The Mahi are a people of
Benin
Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...
. They live north of
Abomey, from the Togo border on the west to the
Zou River on the east, and south to
Cové between the Zou and
Ouemé rivers, north of the
Dassa hills.
The Mahi identity was formed in the 16th century as a result of the expansionism of the
Kingdom of Dahomy. Small clans of different cultures who lived in the corridor between
Ouemé river and Dassa hills, unified to resist attacks from Dahomy, and the Mahi people were formed.
The Mahi established their own kingdom, Fitta, toward the end of the 18th century, and were a target of the slave trade before French colonization at the end of the 19th century. Because of the slave-trade to the Americas, Mahi influence can be found in
Afro-Brazilian
Afro-Brazilians (; ), also known as Black Brazilians (), are Brazilians of total or predominantly Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Most multiracial Brazilians also have a range of degree of African ancestry. Brazilians whose African features are mo ...
religions.
See also
*
Rulers of the Mahi state of Fitta
*
Rulers of the Mahi state of Savalu
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Ethnic groups in Benin
{{Africa-ethno-group-stub