01x03 - The Blood Oath

[bunniefuu]

[tense music]

[narrator]
The wheel of history turns once more

in the Kingdom of Ndongo.

[instruments playing]

[upbeat traditional music playing]

Njinga's brother is dead.

Her ties to Kasa, the Imbangala warrior,

have been shattered,
their marriage annulled.

[echoing]
Njinga!

[narrator] The consequence of taking
a young, future king's life

on the day of their wedding.

[exhales sharply]

[narrator] A necessary deed,

to take power
and continue her ultimate plan...

to drive the Portuguese out of Ndongo,
once and for all.

[Nganga] All debts are paid.

You are queen now.

[soft dramatic music]

All hail Queen Njinga!

[crowd] Njinga!

[crowd chanting]
Njinga! Njinga!

Njinga! Njinga!

Njinga! Njinga!

Njinga! Njinga!

[ululating]

[crowd chanting]
Njinga! Njinga!

Njinga! Njinga!

[theme music]

[upbeat music]

[clucking]

[bleating]

The market looks different today.

These aren't just
our usual traders, sister.

[Kellie] Now at the age of 42,

Njinga is Queen.

She is ruler of all the land.

She is finally in charge
of the fate of her kingdom, Ndongo.

[upbeat music continues]

[Luke] In the Kingdom of Ndongo,

from the safety of her military base
in the Kindonga Islands,

Njinga is ruling with her sisters,
Kambu and Funji, by her side.

Many of these people have come
in response to your call.

[Kambu] Our spies say
that entire villages have responded,

emptying out
their most able-bodied to you.

[Kellie] Njinga is trying to grow her army

by reaching out to people and saying,

"Let me be your queen."

The presentation of herself
as a defiant ruler

was very appealing to people,

especially those who felt like
Portuguese enslavement, violence,

was really undermining
their communities at this time.

She's creating sanctuary
for people, not only hers,

but people of other tribes.

[tense music]

[Njinga] Who are they?

[Funji] They arrived this morning.

On their own?

[Kambu] Their families were slaughtered.

Portuguese raided their village.

Those they didn't k*ll,
they took with them to Luanda.

[sighs]

[Kambu]
They hid in the bushes for three days.

[tranquil music]

[Njinga] You're safe now.

[both chuckle softly]

[Njinga] A bloody death...

is too good for Governor Sousa.

We still don't have enough bodies
to crush Sousa.

- He's relentless.
- [Njinga] Yes.

Thank you, Funji. I know what he is like.
You do not need to remind me.

I was just saying he has men who are...

Human.

Not gods.

Though we may be small in number,
we can still hurt them.

How?

These people are mostly farmers,
fishermen, not soldiers.

Then surrender
if you have given up, Funji.

Njinga, be reasonable.

[Njinga] Reasonable nothing.

You may see civilians
and downtrodden people.

I see a homegrown army,
ready to defend their land.

Do not underestimate

what someone fighting for their family
is capable of.

Especially when they have
nothing left to lose.

[Kambu]
Don't take her frustration to heart.

She is speaking as the King...

with the weight of her people
on her shoulders,

not as our sister.

I know.

[Queen Diambi] She does not believe
that Portuguese sl*very is okay,

that her people can be taken c*ptive.

So she will use and deploy

every single means she has.

[Mary]
One of the things that Njinga realizes,

I think very savvily, is that

she needs the people
to contest what the Portuguese are doing.

[ancient horn blowing]

She sends out her messengers
to various provinces within Ndongo,

and she encourages people to rebel,

to join her against the Portuguese.

Enslaved people on Portuguese plantations

ran away en masse.

Enslaved soldiers,

part of the Portuguese
military presence there escape.

And in a move indicative
of her tactical brilliance,

Njinga blocks roads,

and this disrupts markets

in which Portuguese settlers
would buy sl*ves.

[Luke] Destroying these networks
stops the Portuguese

being able to march the enslaved
to Luanda, the Portuguese base,

where captives are either
siphoned into coastal plantations,

become sl*ve soldiers,
or are sent out of Africa

and into the transatlantic sl*ve trade.

[seagulls squawking]

[indistinct chatter]

[Luke] Back in Luanda,
the new governor Fernão de Sousa

is seething
at the catastrophic loss of profits.

[Cécile] The new governor is seeing

not only his army shrinking,

but his access
to the sl*ve trade dwindling

with the activities of Njinga.

[tense music]

[Luke] The Portuguese are furious.

This disruption really puts Njinga
on their radar.

He doesn't look pleased, sister.

Good.

If he's angry, he's not in control.

Mm.

[Queen Diambi] Although the Portuguese
have a superior military,

they still feel like
it would be best to negotiate

rather than go with force every time

because force will eventually
deplete them.

[exhales heavily]

Illustrious envoy
of his Excellency, Governor de Sousa.

You are most welcome.

I bring a message.
[clears throat]

I bring an order from the Governor.

Return his property immediately.

Property? What property?

sl*ves.

Portugal's sl*ves...

you know very well
what property I'm referring to,

since you and your... your...

[tense music]

Go on.

[clicks tongue]

Since you and your...

soldiers...

have disrupted every sl*ve market
from here to Luanda.

You have taken property
that does not belong to you.

Those sl*ves belong to the Governor.

Please...

tell the Governor I will be happy
to return his property, his...

[chuckles]

...sl*ves.

[astonished exhale]
Well, good.

I, I shall return at once and tell...

Only problem is...

I don't have any.

What?

I don't have any sl*ves.

What do you mean
you don't have any sl*ves?

- You can't have sold...
- I never had...

any sl*ves.

Look around.

Do you see any sl*ves here?

If you see any,

tell me.

And I will gladly return them
to the Governor.

[tense music continues]

Go on!

[Njinga] Do you see any sl*ves here?

Tell the Governor
there are no sl*ves here...

in my kingdom.

Kindly escort our guests
to the road safely.

[Njinga] It's almost dark.

We wouldn't want you getting lost.

Becoming somebody else's property.

Would we?

[suspenseful music]

We both know
that the Governor will not be pleased.

So be it.

[hisses]

[Kellie] This is the first time in decades

in which Ndongo has the upper hand
against the Portuguese,

in which Ndongo is a force
to be reckoned with.

[sighs]

[tense music]

[creaking]

[Mary] The Portuguese were terrified.

It's detrimental
to the Portuguese Empire as a whole.

It's not only about
their conquest of Ndongo.

It's really about
their colonial possessions in Brazil,

which at this time,

is one of the wealthiest colonies
in the world.

And they need enslaved laborers
to grow sugar, white gold,

one of the most lucrative commodities
that existed in the 17th century.

[Luke] But now, in what could really be
a huge blow for Portuguese sl*ve traders,

Njinga is not just winning over
enslaved people,

she's also bringing
the noble class called sobas, on side.

[Mary]
The Portuguese use political violence

in order to create alliances

and to make people afraid to cross them.

They relied on sobas, African allies,
to deliver enslaved people

and because of Njinga's resistance
to Portuguese rule,

sobas were increasingly denying
that tribute to the Portuguese.

[Capt. Cardoso]
We do not have any tributes.

The Soba continue to flock
to Njinga in droves.

At this rate,
we won't have any sl*ves to speak of.

By rights...

that savage...

should be in the bowels
of a sl*ve ship on her way to Salvador

along with her miserable compatriots,

that thieving wh*re!

Njinga has no idea what's coming for her.

We will unleash the wrath of Portugal
on that pagan female

until she has nowhere left to hide

on this miserable,
godforsaken corner of the earth!

Whatever it takes.

[exhales sharply]

[Cécile] Njinga is such a danger

to the prospect of the Portuguese
in the region

that they decided
to get rid, right, of the problem

that Njinga was, once and for all.

She's basically public enemy number one.

[Mary] This is the moment
that Governor Fernão de Sousa

gains authorization
from the Catholic Church

to launch
this "just holy w*r" against her.

[animals chittering]

Gentlemen, the forest is full of savages.

Our prize is near.

I want you coming in from the west...

and the rest of you,
following me from behind.

Today we take our prize, boys.

The Portuguese begin a bloody
military campaign against Njinga.

[Luke] Over a period of two months,
they eat into her territory

and eventually surround her stronghold
in the Kindonga Islands.

- [soldier 1 yells]
- [Njinga grunting]

- [soldier 2 screams]
- [grunts]

- [shrieks]
- [soldier 3 groans]

[strained grunt]

[breathing heavily]

[suspenseful music]

- [g*nsh*t]
- [gasps]

[tense music]

[g*nshots]

[soldiers screaming]

[Ndambi] They're overpowering us.

[pants]
Retreat!

Fall back to the bushes now!

[Kellie] The Portuguese are relentless.

She thinks she can outwait them
but she really can't.

[warriors clamoring]

[g*nshots]

The Portuguese firepower is
too much for Njinga.

She loses many of her warriors.

The threat for Njinga
and her people is annihilation,

you know, complete destruction.

[soldiers yelling]

[insects chirping]

[Luke] From a jungle hideout
in the Kindonga Islands,

Njinga knows the odds of winning
are stacked against her.

She must decide whether to stay and fight
or retreat and rebuild.

[Mwene Lumbo]
De Sousa has increased his armies.

There's even talk of a reward for...

[Njinga] Baskets of hands,

noses, and heads of my subjects.

And for you too, my Queen.

[Ndambi] This response of this magnitude

means that you are a formidable adversary.

Their actions are speaking louder
than their words.

And what are they saying?

That they're bloodthirsty,

greedy, cruel murderers?

They are saying that you are Queen.

Legitimate, powerful, loved.

[Nganga] Too dangerous to live.

Isn't that what you wanted?

For them to know
and acknowledge who you are?

Well...

you have your wish.

What I have...

is an army that is sick,

depleted, and exhausted.

[Njinga]
I know they will be loyal to the end.

But not like this.

Not when the Portuguese
can sniff our weakness.

What do the ancestors say? Hmm?

They can't have brought us
this far to fail.

[Olivette]
We know from historical records,

she needs to retreat,

but she can't do that without losing face.

So she decides to consult the ancestors

and in particular, her dead brother.

Ngola Mbande.

You see more than we do.

Further than we can.

Guide us.

[rattling]

[Njinga] What does it say?

[Nganga] Shh. Patience.

Your brother says you have to be alive
to fight, my daughter.

They say, "Live first,
and fight another day."

[sighs]

We can't stay here.

If more soldiers are coming,

and the ancestors have agreed...

that we should retreat...

then we need to leave tonight.

Under the cover of dark,
it's too dangerous to wait.

Wake them.

[Njinga inhales sharply]

The ancestors have spoken.

[Mary]
Njinga uses her spirituality strategically

to demonstrate to the people of Ndongo
known as Mbundu people

that ancestral knowledge and power

is informing her political
and strategic decisions.

[inhales deeply]

[animals screeching]

[calm music]

[Edson] Njinga and her entourage
flee and go on the run.

She makes the really difficult decision

to leave her beloved sisters behind
in the Kindongo Islands

at the w*r camp for their own safety.

[indistinct chatter]

[Edson] At this point, the Portuguese
are taking over large parts

of Njinga's kingdom, Ndongo.

In order to protect her people,

she has to turn to diplomacy.

Who does this savage think he is?

[Luke]
In 1626, Njinga sends her Mwene Lumbo,

the highest official
and highest diplomat to the Portuguese,

to try and affect a peace.

I thank you for the honor
of granting this audience.

With your permission,
permit me to introduce myself.

I am the Mwene Lumbo,

special envoy
of her most excellent majesty,

Queen Njinga of Ndongo.

[Luke] She sends her highest official

because this is an act of respect for her.

It's something that she hopes
will bring the Portuguese

to the negotiation table.

[Mwene Lumbo]
Queen Njinga sends her warmest salutations

to your Excellency.

She has instructed me to note

that she will reopen access to markets...

in return
for her rightful recognition as Queen.

We offer these tributes...

as a sign of goodwill from my queen.

With the promise of more,

should we reach
a mutually agreeable solution.

[tense music]

[Gov. Fernão] Please show our guest...

what a mutually agreeable solution
looks like.

[soldier grunts]

[soldiers grunting heavily]

[Luke] They imprison the Mwene Lumbo

and later execute him
in a public beheading.

But the Portuguese were not done yet.

The Portuguese will do anything

to ensure that she's not able
to carry on with her mission.

So they have to find what weakness

could erode Njinga's power from within.

[birds chirping]

My Queen.

[breathing heavily]

Speak! What happened?

The Portuguese destroyed Kilombo.

[Ndambi] Many have lost their lives.

Funji, Kambu...

My sisters. What about my sisters?

They took them.

[Nganga] They what?

[tragic music]

[breathes shakily]

No.

[Njinga crying]

No, no, please.
[whimpers]

My ancestors, please.

No.

Please, no.

[Queen Diambi] Her sisters are captured
and taken prisoner

by the Portuguese,

as a bargaining chip.

[sobbing]

Her sisters, these are two
of the closest relationships in her life.

It's really terrifying.

They are taken by the Portuguese,

who have shown
nothing but violent disregard

for many Ndongo leaders in the past.

[Nganga] Enough.

Get up, Njinga.

Your ancestors need you on your feet.

[exhales heavily]

[Nganga] Yes.

That's it.

[Queen Diambi] She's devastated,

and she has to think about what to do

and also, she must be aware
of what will be asked of her

to get her sisters back.

[exhales deeply]

[Njinga] We make camp here tonight.

Tomorrow, we leave for the Imbangala.

We are returning to Kasa?

No, Kasa's a boy.
I'm going to Chief Kasanje.

My queen, is that wise?

- Kasanje is...
- He is not a man to be played with.

[Njinga] I have no choice.

He's the only man...

who can give me what I need...

to fight the Portuguese.

Are you willing to pay the price?

Yes.

You do not send a goat to fight a lion.

I want my sisters back.

I want the Portuguese off my land.

Every last one of them, gone!

[Luke] Njinga is weakened after

her forces are depleted.

She needs to rebuild her power base.

She needs men, she needs an army,

and she wants someone who can help

to make sure that the Portuguese
are no longer able to take another life

or another member of her family.

[groans]

[Luke] So with her back against the wall,
she decides to take quite a drastic step,

trying to become ally
with the Imbangala Captain Kasanje.

[tense music]

Kasanje is the most powerful leader
of the Imbangala people.

Kasanje's power reaches far beyond that
of any other Imbangala ruler.

He has an enormous power base
of 80,000 troops

that Njinga knows she can tap into.

He is reputed to be incredibly violent,
cannibalistic, and dangerous.

[villagers screaming frantically]

[Edson] He's also a longtime enemy
who attacked Ndongo seven years earlier.

[birds squawking]

[animal screeching]

[Luke] At this point, Kasanje's Imbangala

have ambitions
to abandon their nomadic lifestyle

to become a more settled group.

They both have something the other wants.

He has the fierce army she needs,

and Njinga knows
how to build him a kingdom.

[Kellie] It's her last resort.

If she can get an alliance,
she could consolidate power,

so that she becomes
the greatest threat in the region.

You are your mother's daughter.

Meaning?

Do you think that was an easy task,

being with a powerful man
like your father?

More powerful than this one here.

Call on her.

It is your mother's spirit that you need
to be working with now, not your father's.

[Njinga sighs]

[Njinga] He may be a proud,

battle-hardened Imbangala...

but he is a man first.

Mm-hm.

[Njinga]
So I will not meet him as a female king.

But as a queen.

Because I'm also a woman first.

For now.

[sighs]

[upbeat music]

[upbeat music continues]

[Njinga] I have come...

to seek refuge...

and an alliance...

with the only man in this kingdom

who is truly capable

of defeating the Portuguese.

The great Njinga...

seeks my protection from the Portuguese.

And in return,
I shall fight loyally alongside you.

With what?

[soft chuckle]
With...

heart.

And whatever resources

the great Chief Kasanje
is willing to give me.

[Njinga] I have fought many times
alongside the Imbangala.

I never disappoint.

You speak well.

- Thank you.
- But your words...

are not enough to get into this camp.

What will it take?

[sighs]

[Kasanje] I have two conditions.

First, you'll become my wife.

I'm the Lord of this Kilombo.

And there's only room
for one lord, not two.

You'll not do to me what you did to Kasa.

And second?

[Kasanje] Get rid of that.

I don't want to see it in your hand.

Your symbols of authority
have no weight here.

[Queen Diambi] Njinga has ritual objects,

like many kings in Africa.

I have a royal necklace.

I have a royal scepter.

Njinga has her belt, the lunga,

which represent her power

as being the female king.

Throw it away.

[tense music]

[belt clatters]

[Queen Diambi]
She knows that to strengthen her ranks

and get her sisters back,

she has to make certain sacrifices.

[festive music playing]

[crowd cheering]

[Mary] One of the strategies
that she employs throughout her life

is she will acculturate,

take on aspects of cultures foreign to her
in order to get what she wants.

And I think that's something
that's very unique

about Njinga as a leader.

[Kasanje] You said you wanted to fight,

to lead a contingent of my men.

Well, you can't do that without the title.

So I've decided
to appoint you Queen Njinga.

Master of Arms and Great Warrior.

But...

[Njinga] But what?

- More conditions?
- You know me very well.

We'll make a formidable couple.

What do you want from me, Kasanje?

[Kasanje] Not just me.

We!

[crowd chanting]

[lively music playing]

You must take the Blood Oath.

Prove you're truly one of us.

Do it now and everything I promised you
is immediately yours.

[Cécile] She has to prove herself

as determined
to become sincerely Imbangala.

She has to go through
a set of ritual procedures.

[crowd chanting]

She has to consume
the blood of a human person.

[lively music playing]

That moment in the biography of Njinga

is the most debated
in the historical records

and in the mythology of Njinga.

[breathing heavily]

To what extent did she become
an Imbangala cannibal?

Did she consume human flesh?

Did she perform human sacrifices?

[Rosa in Portuguese]
The Portuguese sources,

they demonize the Imbangala
as barbaric cannibals.

And the Portuguese

used this defamation campaign
to discredit Njinga.

In my opinion,

there were no hearts
being eaten by anyone.

Njinga didn't eat anyone's heart.

[intense music]

[breathing heavily]

[sighs]

[Luke]
After becoming an Imbangala Captain,

Njinga turns her mind

and her energies to conquest.

What?

I want one more thing.

More?

Mm.

A base.

You want to talk about w*r right now?

Yes.

You already have a base.

Right here.

I want my own base.

Strong enough where I can plan and build...

and hit the Portuguese
where it hurts them the most.

Why do I have a feeling
you already know where?

I want Matamba as my base.

If I help you get what you want...

what do I get in return?

What do you want, Kasanje?

Hmm?

What can I possibly give
the all-powerful Kasanje?

I want you.

- You already have me.
- [Kasanje] Your loyalty.

- You have...
- [Kasanje] No, Njinga.

Listen.

You want to end the Portuguese?

I want my own kingdom.

A strong kingdom.

And I want...

To trust me?

- That I'll be...
- Loyal.

Always.

Can I trust you?

Kasanje...

I'm the one lying naked in your bed.

I have nothing to hide.

Give me...

thousands...

of your strongest men.

I will give you a kingdom.

We have a deal.

My queen of Matamba.

[upbeat music]

The conquest of Matamba is
essential for Njinga

strategically, politically,
and militarily.

[Luke] It sits right on the border
of the Kingdom of Ndongo.

So it's from here
that she can launch attacks

and really harass the Portuguese.

With Kasanje's men,

she begins her four-year-long
conquest of Matamba.

And it's really there
that she firmly establishes

her new territorial base.

[warriors clamoring]

[Luke] Now, at the age of 53,

Njinga is leading a combined army

of thousands of Imbangala warriors
and Mbundu soldiers.

[suspenseful music]

She storms the kingdom
and eventually, she gets to the capital,

which is where
the Matamban Queen's quarters is located.

[gentle music]

[approaching footsteps]

[Queen Muongo groans]

[yelps, pants]

[Njinga] No!

We are not the Portuguese.

This is not how we treat royalty.

Even in defeat.

[terrified breathing]

- I said...
- [weapon clinks]

[pants]

Should we go to Kasanje
and sort this out now?

[Njinga Mona] Are you deaf?

Leave while you still have legs
to walk on.

[clicks tongue]

[Queen Muongo chokes, gasps]

[coughing]

[Queen Muongo panting]

[exhales heavily]

They can't harm you. Don't be afraid.

What about you?

[Queen Muongo panting]

Should we fear you?

[tense music]

[breathing heavily]

You're banished.

But don't worry.

You'll be safe a while
where I'm sending you.

You may even rule there on my behalf,
but you can never come back here

without my permission.

Matamba is mine now.

Understood?

As you wish.

- My daughter and I will leave...
- Your daughter stays here.

What?

She's so young.

She... she still has so much to learn.

She won't be of any use to you.

I'll be the judge of that.

[Njinga] Don't worry.

As long as you go,

and do as your Queen bids...

she'll be safe.

Wait, wait, wait...

[Njinga] You have my word.

[woman vocalizing]

[vocalizing continues]

[breathing heavily]

It isn't personal.

It has to be done.

You may leave now.

Please.

I said... leave.

I'm all she has.

Please. I'm all she has!

[Queen Muongo] No!
[cries]

No!

[Luke] Taking Muongo's daughter

would have been a tough
but necessary choice for Njinga.

It would ensure that Muongo
would never return to Matamba.

[Queen Diambi]
Now she is Queen of this kingdom.

Njinga has to make
some very difficult choices

to make sure
that she guarantees the freedom

and the sovereignty of her people.

[breathes lightly]

[dramatic music]

Mm.

[Luke]
Njinga has made an amazing comeback.

She is now an Imbangala Captain,
she's a feared warrior queen

who commands an army
of around 100,000 strong,

but crucially, her sisters are still
in the hands of the Portuguese.

[Njinga] I will save you soon, my sisters.

[closing theme music]