SPEAKER_01: Before we get started, this episode contains brief descriptions of violence. Hello! From WonderMedia Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica. This month we're talking about folk heroes, women whose lives and stories took on mythic proportions. Today, we're talking about a queen who defied patriarchy at every step of her life. During her ruthless reign, she reversed traditional gender roles and brought prosperity to present-day Somalia. Please meet Queen Arawelo. Arawelo was born thousands of years ago on the northern tip of the Horn of Africa, where scrubby trees dotted the hills and plateaus rippled out to the horizon. Her father was the king, and patriarchy was the law of the land. He spent his day taking young girls' virginities and starting wars. His all-male council of elders spent days relaxing under the cool shade of frankincense trees. Women were not allowed to join. They had to do housework and bear children. Young Arawelo refused to play the roles expected of her. She demanded to receive the same education as boys and enjoyed boyish activities. When Arawelo was a child, the region endured a period of devastating droughts. The earth was so dry it cracked. Riverbeds were parched, and cattle were nowhere to be found. Determined to find food and water for her people, Arawelo organized a group of women to hunt and collect water. This work, typically reserved for men, helped save her community from famine and proved the women under Arawelo's command could sustain their kingdom. Arawelo is the oldest of three daughters. Without any sons, the king's successor was unclear. So when he passed away, Arawelo declared herself Somalia's next ruler. She sought to reverse the sexist reign of her father. The past few decades had been filled with famine and war. To Arawelo, this proved men were poor leaders. She believed women would be better diplomats. So she gave high political positions to women and encouraged others to take on work outside the household. The men in the community, including her own husband, didn't like this. They attempted to fight back, but their dissidents only intensified Arawelo's commitment to female leadership. She declared, a day without women. Ladies in the community stopped performing their usual work, leaving their homes unattended to prove to men just how crucial women were to functioning society. Now, Arawelo's story had been told time and time again. According to some versions of legend, Arawelo took her rule farther than offering equal job opportunities. Some say she terrorized men into submission. Some say she used to hang rapists from their testicles as punishment and taught wives to dole out their own punishment when their husbands misbehaved. Others say she castrated all men except for a select group she kept around for procreation. She may have even castrated her own husband. Even so, Arawelo did manage to get pregnant. When Arawelo's daughter gave birth to a child of her own, Arawelo was horrified to find out it was a boy. She believed he should be killed. He may have been a baby, but to Arawelo, he still held the sins of being male. Arawelo's daughter begged her to spare him. Wait until he can crawl, she said. Wait until he can speak. Arawelo did spare him, long enough that he became a teenager, and eventually, she appointed him to her security guard. This act of kindness would cost Arawelo her life. Encouraged by the men of the kingdom, her grandson stabbed Arawelo to death. The men of the region cried out in triumph. The matriarch was dead. Today, Arawelo's legacy is divisive. According to some stories, when men pass her grave, they throw stones. When women pass, they leave fresh flowers. Still, her story has been passed down for generations. It serves as a reminder of female strength and power, as the fight for women's rights across the globe persists to this day. All month, we're talking about folk heroes. For more information, check us out on Facebook and Instagram at Wamanica Podcast. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow!
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