A 16th-century account by the explorer Duarte Lopez tells of an Amazon-like legion of women renowned for its valor in what is now Zimbabwe. Reportedly, these women burned off their right breasts to improve their archery skills.
Their enemies quaked with fear in the face of the great courage and martial skill of these female warriors. These women occasionally formed brief liaisons with men in order to reproduce. A male child was sent to live with his father. A female child remained with the mother and was trained for war.
