and annoyances of all kinds took place: everything that could be complained of was attributed to this fictitious king of Dahomey, and all that it was necessary to rejoice the largesse and the blessings was attributed to the real king.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cosmovisions.com\/AmazoneDahomey.jpg\" alt=\"Amazon of Dahomey King of Dahomey\" width=\"268\" height=\"474\" title=\"\"><br \/><strong>An Amazon <a href=\"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/dahomeenne-fon-mythology\/\">dahomean<\/a><\/strong>, from a photograph.<br \/>(source: E. Reclus,<em>\u00a0Man and Earth<\/em>, I).<br \/>In Dahomey, women were free to practice trades<br \/>men, they took part in the government and were\u00a0<br \/>associated with the army. However, once they are married<br \/>became the property of the husband who bought them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>The King of Dahomey has an army of women as the Queen (<em>hobbyist<\/em>) command with the right of life and death; the sons of the queen are the only royal princes, the sons of other women are pages and one chooses from their number the cab\u00e9c\u00e8res to whom it is forbidden to reveal their origin. In the harem the keeper of the brazier where the king lights his pipe, and the favorite who holds the spittoon are dignitaries of the kingdom. The other wives are slaves who take care of the housework and the kitchen. In addition, a few hundred women installed in the palace make up the royal guard: they are virgin Amazons guarded by eunuchs.<\/p>\n<p>They declare that they devote themselves to the profession of man and soldier. Their costume is quite elegant: it is a tunic of several colors, on which fabulous animals are played, in embroidery, and rather short green or red pants. Their almost masculine forms, their courage, their cruelty make them excellent soldiers. They perform war dances with indefatigable precision. The king&#039;s guard is also made up of 2,000 warriors armed with stone guns; in the event of war, it can raise a maximum of 12 to 13,000 men.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>The government is only concerned with maintaining the court and waging war; but these expenses greatly exceed the income regularly collected by taxation. So we get our resources as best we can, by stripping from time to time the rich houses, by stopping the goods in the streets; in Ouidah, the inhabitants who bought cloth in the factories apostle people of confidence to know if the king&#039;s people are not watching them and will not strip them on the way back home: any attempt at resistance is a crime.<\/p>\n<p>The result of the vexations exercised against the rich is a deep misery from which no one seeks to escape. In the spring, the king takes the able-bodied population who could harvest palm oil to war. We voluntarily leave the country without roads or canals to close it to Europeans.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dahomean Mythology-Fon Wiki In the ancient kingdom of Dahomey, it is the king of Dahomey who essentially represents the government; but he \u2026 <\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":4116,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4128","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4128\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}