article
The path of the leopard: motherhood and majesty in early Danhomé
journal of African history • 36 (3) • Published In 1995 • Pages: 391-417
By: Blier, Suzanne Preston.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This article examines Danhomè (Dahomey) myths of dynastic origin, offering at once a critique and counter-narrative to the official dynastic history. Critical to this counter-narrative are the early women of the state, most importantly the mothers and wives of the first rulers. By reconstructing the provocative stories of these women, the author not only adds an important human dimension to Danhomè history but also raises important methodological issues in existing works on the origins of this kingdom.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Traditional history
- Historical reconstruction
- Cultural identity and pride
- Form and rules of government
- Chief executive
- Mythology
- Sacred objects and places
- Priesthood
- Organized ceremonial
- Status, role, and prestige
- History
- Acculturation and culture contact
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Fon
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2016
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Africa
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Western Africa
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator TypesThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Anthropologist
- Historian
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Teferi Abate Adem ; 2014
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1984-1986
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1720-1986
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Dahomey Kingdom (Benin since 1975)
- NotesAdditional notes
- By Suzanne Preston Blier
- Includes bibliographical references
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 63005723
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Fon (African people)