. Women of all nations, a record of their characteristics, habits, manners, customs and influence; . as common knowledgethat they were sent to serve the kingsinterests. But the most characteristic feature ofDahomey in the not very far distant daysof the old regime was thecorps of Amazons, also knownby the titles of the kingswives, and our mothers. Their origindid not go back to a very remote period, forthey seem to have been enrolled for thefirst time in 1729, and for nearly a centuryconsisted mainly of criminals, that is womendetected in adultery, together with terma-gants and scolds. Early i
. Women of all nations, a record of their characteristics, habits, manners, customs and influence; . as common knowledgethat they were sent to serve the kingsinterests. But the most characteristic feature ofDahomey in the not very far distant daysof the old regime was thecorps of Amazons, also knownby the titles of the kingswives, and our mothers. Their origindid not go back to a very remote period, forthey seem to have been enrolled for thefirst time in 1729, and for nearly a centuryconsisted mainly of criminals, that is womendetected in adultery, together with terma-gants and scolds. Early in the nineteenthcentury the force was put on a new footing,every head of a family being ordered to sendhis daughters for inspection. The negrowoman is inured to labour, and in was, and perhaps is, physicallysuperior to the male sex ; for Burton tellsus that the women were generally tall,muscular and broad, while the men weresmooth, full-breasted, round limbed andeffeminate looking. The Amazons were sworn to cehbacy,though the king had the privilege of taking The J/iolo^ru/h liy A. Holm, Luxos. THE OTUFO DRESS IN CROBO. GOLD COAST. Girls are thus dressed during the period of their initiation ceremonies. The ornaments are chiefly of silver. 44 346 WOMEN OF ALL NATIONS any of them to wife ; but though they weresupposed to meet the male sex only on thefield of battle, human nature is frail, andwhen Burton was at Agbomi, no fewer thanone hundred and fifty of the women wereput to death for misconduct, the results ofwhich were only too evident. In peace timeone of their duties was to escort the kingswives when they went to fetch water, and abell was rung before them as a signal forall men to leave the road. In war they are said to have displayedthe most ferocious courage, disregardingdanger, wounds, and death itself, and oneof their chief aims was to carry off trophiesin the shape of heads and jawbones. In many parts of West Africa tribes maybe class
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