Female warriors of Africa

[ariel]

Originally Posted by katana

During a search for African tribal 'battle tactics' I found this article on female warriors, there are references to other continents ...but I found the article on African females very interesting......the Hausa, Dahomey, the Congo ...to name a few....all had warrior queens at some time or other.
Were edged weapons made specifically for woman.....ceremonial or functional.....or were swords etc. 'adapted' for their use?
I'm not being sexist...I am sure a female warrior could easily wield a 'man's' sword....I was thinking more ...that culturally there might be differences in their weapons.

Link below, scroll down to 'African woman warriors'.......oh by the way....if the picture (under this heading) is typical of a female warrior....armour certainly wasn't a priority .....I think distraction must have been a tactic (OK I suppose that IS sexist)

http://www.fscclub.com/gender/warrior-hist.shtml

I do not know whether this is just sexist or a representation of the classical Freudian term " vagina dentata" ( toothed vagina): this is supposed to symbolize male castration anxiety. Don't blame me for this rubbish: old Sigmund had rather peculiar patients in Vienna......
From time to time one hears a plaintive thought that if only women were in charge of the world, we would have been living in a peaceful paradise. Somehow, these dreamers forget that some of the most aggressive and vicious rulers were women: Catherine the Great, Queen Jezebel, Queen Ranavalona of Madagascar( Mrs. Thatcher? ).
In the Strong's book on African weapons, he reproduces a British cartoon of female Dahomey warriors: ugly, ape-like hags. In fact, they were most likely quite ordinary looking and many were rather lovely. Men just could not deal with the idea that a "killing" woman might be sexually attractive at the same time. Only recently, comics and movies introduced an idea of a gorgeous "warrior princess". Took us several centuries to begin dealing with the "kinder, kirchen, kuchen" idea where women belong and with Freudian mumbo-jumbo.
Way to go, girls!

[mmontoro]

page 62



page 63

[ariel]

Yup, that's the one
The one above is frightening: lovely girl with a dreamy expression , carrying severed head with such nonchalance.....

[katana]

Found some more images ...both dated circa 19 c........the bladed weapon at her waist (first image) ...has anyone any pictures of this type of weapon? Or can it be ID, thankyou.

Ah, Ariel..... the decapitating of prisoners was very common.....almost a right of conquest / status. I get the impression that Chanel handbags were fairly scarce ....so to 'accessorise' ......heads were the next best thing

(Sorry.....another sexist remark....but I am only joking.....I truely have the upmost respect for any warrior....male or female)

[Tim Simmons]

Some high level diplomacy no doubt.