Notoriety
The fame the women attained was vital to the strength of the king. Tales of their strength and brutality were well known in the western world, due to the numerous articles written about them. An 1890 London newspaper published an article describing the military displays they exhibited for visitors to the kingdom.[1] This,in addition to the numerous reports from English visitors to Dahomey such as Forbes, Burton, and Skertchly who wrote research and diplomatic based reports in the mid-nineteenth century.[2] Their tales of Dahomey helped to build the reputation of the female soldiers. Those reports were further confirmed by soldiers who witnessed their skill in battle first hand. Fredrick Martyn, a solider in the British army from 1889 to 1894, stated that any sympathy felt toward the female warriors was misplaced because they fought bravely and with great skill. He considered them the “best men in the Dahomean army.”[3] The women were aware of their fame as almost mythological tales of their strength and brutality grew. The king used this fame to intimidate his foes and ward off Western attempts to curtail the slave trade. The female warriors used this dependence to entrench themselves in the governmental power structure. Their actions helped to support the economy, their reputation helped to determine the future course for the country, and they became agents of power in the society.
[1] "Dahomey Amazons To Visit Dahomey." Pall Mall Gazette (London), October 23, 1890. Accessed April 1, 2017. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E04E2DC113BE533A25750C2A9669D94619ED7CF.
[2] David Ross, "Mid-Nineteenth Century Dahomey: Recent Views vs. Contemporary Evidence," History in Africa 12 (1985): 307, doi:10.2307/3171725.
[3] Frederic Martyn, Life in the Legion: From a Soldiers Point of View (London: G. Bell & Sons, LTD, 1911), 206, https://ia601507.us.archive.org/16/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.209152/2015.209152.Life-In_text.pdf. Accessed, April 5, 2016.
[1] "Dahomey Amazons To Visit Dahomey." Pall Mall Gazette (London), October 23, 1890. Accessed April 1, 2017. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E04E2DC113BE533A25750C2A9669D94619ED7CF.
[2] David Ross, "Mid-Nineteenth Century Dahomey: Recent Views vs. Contemporary Evidence," History in Africa 12 (1985): 307, doi:10.2307/3171725.
[3] Frederic Martyn, Life in the Legion: From a Soldiers Point of View (London: G. Bell & Sons, LTD, 1911), 206, https://ia601507.us.archive.org/16/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.209152/2015.209152.Life-In_text.pdf. Accessed, April 5, 2016.