Anthology of Ancient Heroines Part 3
Dandara
Who was she and what did she accomplish?
Disclaimer: This is a dramatization of a true story.
The year is 1678 and it is a beautiful, sunny day in a secluded mountain village in Brazil. The village is made up of a free community of people who have escaped slavery and persecution from the plantations in the valley below them. "Dandara, Dandara, are you there?"
"Hello husband," Dandara smiled as they gave each other a warm embrace. The genuine love was undeniable.
He looked at her very concerned and said, "My uncle has signed an agreement with the government. Our land is free, but we must return any slaves who were not born free back to the Portuguese government."
"That's not freedom. That's being complicit. I will never agree to this. Your uncle was wrong to sign this agreement."
There was a substantial garden of corn, cassava, beans, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, and bananas just outside the dwelling. Dandara had harvested what was in season and was putting the final touches on a very impressive meal for her family.
Dandara yelled out to her boys, "Motumbo, Harmodio, Aristogiton, it's time for dinner." The young children were outside pretending to be in a capoeira battle to the death. Dandara stepped out and observed the mischief.
"Harmodio, how are you ever going to beat your big brother with that stance. Here watch." All three children looked very worried but Motumbo gestured that he was ready. Dandara yelled out a battle cry, charged him, picked him up with one arm, began tickling him mercilessly with the other, and carried him into the house.
"My dear husband, Zumbi, what do you think? Do we have a set of future warriors on our hands. Zumbi smiled warmly. "Only if they listen to their mother. Boys, pay attention to everything your mom teaches you. It could save your life one day. Okay now let's eat!"
While the family ate, Zumbi looked visibly concerned. Dandara frowned and thought to herself, "Zumbi's uncle is a powerful but stupid man. He has kept this land safe for a long time, but he lacks the long term vision to see how his actions will ultimately usher all of the people in this safe haven back into slavery. I must urge Zumbi to show his uncle the error of his ways and cut ties with his uncle if he refuses to listen to reason." The children could also sense their parents' concern. The whole family ate quietly that night. Dandara knew she would have to return to battle and fight the Portuguese government in order to try to save her city. She remembered times in the past where she and her husband would attack local plantations to free the slaves, killing anyone that got in their way. She was an honored equal among her peers, fighting just as fiercely as the men if not more so. Her city had grown to 25,000 people on that mountain top. It was never enough though. Millions of slaves had been brought to Brazil and she knew millions more would continue to arrive as long as the Portuguese continued to view her people as nothing but free labor that must be controlled and beaten into submission if disobedient. She was grateful for her freedom and would fight every chance she had to bring that freedom to others.
Little did Dandara know that 16 years for this very moment she would make her final choice for freedom. Her peaceful village that she had worked so hard to nurture and grow would be under siege. She made the difficult decision to end her life to avoid being captured and returned to slavery. On February 6, 1694, she and many other people of her community threw themselves from the highest quarry. Their lives ended that day but their spirit lives on forever. In the words of New-Griot, "Dandara lived, fought and died for the right to be free."
Special Thanks:
https://www.afroriowalkingtour.com/exhibits/show/afro-brazilian-women/dandara-dos-palmares
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandara
Why am I doing this?
I am starting an anthology to remember women that time has forgotten because their stories are noteworthy and it is to our detriment that we do not talk about them anymore. These women are a strong reminder of what is possible simply because they are real people who have already accomplished the unthinkable. If you liked this, stay tuned for more stories about ancient heroines.
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Anthology of Ancient Heroines
Who was she? With the relatively recent discovery of oracle bones, we know quite a bit about Fu Hao’s life. So what are oracle bones? Royalty would pose a question to the ancestors and deities during a divination ceremony. A high priestess, such as Fu Hao, or the king would inscribe the question on a tortoise shell. Then the bone would be baked in a fire until it cracked. The high priestess would interpret the cracks as a way to answer the question. Three thousand years later, 19th century farmers would find many of these bones buried together and the people referred to them as dragon’s bones. They were thought to have healing powers. So much so, that people would grind them into powder and consume them as a remedy for malaria. It wasn’t until around the Boxer Rebellion in 1899 when a famous scholar, Wang Yirang, had been prescribed dragon’s bone and recognized the inscriptions on the bones. Suffice to say, many questions posed by royalty of the Shang Dynasty to their ancestors and deities were unfortunately later consumed and lost forever. To date, Around 5000 unique characters have been discovered on the bones that still remain, but only one third have been deciphered. These bones offer a rare glimpse into the day to day tasks, concerns, and beliefs of royalty at the time of the Shang Dynasty.
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