I N T R O D U C T I O N
The Women Warriors of Dahomey were a military unit that existed to protect the Kingdom of Dahomey, its monarch, and its interests. They were extensively trained in combat and said to have been the most feared women in all of Africa because they showed no mercy towards their enemies. When the military unit was first created, they were known as the Gbeto; they are often referred to as the Dahomey Amazons in the journals of the European men who interacted with the people of Dahomey. The Gbeto were very popular and highly acclaimed because they were courageous, fearless, outshined their male counterparts and were the most effective when it came to combat; they were willing to fight to the finish and die to protect their king. They challenge the Eurocentric idea that women are incapable of combat and challenge the gender norms that imply women need to raise families to be successful.
R E S E A R C H Q U E S T I O N S
Who were the Gbeto and what were their contributions to Dahomey? How did they defend Dahomey, and what was their effect on Dahomey?
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W H Y D A H O M E Y ? W H Y T H E G B E T O ?
The Kingdom of Dahomey was located in West Africa, in what is now present-day Benin. In Frederick Forbes’s journal, he refers to the Dahomey monarch as the “slave trading king,” because Dahomey was a major player in the slave trade. What was once a small city, developed into a militaristic society built on conquest. Dahomey was able to conquer many areas, for instance the port of Ouidah which was where European slave traders had direct interaction with slave merchants. Dahomey expanded its territory because they had the military power to do so. The Kingdom of Dahomey’s capital, Abomey is where the king and his palace resided; it was located in an open space and needed to be protected from enemies who were looking to raid the city in hopes of disrupting Dahomey’s economic and political power. The city was surrounded by guards, and soldiers which included the Gbeto. The Gbeto were the first line of defense between the king and his enemies and would die before they let anyone harm their monarch. Dahomey was a powerful African kingdom that had a political hierarchy, strong military, and the intelligence to control and manipulate the slave trade in their favor.
A B O U T T H E P R O J E C T |
The compelling story of the Warrior Women of Dahomey is important to the history of Dahomey because they can be credited for much of Dahomey’s success in conquest and staying in power through their contribution of military service. Their participation in military service was effective; they obtained the skills needed to be successful in combat and were able to install fear in their enemies; any time a neighboring city or kingdom threatened Dahomey and its interests these women were used to execute the problem. Their extensive training taught them how to put their Kingdom’s interests first. Not only do they challenge the Eurocentric gender norms, they are evidence that women in African societies had political powers and freedoms; they reveal that many African societies had more opportunities for women and believed they were capable of doing things that many European societies believed women were incapable of. The Gbeto show that African cities, Dahomey in particular have a rich history that many people are unfamiliar with.
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The purpose of this website is to educate the community on the Warrior Women of Dahomey and change the assumptions associated with the continent of Africa. Many cities are rich with history, but some cities have gotten more attention and coverage than others. Most written history of African cities have been told through narrow perspectives, usually in the perspective of European men with their own biases, beliefs, and attitudes of superiority, which is something I saw in the journals I used for research. It was important to acknowledge their biases and pay attention to the facts rather than their opinions. Africa is often inaccurately seen as a country, rather than what it is, a complex continent with unique cities. Recognizing the false concepts and ideas in the way Africa has been portrayed in the past is important in understanding its true history.
In this website, I have provided digital tools to help the community visualize the compelling story of the Warrior Women of Dahomey. I have provided a digital timeline to show the important events that took place, and a Story Map to create a visual that can easily show the interactions between Dahomey and other cities. The purpose of this website is to make it easy for the community to see the connections and effect the Gbeto had in the Kingdom of Dahomey through Digital Storytelling.
In this website, I have provided digital tools to help the community visualize the compelling story of the Warrior Women of Dahomey. I have provided a digital timeline to show the important events that took place, and a Story Map to create a visual that can easily show the interactions between Dahomey and other cities. The purpose of this website is to make it easy for the community to see the connections and effect the Gbeto had in the Kingdom of Dahomey through Digital Storytelling.