BLACK HISTORY SPOTLIGHT: VICTORIA MONTOU-THE DAHOMEY AFRICAN WARRIOR WHO BECAME A SLAVE, WHO BECAME A HAITIAN REVOLUTION COMMANDER,  WHO BECAME A DUCHESS OF HAITI

By: Leon Kwasi Kuntuo-Asare

ORIGINS

Abdaraya Toya “Victoria Montou” was born in the West African Kingdom of Dahomey (in Modern-day Benin) around 1739. She was a warrior there, before she was eventually captured and sold into involuntary servitude on the French slave colony of Saint-Domingue (which would later be renamed Haiti after independence ).

LIFE AS A SLAVE AND A SECRET REBEL

Montuo worked as a slave on the Henry Duclos estate, alongside fellow Haitian revolutionary freedom fighter and eventual first emperor of Haiti,  Jean-Jacques Dessalines. Montuo and Dessalines would become close friends, and would bond over their hatred of slavery and their hopes of freeing their people of the barbaric chains of colonial bondage. Dessalines became so fond of Montuo, that he referred to her as his aunt (even though they were only related spiritually, not biologically). It is believed that besides being a great warrior,  Montuo was also a talented healer and midwife. Before the secret meeting at Bois Caiman (where the first insurrection of the Haitian Revolution was planned, Montuo was already organizing and engaging in some smaller scale rebellious activities against the colonial powers.

REVOLUTIONARY AND DUCHESS OF HAITI

During the Haitian revolution, Montuo fought bravely as a soldier on the front lines and  is believed to have also commanded soldiers on the battlefield.  At one of her latter battles, her battalion was overwhelmed by French forces and she was taken captive.  After the Haitian revolution ended in 1804, and Dessalines became the first emperor of the small island nation, he awarded Montuo the regal title of Duchess. After she died, she was given a state funeral with a  procession that included eight sergeants and the Haitian Empress, Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité (who wore a black dress) and was accompanied by two non-commisoned officers who led the convoy.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND SOURCES USE LINKS BELOW:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Montou

https://haitiantimes.com/2022/11/29/tante-toya-haitis-own-woman-king-who-trained-dessalines/

https://guides.loc.gov/women-in-the-french-revolution/women-haitian-revolution

https://mronline.org/2022/01/10/women-in-the-haitian-revolution/

https://haitianstudies.ku.edu/sites/haitianstudies/files/files/HNRS-190_6.pdf

https://quixote.org/posts/the-power-of-one