African Mythology: The Darassa and the Shift of Power
A Darassa origin myth recounts how women held sole dominion in the early days—as rulers, officials, and elite—while men performed domestic labor. The narrative traces the transfer of power to men through political conspiracy: a male rebel's wife kills him at the queen's command, then the reorganized men engineer the queen's death and eliminate her heir, establishing male rule as permanent law.
Staff · 17 October 2019
