In December 2007 I was awarded a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board to continue work on WOMEN WARRIORS. With this funding I created six new portraits and a series of portfolios with which to promote this project, seek funding, exhibitions and gallery representation.

If you have a suggestion for more WOMEN WARRIORS, or are a woman who would like to be considered for a future role, please contact me. To keep up with the latest updates, please visit my BLOG.

OPEN CALL
Nzinga Mbandi, Africa, c. 1583 - 1663 IMAGES Queen of the Ndongo and Matamba Kingdoms of the Mbundu people in southwestern Africa (Angola). She fought against Portuguese slave trade, and put women in positions of power.
Model notes: Nzinga took power around 1622 at approx. age 39, and reigned until she was 80, and will portray her anywhere between these ages.

While Hatshepsut led several war expeditions early in her reign, she eventually focused on commercial enterprises. Under her influence trade and public works flourished, and the twenty-odd years that she ruled are considered some of Egypt's most prosperous and peaceful. One of the grandest works commissioned was her mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahir. The main temple's perfectly symmetrical design exhibits significant architectural advances, predating the Parthenon by 1,000 years. This site eventually became the Valley of the Kings.

Hatshepsut's crowning achievement was the trade expedition she sent to Punt, a fabled site in the Horn of Africa. When her ships returned from the Red Sea coast their goods included spices, incense, live animals, and myrrh. The most significant treasure brought back to Egypt was live frankincense; the trees had been kept alive during the voyage by housing the root balls in baskets. This is considered one of the earliest attempts to transplant foreign trees.

Queen Hatshepsut was one of only five women who ruled Egypt as Pharaoh, and she is regarded as one of the most successful pharaohs of any era. After her death, Hatshepsut's successors attempted to erase her name from history by destroying her statues and removing her inscriptions from monuments. Despite scarce historical records, the recent rediscovery and DNA analysis of her mummy authenticate her life.

Boudicca was Queen of the Iceni Celts in what is today Norfolk, England. When her husband King Prasutagus died, Roman Emperor Nero sent his legions to claim the Iceni wealth and fully subjugate them to Roman rule. Boudicca protested the Roman actions, and for her efforts Boudicca was stripped bare and publicly whipped, and her two daughters raped.

Seeking revenge, Boudicca brought together other "free" Celtic tribes who had suffered under Roman rule. This unprecedented action was perhaps the only time in Britain's history that the small warring tribes united for a singular goal. With a force of 230,000 rebels, Boudicca and her army brought a storm of terror and destruction upon the Romans. At Camulodunum, the Roman capitol, they slaughtered everyone, and destroyed the Temple of Claudius. At Londinium, Rome's center of trade, they found the city abandoned by Governor Suetonius. They burned Londinium to the ground, killing all that stood against them. They did the same at Verulamium, and then set forth after Suetonius.

Boudicca and her army had killed an estimated 80,000 Romans. She realized that if Suetonius were destroyed, Britain would be freed from Roman rule. But Suetonius lured Boudicca into a trap. Caught between the advancing Roman phalanx and their own wagon train, the Britons were hopelessly slaughtered. While Rome suffered a casualty of only 400, Boudicca lost nearly half her army.

The final fate of Boudicca and her daughters is unknown, but the Queen is rumored to have ended her life by taking poison, rather than suffer Roman retribution.

Agnes Randolph was the wife of Patrick Dunbar, and descended from a long line of families active in the fight for Scottish independence from England. She was known as "Black Agnes" because of her dark hair and complexion.

In 1338 Dunbar Castle became the center of struggle against English occupation. Patrick Dunbar was in Northern Scotland, and the castle had been left with Agnes and a few men-at-arms. William Montacute, Earl of Salisbury, arrived at Dunbar Castle with 20,000 men. He thought taking the castle would be easy. Salisbury, a military genius, began his siege by hurling huge rocks at the Castle walls. When there was a break in the battle, he was stunned by what he saw. Agnes and her women, dressed in their finest clothes, issued out to the ramparts and began dusting away the debris with white handkerchiefs, mocking the English.

Salisbury tried every trick in the book to defeat Agnes, but was outsmarted every time. Agnes destroyed his battering ram, defeated his attempt to break into the castle, and foiled his plans to starve them out. In desperation Salisbury threatened to kill Agnes' brother, an English prisoner of war. Agnes cleverly pointed out that, should her brother die, she would become more wealthy and powerful.

After five long months of siege Salisbury admitted defeat and left Agnes to her castle. Agnes was commemorated in a ballad attributed to Salisbury and his troops, "Cam I early, cam I late, there was Agnes at the gate."

Grace O'Malley was born into a pirating family, and her father was chieftain of the O'Malley Clan. Legends purport that, as a young girl, Grace shaved off her long hair in order to join her father's expedition to Spain. From this she earned the nickname "Gráinne Mhaol," or "Grace of the Cropped Hair."

Over her life Grace married twice and bore four children. Her youngest son was born on ship during a raid. Through her two marriages Grace claimed the allegiance of three pirating clans, and the English remarked of her, "This is a notorious woman on all the coasts of Ireland."

In 1584 Sir Richard Bingham became English Governor in Ireland, and his personal vendetta was against Grace O'Malley. Over nine years the vicious battle tore her family apart. Grace appealed directly to Queen Elizabeth I for help, and in September 1593 Grace O'Malley entered her court. Their meeting was conducted in Latin, the only language the two women had in common. Grace was given a kerchief, which she tossed into the fire after using. Astounded, the Queen remarked that the kerchief could be washed for later reuse. Grace replied that the Irish apparently had higher standards of cleanliness. Queen Elizabeth was so impressed by the pirate that she allowed Grace to continue her career, and Bingham was removed from Ireland.

Grace continued to lead her pirate ships until she was too old to command. She lived to see the fall of her Gaelic world at the Battle of Kinsale, two years before her death in 1603. Queen Elizabeth died the same year. Grace had considered their meeting one of equals.

Jamaica was under British rule in the 17th century. Slaves often escaped into the island's interior, where they intermarried with island natives. Their descendants became known as Maroons. Nanny refused to be enslaved by the British, and she joined and eventually led the Windward Maroon colony.

While she never engaged in battle herself, Nanny was an expert strategist who implemented the use of camouflage and guerilla warfare to protect her people. The British considered her tactics brutal and uncompromising. Maroon warriors could communicate long-distance with an Abeng, or hollowed-out cow horn, and defeated the British soldiers on many occasions. Because they were unable to control the Maroons, the British believed Nanny had mystical powers. Her village, Nanny Town, was situated high on a cliff overlooking a raging river, and was accessible only by a narrow path. This treacherous ascent became known as "Nanny's Pot," and rumors spread that Nanny's magic would cause her enemies to fall in and drown. These rumors, combined with Nanny's elusiveness, solidified her as the spiritual leader of her people.

Nanny's death is as enigmatic as her life. She was supposedly killed in 1733, and Nanny Town was destroyed in 1734. A treaty signed by her brother Quao negotiated an uneasy peace with the British in 1739. But in 1740 a land patent was applied for under her name, and in 1741 the British awarded her a land grant. Nanny had skillfully negotiated autonomy for her people. She is the national heroine of Jamaica today.

During the Revolutionary War the British tried to employ the indigenous people against the settlers, but Nanye-hi strove to keep the peace between the Cherokee and white colonists. Her diplomatic efforts saved the settlement of Watauga several times, and Nanye-hi was able to spare the life of Mrs. William Bean. To thank Nanye-hi, Mrs. Bean taught her how to keep house, weave and raise cattle. Nanye-hi is credited with introducing these arts to the Cherokee.

Nanye-hi unwaveringly advised against the sale of Cherokee land to settlers, and helped negotiate many treaties. When she became too old to attend councils she would make her opinions known, and send her walking cane so that she was still able to cast a vote. In 1817, she decided in favor of the first constitutional enactment of the Cherokee.

The Hiawassee Purchase of 1819 forced Nanye-hi to leave Chota. She resettled at the Womankiller Ford on the Ocowee River, where she took care of orphans and owned an Inn. Despite her lifelong struggle, the Cherokee never saw the peace Nanye-hi wished for them. She died in 1822, thirteen years before the Trail of Tears. Upon her death her great-grandson observed a light rise from her body and fly toward Chota. Nanye-hi was the last true Beloved Woman.

Jemima Nicholas was the wife of a cobbler and lived in Fishguard, Wales. In 1797, during the Napoleonic Wars, France attempted to invade England through Ireland. The fleet was blown off course and landed on the coast near Fishguard. Under the command of Colonel William Tate the French soldiers began ransacking the villages. Lured by the food and wine they found many of the soldiers wound up drunk.

Fishguard's troops were out of town on a military campaign, and the local townsfolk were in a panic when Jemima Nicholas stepped forward. She rallied the women of the town together, instructing them to dress in their traditional Welsh outfits, which consisted of black felt hats and red shawls. They armed themselves with whatever crude weapons they could find and placed themselves on a ridge over-looking the French troops. The few men in Fishguard placed themselves on the city docks and walls. In the fading sunlight the French mistook what they saw as British redcoats coming to the aid of the Welsh townsfolk. The French surrendered within two days, but not before Jemima had single-handedly captured twelve of the assailants with nothing more than a pitchfork.

Jemima lived to be 82. A commemorative painting of her hangs in Fishguard's Royal Oak Inn, where she can watch over the place of Tate's final surrender.

Deborah was released from servitude when she turned eighteen. She wanted more adventure out of life than being a school marm, and decided to join the army. Disguised as a young man named Robert Shirtliff, Deborah enlisted in May 1782. During one of her first battles she received gunshot wounds, and in order to conceal her sex, Deborah extracted the musket balls herself. She fought in many battles until a doctor treating her for a fever discovered she was a woman. Despite this strike against her, "Robert Shurtliff" was honorably discharged from service in October 1783.

Returning to civilian life as a woman, Deborah married Benjamin Gannett and raised a family. Despite their hard work, Deborah and her husband were plagued by poverty. In 1792 Deborah petitioned the Massachusetts State Legislature for pay due her as a soldier, and they eventually awarded her 34 pounds. To earn more money Deborah collaborated on a highly sensationalized biography and lectured on her adventures. Paul Revere eventually petitioned Congress on her behalf, but it wasn't until 1816, after nearly fifteen years of struggle, that Deborah was finally awarded a full military pension.

Deborah died at her home in Sharon, Massachusetts, in 1827. She is the first known woman to impersonate a man in order to fight in an American war, and the first woman to receive a military pension. In 1983, Deborah became the state heroine of Massachusetts, the first time in US history any state has proclaimed such a title.

In 1810, when the Spanish rulers were overthrown, Policarpa's gregarious nature helped her to persuade many people to join the rebellion. Assisted by her younger brother, Bibiano, she gathered information and relayed it back to local rebel leaders. The siblings moved to Bogota in 1816 when Spain recaptured Colombia. Her humble job as seamstress allowed Policarpa to gain entry into many Spanish households, where she collected information to relay to the resistance leaders. La Pola's daring nature helped to build one of the most effective underground movements of the Revolution.

Policarpa's spying continued unsuspected until dispatches bearing her signature were discovered on a courier. She refused to name her accomplices, and was sentenced to death. As she was lead to her execution, Policarpa gave heart to the other prisoners and berated her captors. La Pola, refusing to kneel to the Spanish firing squad, yelled, "I have more than enough courage to suffer this death and a thousand more. Do not forget my example."

Policarpa's efforts helped to end the Spanish Reconquista, and today she is considered the most significant woman of the Colombian Revolution. A commemorative statue of Policarpa stands in Bogota, and November 14th, the day of her execution, has been proclaimed "Day of the Colombian Woman" in her honor.

Lakshmi Bai was the Rani, or queen, of Jhansi. When her husband died in 1853, he left his kingdom to Lakshmi and their adopted son. The British East India Company quickly annexed Jhansi, claiming she was an unfit ruler, and that adopted heirs were illegal. This act was a direct violation of Hindu law, and Lakshmi petitioned London directly. Realizing her claim would never be sanctioned, Lakshmi uttered her famous words, "Mera Jhansi Nahin Denge!"-- "I will not give up my Jhansi!"

Due to increasing insensitivity to Indian customs and religious beliefs, rebellion broke out among India's allied troops. By May 1857 war was in full swing. Lakshmi was blamed for the slaughter of British families fleeing Jhansi, and the Rani knew she would have to defend her city. Lakshmi raised an army of 14,000 soldiers, both men and women. When the British arrived in March 1858, they were surprised by the quality of her leadership. Lakshmi commanded from the ramparts, making herself visible to her followers and enemies alike.

When Jhansi fell, Lakshmi escaped to join the rebels. Together they seized the fort at Gwalior, and Lakshmi was presented with a fabulous pearl necklace liberated from the treasury. When the British attacked, Lakshmi was seen fighting on foot and horseback. On the second day of battle, Lakshmi was shot in the back. As she turned to defend herself she was run through with a sword. Legends proclaim that she distributed the pearls from her necklace to her loyal followers before dying.

Lakshmi's untimely death was mourned by both Indian and British leaders alike. One British general observed that the Rani was "the most dangerous of all the rebel leaders" due to her bravery and generosity. The Indian National Army named its first female unit after her, and Lakshmi is considered the epitome of female bravery in India today.