Hwanjile (r. 1740–1774) was a high priest and ''kpojito'' ("reign mate") of the African

Kingdom of Dahomey The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. Dahomey developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a region ...

, in what is now

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

Life

Hwanjile was an Aja woman from the village of Home in an area west of

Abomey Abomey is the capital of the Zou Department of Benin. The commune of Abomey covers an area of 142 square kilometres and, as of 2012, had a population of 90,195 people. Abomey houses the Royal Palaces of Abomey, a collection of small traditional ...

, in the southern portion of modern-day Benin. She was reportedly already an adult with two children when she was brought, either as a war captive or trader, to the palace of Abomey. Hwanjile was married to the king

Agaja Agaja (also spelled Agadja and also known as Trudo Agaja or Trudo Audati) was a king of the Kingdom of Dahomey, in present-day Benin, who ruled from 1718 until 1740. He came to the throne after his brother King Akaba. During his reign, Dahomey ex ...

before she was appointed to the position of ''

kpojito The ''kpojito'' was the queen mother and consort of the pre-colonial African kingdom of Dahomey (modern-day Benin, West Africa). History Beginning in the early eighteenth century, the ''kpojito'' was a wife of the king's father, often born of co ...

'' ("Mother of the Leopard") by Tegbesu, the fourth king of Dahomey. Her kin included the powerful Adanle, Hodonour, and Kossou-Naeton families of merchants in the town of

Ouidah Ouidah () or Whydah (; ''Ouidah'', ''Juida'', and ''Juda'' by the French; ''Ajudá'' by the Portuguese; and ''Fida'' by the Dutch) and known locally as Glexwe, formerly the chief port of the Kingdom of Whydah, is a city on the coast of the Repub ...

Political and religious involvement

The oral histories which are our chief source of information about eighteenth-century Dahomey do not explain why Hwanjile allied herself with Tegbesu, but they do state that Hwanjile played a pivotal role in Tegbesu's accession to the throne, displacing his older brother. As a result of this assistance, Tegbesu named Hwanjile ''kpojito'', a position which made her the richest and most powerful woman in the kingdom. This term is often translated as "queen mother" in English, though this is not entirely accurate. To be ''kpojito'' was to be a female "reign mate" of a king through an either literal or symbolic mother-son relationship, representative of a balancing of royal power, and to possess the authority to resolve religious disputes. Hwanjile solidified her and Tegbesu's rule through manipulation of religious beliefs, particularly those centered on the Dahomean ''vodun'' or gods. She imported two creator gods, Mawu and Lisa, from Aja and proclaimed them the rulers of the Dahomean pantheon. Hwanjile established a home for them directly outside the royal palace, where she served as their powerful high priest. She also encouraged the use of ''fa'' divination.

Legacy

Due to the key role which she played in creating a strong, centralised kingdom in less than a generation, Hwanjile is considered one of the most important figures in the history of Dahomey, and indeed of modern-day Benin. Following Hwanjile's death, she was replaced by a direct descendant who took on her name and her functions. This system of perpetual succession still continues, and successive Hwanjile have continued to be politically powerful. In addition, a number of the gods introduced by Hwanjile are worshipped today in Benin.

References

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Life

Political and religious involvement

Legacy

References

Further reading