Victoria "Abdaraya Toya" Montou (Circa 1739–1805) was a Dahomey warrior and freedom fighter in the army of Jean-Jacques Dessalines during the Haitian Revolution. Before the Revolution she and Dessalines had been enslaved on the same estate, and the two remained close throughout her life, with Dessalines calling her his aunt. Early life Montou is believed to have been born in the Kingdom of Dahomey, in present-day Benin. Some sources indicate that she was a soldier there. It is unclear precisely when she was abducted and enslaved, or when she arrived in Haiti. Before the revolution, Montou worked alongside Dessalines as a slave on the estate of Henry Duclos. She was described as intelligent and energetic, and shared a close relationship with Dessalines and the same hatred toward slavery. Dessalines called her his aunt, which may have reflected their closeness as expressed within the traditions of African diasporic kinship, rather than a direct biological link. Montou was reportedly a skilled warrior, midwife and healer, who organised several rebellions before the momentous meeting at Bois Caiman in 1791. The Haitian Revolution During the slave rebellion and civil war, she fought as a soldier in active service; on at least one documented occasion, she commanded soldiers in action during battle. During the revolt, at the head of about fifty slaves was Toya, with a faulx in her hand, a hoe on one shoulder and an indigo knife hanging from the belt of her camisole. On Toya's command, one part is sent to deforestation, another to plowing, others to harvest and put in large baskets of cereals. She had a strong voice, her commands were identical to those of a general. A small number of rebels, under the command of Toya, was quickly surrounded and taken prisoner by the regiment. During the struggle, Toya runs away pursued by two soldiers; a clinch took place between them and Toya; one of them was seriously injured by Toya and the other, helped by a few other soldiers who arrived in time, Toya became a prisoner. Post-Revolution In 1804 Dessalines became Emperor of Haiti, and he gave Toya the title of Duchess. When Toya was dying, the emperor urged a French doctor to save her life, stating that she was his aunt who had shared his feelings since before the revolution. She was given a state funeral with a procession of eight sergeants and Empress Marie-Claire Heureuse