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Description
"My ancestors were no slaves, but kings. I am the heir to Sundiata Keita, the Lion King of Mali, the first Mansa. And now, I'll show you my true power!"

Not all Amazons of African descent had their ancestry tied to the Atlantic Slave Trade. The first Africans that arrived to Themyscira came centuries earlier, bringing with them a new religion: Islam.

As early as 889 CE, the first Muslims to arrive to Themyscira were from the Emirate of Cordoba, in Muslim occupied Spain. Led by a navigator from Cordoba named Khashkhash Ibn Sayid Ibn al-Aswad, these Muslims were largely Berbers from North Africa. When the Amazons first encountered Khashkhash, they thought he was a gifted sailor and mariner, but they were astonished to learn that, like many other Muslims, he was also a poet and even an artist! The cultural achievements of the Muslims enthralled the Amazons, and made the rest of Christian Europe seem barbaric by comparison. Although this first wave largely resulted in Berber and Arab emigration to Themyscira, another wave of Africans came five centuries later...

In 1311, the Mali Empire was at the height of its power. The Mandinka peoples who founded and ruled this great Sahelian empire were in direct trade with the cities in Tripolitania and Morocco, and led a successful military campaign into modern Senegal. With trade booming, they financed an exploratory expedition into the Atlantic, which returned with tales of a great river flowing through the ocean. Seeing an opportunity for wealth and adventure, Mansa Abubakari Keita II, the ruler of Mali, assembled a fleet of 2,000 ships and prepared to find and settle what new lands this current would sweep him to. He left his regent, the future Mansa Musa, in charge of the empire and set sail.

In both the 9th and 14th centuries, crossing the Atlantic was something that only the bravest would dare, and was not without hazards. Halfway across the sea, the Mansa's fleet was battered by violent storms. More than half the ships sank, but the Mansa managed to regroup and push ahead with 10 damaged ships, and made landfall in Themyscira. With the newcomers' vessels too damaged to return across the Atlantic, the Amazons offered Abubakari Kieta II and the other survivors the opportunity to settle anew in one of Themyscira's islands, which they happily accepted. This act not only resulted in direct trade with Themyscira and the Mali Empire, but it also put the Amazons in contact with Africanized Islam, which was more tolerant of their religious, cultural and societal norms, than the versions practiced in the Middle East.

Initial conversions were likely pragmatic, as common religion greased the wheels of trade, and this new religion had intriguing things to offer: Arabic writing, new architectural styles, new advances in subject such as philosophy, science, mathematics and astronomy, and above all - paper, which was so much more convenient than amate. It was these same tools of linguistic and cultural power, as well as the sweetener of greater diplomatic and trade links with Islamic kingdoms in West Africa that convinced Queen Hippodameia I to bestow, essentially, full rights to Muslims in Themyscira.

By 1352, a thriving series of Muslim cities emerged in Themyscira, such as Modiolo, Bamari and Somagouni, which was modeled and inspired by the cities of Niani, Koumbi Saleh and Timbuktu, ruled by Abubakari Keita II's descentants - the heirs of Sundiata - and visited by the most prominent Muslim scholar of the 14th century: Ibn Battuta. Though the work he wrote is now lost to history, based on fragments recovered by the Amazons, it seems that while he found similarities to the culture shock he had while in Mali, Ibn Battuta described Somagouni as a city in transition - one with mosques and Friday prayers, but where Islam is the religion of merchants and scholars - people with socioeconomic and cultural ties to West Africa - the westernmost city ruled by Muslims. Merchants from Timbuktu came trading gold from the Caribbean with salt, exotic animals and spices from North and West Africa. And the Mandinka settlers brought with them military tactics and customs that originated in the Mali Empire, especially the Farari: the elite cavalry that was defined as Sundiata's legacy. However, that was not all they brought with them to Themyscira. They also brought with them scholarship, creating an astonishing record of intellectual achievements on par with the Italian Renaissance. With their renowned universities and extensive libraries, the Malian style cities of Themyscira are, to this day, centers of learning, scientific discovery, and religious tolerance between Hellenist and Muslim alike. And the intermarriages between Amazon and Mandinka resulted in a subculture of Amazons that were as intelligent and religiously tolerant as their African fathers, while also inheriting the courage and strength of their mothers, and a deep appreciation for both their parents' cultures.

By the Age of Discovery, when Amazon fleets began liberating African slaves from European sugar plantations, some of those slaves liberated were themselves Mandinkas, and were thus right at home in the cities that were reminders of the great Mali Empire that their ancestors established centuries ago, now symbols of how great the Mandinka people, and Mali, were remembered in Themyscira. It was into this unique subculture of Themyscira that gave birth to Yasmin Keita, the lion princess of Somagouni. As the daughter of the farba of Somagouni, Yasmin was exposed to a plethora of different languages and cultures. Though a devout Muslim, she also worshipped the Olympian Gods, and felt a sense of pride because of the fact that Queen Hippolyta II's wife and consort, Philippis, was also of African descent. The "King of Themyscira" became a role model for Yasmin and her two sisters, Aminata and Imani. As the three of them were all born into nobility, it meant they also were in regular contact with princesses Diana, Maiôsara and Donna, studying alongside the elder of the three, and even sparring with them each in mock combat.

As she and her sisters came of age, Yasmin joined the Royal Court and she and her sisters were well liked in Amazoniapolis. Witty, well educated, and beautiful, she was among those who saw Steve Trevor's plane soaring over Amazoniapolis before it crashed into the Numicus River, and Yasmin also competed in the tournament that saw Diana and Maiôsara escort him back to America. While she was disappointed by her elimination from the final round, Yasmin still knew she could take action. So, she and her sisters all decided to act as a three-woman team that Diana could easily rely on, with Yasmin herself taking on a codename befitting of her ancestor's legacy: Farariya.

Phew! This one really took a long time to draw, as I have a lot going on with my life personally, so I was stressed and had to redraw her after screwing up the first one while coloring. Plus I did a lot of extensive research into West African arms and armor, which was incredibly lengthy and somewhat difficult. Anyway, this charater was another one introduced in Odyssey of the Amazons, just like Rajya and Wakumi, but in the comics, she was hinted as to being Persian, given how she mentioned Eranshahr, which was one of the names for the Sassanid Empire - the incarnation of the Persian Empire that lasted from the 3rd century to the 7th century. Now, you may be wondering, why did I make Yasmin African when in the comics she is Persian? The reason I went through with this is because, in my next History of the Amazons chapter, the Persians have been enemies of the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall ever since their conquest of Egypt in 525 BCE under Cambyses II. As for the backstory elements as to how Islam got to Themyscira, those are actually documented by Islamic scholars of the respective time periods. I also am reading The Travels of Ibn Battuta, which helped out a lot for planning out the culture of the three major Malian cities in Themyscira.

This brings us to the point I'd love to discuss: Islam and the Amazons. Like with the Mali Empire, Themyscira has only been partially converted. As stated in the backstory via Ibn Battuta's lost account, Islam is the religion of merchants and scholars: people with socioeconomic and cultural ties to North and West Africa, but the majority of Amazons are still Hellenists. Furthermore, many tenants of Islam are incompatible with Amazon society, so most Muslims ignore them. The farbas, or governors of Modiolo, Bamari and Somagouni have to walk a fine line, fusing Islamic practices with both Mandinka and Amazon traditions in order to keep their society together. Yet there are also ways in which Muslims in Themyscira can have fun. For example, Muslim Amazons will even drink alcohol, arguing that the Qur'an forbids drinking wine and wheat beer, but not millet beer, lagers, sake, mead, cider and airag - fermented horse milk. Another example is that even the Islamic aristocracy in Themyscira don't abide by Muslim laws about gender relations. In Modiolo, Bamari and Somagouni, pious women go about unveiled, and have a high degree of autonomy, this is largely a result of intermarrying of Mandinka and Amazon customs about women's rights. Additionally, friendship between men and women among Muslim Amazons is considered good conduct, and engenders no suspicion, and young women, like the farba's daughters can be seen walking around topless in the gubernatorial palaces and traditional African festivals will include folk dances and masked performances. Nevertheless, Muslim Amazons are also extremely pious. The people observe proper times of prayer, keep scrupulously clean for Friday services at the mosques, and insist that Muslim children memorize the Qur'an. Due to its geographic separation from the Muslim world, Themyscira had assimilated Islam rather than been absorbed by it, thereby creating a religiously tolerant, pluralistic society. It is a proud Amazon nation with its own cultural identity, and the Amazons weren't just going to abandon their ancient Greco-Roman culture and traditions behind to adopt this new religion.

Now, for Yasmin's armor, I was inspired by both Nubia's new look in Immortal Wonder Woman, as well as from a traditional African steel cuirass that was commonly worn by nobility of the Bornu Empire, but was likely also used in both the Mali and Songhai Empires as well. Other influences came from both Roman lorica segmentata as well as Medieval brigandine armor. The reason as to why it's gold is a reference to the Mali Empire's most famous ruler, Mansa Musa: the richest man in history (Fun fact: Jeff Bezos has like a fraction of the wealth Mansa Musa possessed). The sword she's wielding is a type of African sword known as a takouba, and is commonly wielded by peoples in Northern and West Africa, such as the Tuareg, and even the Mandinkas. It should be noted that the blade does resemble that of a late Medieval European arming sword, which also tapers to a point, and some of the blades for these swords were actually forged in Europe. However, Yasmin's sword was, of course, forged in Themyscira. Yasmin and her sisters all speak Mandinka, Greek, Latin, English, French, Spanish and Arabic. She is well learned, having received a great education at the University of Somagouni, and is just as much a Renaissance Woman as she is a warrior. And she also is a great musician as well. In West Africa, musicians known as griots celebrate the region's deeply rooted musical traditions, creating a sound so soul-stirring that it transcends the boundaries of time, and this tradition was brought to Themyscira as well. Yasmin's favorite instrument to play is the balaphon, and hers' is the one that was used by the Sosso sorcerer, Somauro Kante, and taken by her ancestor - Sundiata Keita -the Mali Empire's founder, which granted him victory in battle over Somauro in 1235. As a result, her favorite tale is The Epic of Sundiata, a tale that reminds her and her sisters about who they are and where they came from, and a source of great familial pride.

Disclaimer: Farariya belongs to DC Comics, Kevin Grevioux & Ryan Benjamin.

Description
"My ancestors were no slaves, but kings. I am the heir to Sundiata Keita, the Lion King of Mali, the first Mansa. And now, I'll show you my true power!"

Not all Amazons of African descent had their ancestry tied to the Atlantic Slave Trade. The first Africans that arrived to Themyscira came centuries earlier, bringing with them a new religion: Islam.

As early as 889 CE, the first Muslims to arrive to Themyscira were from the Emirate of Cordoba, in Muslim occupied Spain. Led by a navigator from Cordoba named Khashkhash Ibn Sayid Ibn al-Aswad, these Muslims were largely Berbers from North Africa. When the Amazons first encountered Khashkhash, they thought he was a gifted sailor and mariner, but they were astonished to learn that, like many other Muslims, he was also a poet and even an artist! The cultural achievements of the Muslims enthralled the Amazons, and made the rest of Christian Europe seem barbaric by comparison. Although this first wave largely resulted in Berber and Arab emigration to Themyscira, another wave of Africans came five centuries later...

In 1311, the Mali Empire was at the height of its power. The Mandinka peoples who founded and ruled this great Sahelian empire were in direct trade with the cities in Tripolitania and Morocco, and led a successful military campaign into modern Senegal. With trade booming, they financed an exploratory expedition into the Atlantic, which returned with tales of a great river flowing through the ocean. Seeing an opportunity for wealth and adventure, Mansa Abubakari Keita II, the ruler of Mali, assembled a fleet of 2,000 ships and prepared to find and settle what new lands this current would sweep him to. He left his regent, the future Mansa Musa, in charge of the empire and set sail.

In both the 9th and 14th centuries, crossing the Atlantic was something that only the bravest would dare, and was not without hazards. Halfway across the sea, the Mansa's fleet was battered by violent storms. More than half the ships sank, but the Mansa managed to regroup and push ahead with 10 damaged ships, and made landfall in Themyscira. With the newcomers' vessels too damaged to return across the Atlantic, the Amazons offered Abubakari Kieta II and the other survivors the opportunity to settle anew in one of Themyscira's islands, which they happily accepted. This act not only resulted in direct trade with Themyscira and the Mali Empire, but it also put the Amazons in contact with Africanized Islam, which was more tolerant of their religious, cultural and societal norms, than the versions practiced in the Middle East.

Initial conversions were likely pragmatic, as common religion greased the wheels of trade, and this new religion had intriguing things to offer: Arabic writing, new architectural styles, new advances in subject such as philosophy, science, mathematics and astronomy, and above all - paper, which was so much more convenient than amate. It was these same tools of linguistic and cultural power, as well as the sweetener of greater diplomatic and trade links with Islamic kingdoms in West Africa that convinced Queen Hippodameia I to bestow, essentially, full rights to Muslims in Themyscira.

By 1352, a thriving series of Muslim cities emerged in Themyscira, such as Modiolo, Bamari and Somagouni, which was modeled and inspired by the cities of Niani, Koumbi Saleh and Timbuktu, ruled by Abubakari Keita II's descentants - the heirs of Sundiata - and visited by the most prominent Muslim scholar of the 14th century: Ibn Battuta. Though the work he wrote is now lost to history, based on fragments recovered by the Amazons, it seems that while he found similarities to the culture shock he had while in Mali, Ibn Battuta described Somagouni as a city in transition - one with mosques and Friday prayers, but where Islam is the religion of merchants and scholars - people with socioeconomic and cultural ties to West Africa - the westernmost city ruled by Muslims. Merchants from Timbuktu came trading gold from the Caribbean with salt, exotic animals and spices from North and West Africa. And the Mandinka settlers brought with them military tactics and customs that originated in the Mali Empire, especially the Farari: the elite cavalry that was defined as Sundiata's legacy. However, that was not all they brought with them to Themyscira. They also brought with them scholarship, creating an astonishing record of intellectual achievements on par with the Italian Renaissance. With their renowned universities and extensive libraries, the Malian style cities of Themyscira are, to this day, centers of learning, scientific discovery, and religious tolerance between Hellenist and Muslim alike. And the intermarriages between Amazon and Mandinka resulted in a subculture of Amazons that were as intelligent and religiously tolerant as their African fathers, while also inheriting the courage and strength of their mothers, and a deep appreciation for both their parents' cultures.

By the Age of Discovery, when Amazon fleets began liberating African slaves from European sugar plantations, some of those slaves liberated were themselves Mandinkas, and were thus right at home in the cities that were reminders of the great Mali Empire that their ancestors established centuries ago, now symbols of how great the Mandinka people, and Mali, were remembered in Themyscira. It was into this unique subculture of Themyscira that gave birth to Yasmin Keita, the lion princess of Somagouni. As the daughter of the farba of Somagouni, Yasmin was exposed to a plethora of different languages and cultures. Though a devout Muslim, she also worshipped the Olympian Gods, and felt a sense of pride because of the fact that Queen Hippolyta II's wife and consort, Philippis, was also of African descent. The "King of Themyscira" became a role model for Yasmin and her two sisters, Aminata and Imani. As the three of them were all born into nobility, it meant they also were in regular contact with princesses Diana, Maiôsara and Donna, studying alongside the elder of the three, and even sparring with them each in mock combat.

As she and her sisters came of age, Yasmin joined the Royal Court and she and her sisters were well liked in Amazoniapolis. Witty, well educated, and beautiful, she was among those who saw Steve Trevor's plane soaring over Amazoniapolis before it crashed into the Numicus River, and Yasmin also competed in the tournament that saw Diana and Maiôsara escort him back to America. While she was disappointed by her elimination from the final round, Yasmin still knew she could take action. So, she and her sisters all decided to act as a three-woman team that Diana could easily rely on, with Yasmin herself taking on a codename befitting of her ancestor's legacy: Farariya.

Phew! This one really took a long time to draw, as I have a lot going on with my life personally, so I was stressed and had to redraw her after screwing up the first one while coloring. Plus I did a lot of extensive research into West African arms and armor, which was incredibly lengthy and somewhat difficult. Anyway, this charater was another one introduced in Odyssey of the Amazons, just like Rajya and Wakumi, but in the comics, she was hinted as to being Persian, given how she mentioned Eranshahr, which was one of the names for the Sassanid Empire - the incarnation of the Persian Empire that lasted from the 3rd century to the 7th century. Now, you may be wondering, why did I make Yasmin African when in the comics she is Persian? The reason I went through with this is because, in my next History of the Amazons chapter, the Persians have been enemies of the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall ever since their conquest of Egypt in 525 BCE under Cambyses II. As for the backstory elements as to how Islam got to Themyscira, those are actually documented by Islamic scholars of the respective time periods. I also am reading The Travels of Ibn Battuta, which helped out a lot for planning out the culture of the three major Malian cities in Themyscira.

This brings us to the point I'd love to discuss: Islam and the Amazons. Like with the Mali Empire, Themyscira has only been partially converted. As stated in the backstory via Ibn Battuta's lost account, Islam is the religion of merchants and scholars: people with socioeconomic and cultural ties to North and West Africa, but the majority of Amazons are still Hellenists. Furthermore, many tenants of Islam are incompatible with Amazon society, so most Muslims ignore them. The farbas, or governors of Modiolo, Bamari and Somagouni have to walk a fine line, fusing Islamic practices with both Mandinka and Amazon traditions in order to keep their society together. Yet there are also ways in which Muslims in Themyscira can have fun. For example, Muslim Amazons will even drink alcohol, arguing that the Qur'an forbids drinking wine and wheat beer, but not millet beer, lagers, sake, mead, cider and airag - fermented horse milk. Another example is that even the Islamic aristocracy in Themyscira don't abide by Muslim laws about gender relations. In Modiolo, Bamari and Somagouni, pious women go about unveiled, and have a high degree of autonomy, this is largely a result of intermarrying of Mandinka and Amazon customs about women's rights. Additionally, friendship between men and women among Muslim Amazons is considered good conduct, and engenders no suspicion, and young women, like the farba's daughters can be seen walking around topless in the gubernatorial palaces and traditional African festivals will include folk dances and masked performances. Nevertheless, Muslim Amazons are also extremely pious. The people observe proper times of prayer, keep scrupulously clean for Friday services at the mosques, and insist that Muslim children memorize the Qur'an. Due to its geographic separation from the Muslim world, Themyscira had assimilated Islam rather than been absorbed by it, thereby creating a religiously tolerant, pluralistic society. It is a proud Amazon nation with its own cultural identity, and the Amazons weren't just going to abandon their ancient Greco-Roman culture and traditions behind to adopt this new religion.

Now, for Yasmin's armor, I was inspired by both Nubia's new look in Immortal Wonder Woman, as well as from a traditional African steel cuirass that was commonly worn by nobility of the Bornu Empire, but was likely also used in both the Mali and Songhai Empires as well. Other influences came from both Roman lorica segmentata as well as Medieval brigandine armor. The reason as to why it's gold is a reference to the Mali Empire's most famous ruler, Mansa Musa: the richest man in history (Fun fact: Jeff Bezos has like a fraction of the wealth Mansa Musa possessed). The sword she's wielding is a type of African sword known as a takouba, and is commonly wielded by peoples in Northern and West Africa, such as the Tuareg, and even the Mandinkas. It should be noted that the blade does resemble that of a late Medieval European arming sword, which also tapers to a point, and some of the blades for these swords were actually forged in Europe. However, Yasmin's sword was, of course, forged in Themyscira. Yasmin and her sisters all speak Mandinka, Greek, Latin, English, French, Spanish and Arabic. She is well learned, having received a great education at the University of Somagouni, and is just as much a Renaissance Woman as she is a warrior. And she also is a great musician as well. In West Africa, musicians known as griots celebrate the region's deeply rooted musical traditions, creating a sound so soul-stirring that it transcends the boundaries of time, and this tradition was brought to Themyscira as well. Yasmin's favorite instrument to play is the balaphon, and hers' is the one that was used by the Sosso sorcerer, Somauro Kante, and taken by her ancestor - Sundiata Keita -the Mali Empire's founder, which granted him victory in battle over Somauro in 1235. As a result, her favorite tale is The Epic of Sundiata, a tale that reminds her and her sisters about who they are and where they came from, and a source of great familial pride.

Disclaimer: Farariya belongs to DC Comics, Kevin Grevioux & Ryan Benjamin.