These are photographs of the Agojie - often called Dahomey Amazons by Europeans.
The Agojie were regiments of soldiers who served in the army of Dahomey (now Benin) in West Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. Numbering around 8000 at their height in the 1840, they were renowned for their fearlessness in battle, and considered the backbone of the Dahomean army.
They were all assigned female at birth, but expressed their gender in a variety of ways. Some renounced womanhood, and identified themselves as men. At other times, the group embraced womanhood in their war songs, comparing themselves to lionesses, and linking womanhood to their superiority over male regiments.
Check out our podcast on the Agojie to learn more!
