ILLUSTRATES Icarus Yuji
To honor the ancestors, the turn of the year in the African tribe of the Dahometans ended with the ground soaked in blood.
The kingdom of Dahomey occupied the space of the current nation of Benin, between the 17th and 19th centuries. There, the passage of the year was welcomed with a huge party that lasted several days, full of food, drink… and a lot of blood. The celebration, known as Xwetanu, aimed to remember important battles and keep the memory of the ancestors alive.
Who commanded everything was the king, who exercised the functions of political, military and religious head – a true god on Earth. At a given moment, he chose the victims that would be sacrificed. They were usually prisoners of war, but the ritual brought up disputes between tribal leaders.
Those selected were forced to kneel and had their throats slit, in order to spurt out as much as possible. blood on the ground. Afterwards, they were decapitated and the bodies piled up. The party continued, with corpses piling up in front of the king’s tent, which he took the opportunity to calmly listen to the demands of the leaders of each tribe.
THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF THE COVER STORY HUMAN SACRIFICE. CHECK OUT THE OTHERS:
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CONSULTANCYWalter Burkert, Professor of Classical Antiquity at the University of Zurich, Patricia Smith, Anthropologist at the Hebrew University, Miranda Aldhouse-Green, Archaeologist and Professor at Cardiff University, Jonathan Tubb, Archaeologist at the British Museum, Jan Bremmer, Professor of Religious Science at the University of from Groningen
SOURCESBooksCity of Sacrificeby David CarrascoDying for the Godsby Miranda Green SuttonThe Highest Altarby Patrick Tierney, andJapanese Death Poemsby Yoel Hoffmann, and filmThe Straw Manby Robin Hardy