Hwanjile was an Aja woman from the village of Home in an area west of Abomey, in the southern portion of modern-day Benin.
As a result of this assistance, Tegbesu named Hwanjile kpojito, a position which made her the richest and most powerful woman in the kingdom.
To be kpojito was to be a female "reign mate" of a king through an either literal or symbolic mother-son relationship, representative of a balancing of royal power, and to possess the authority to resolve religious disputes.
[4] Hwanjile solidified her and Tegbesu's rule through manipulation of religious beliefs, particularly those centered on the Dahomean vodun or gods.
[5] Due to the key role which she played in creating a strong, centralised kingdom in less than a generation, Hwanjile is considered one of the most important figures in the history of Dahomey, and indeed of modern-day Benin.