After the death of Ago, his successor Ago Akoli became king just before the middle of the seventeenth century.
According to all accounts he was an energetic and dynamic leader, and he ended some of the proscriptions that inhibited the exercising of his function as leader.
Unfortunately, things were not exactly the same during the new regime.
It is undeniable that during his reign conflicts arose. Conflict within the city stemmed from Agokoli‟s desire to leave
his traditional enclosure against the wishes of his councilors. Conflict also arose because of the construction of the monumental walls, which involved the mobilization of large manpower and extremely unpleasant conditions.
He sought to impose his will on the people and generally tyrannized them by setting them a number of impossible tasks to perform.
He punished those who did not obey him and flaunted all traditions.
Because of this the name Agokoli is synonymous with singular violence and tyrannical cruelty.
This tradition was first transcribed by German pastors and popularized in French by the version of Pastor Kwakume in 1948. Since then, it has become the irrefutable tradition associated with all Ewe people.
Regardless of the veracity of the tale, the reign of Agokoli profoundly marked the period and the deep legacy left in the collective memory of the Ewe as the primary cause of the different migrations from Notsie and the occupation of present-day Eweland.
As a tradition, the Ewe speaking people were adorned mainly because of their skills in the arts of drumming, singing and dancing.
They were regularly requested to entertain the King, his visitors and other favorites.
As a consequence, the Ewes were allowed to play their drums, sing and dance all through the night without any interference from the authorities.
Despite all these attributes of the Ewes, the new king was still very hostile to them and ruled all the immigrants
with an iron hand.
For example, he ordered that all elderly people should be killed, but the Dogboawo managed to keep one old man in hiding; his name was Tegli.
It was Tegli who advised them to ask the
women in all Ewe settlement groups to throw bath and other waste water against the thick wall around Notsie to soften it, making it possible for them later, to break it down by the trust of
Togbui Tegli’s sword or dagger (Adekpui), in the hands of Togbui Asor, leader of one of the Ewe groups, to whom he entrusted it after libation and the invocation of prayers to all known
gods and ancestors.
The reason for killing all elderly people was to deprive the immigrants of personnel with wisdom, experience and expert legal advice in times of need (see Proverb #24).
The old man Tegli was consulted in times of need. There is an old adage that “wisdom and experience develops with old age”. At a point in time, King Ago Akoli also ordered the Ewes to
make a rope out of clay.
Upon consultation with elder Tegli, the Ewes sent a delegation to King Ago Akoli requesting to see an old rope that was made from clay so that they could imitate it.
One of the Anlo‟s Hogbetsotso songs incorporates these words of wisdom, “Xoxoawo nue wogbea yeyeawo do”. This humble and wise request by the Dogboawo infuriated King Ago
Akoli.
He wondered where they could have gotten this idea. As happened to the Israelis in Egypt prior to the exodus, the King, Ago Akoli saw the wisdom exemplified in that reply and he
became more tyrannical to the Dogboawo.
He made the Ewe speaking people execute very
dangerous and laborious tasks for his wicked pleasure. At several times, he ordered the Ewes to
mix a mud concrete (mortar used to make house) with their bare feet and hands.
The mud concrete was previously mixed with broken pieces of bottles, glass, nails, torn, and other hazardous materials. Let us note that glass would have been available to Agorkorli and
Company, as the Kingdom of Nupe (Bida) existed in the region and earned fame for its native
glass industry (S. F. Nadel; A Black Byzantium: The Kingdom of Nupe in Nigeria, London.
A sad and cunningly vengeful event finally broke the camel‟s back. It is popularly referred to as:
“Amea le agbe gake bie hlor”.
The story goes like this. One day, a quarrel broke out between a
handful of Dogbo-Nyigboawo and factions of King Ago Akorli (aka King Agorkorli) people.
During the scuffle, a Dogbo-man named Aga was wounded by a Notsie man called Dzedua, a close relation of King Agorkorli. Oral history had it that during the fight, King Agorkoli‟s
relative, Dzedua severely beat Aga to unconsciousness – almost to death. Around that time, a Dogbo-Nyigbo man had died of natural causes.
After the fight was over, some of the Dogboawo
hatched out a plan and informed King Agokorli that the severely beaten Aga had died as a result
of his injuries and broken bones.
A funeral was then arranged for the “dead” person, Aga. King
Agorkoli was so infuriated with the fact that his own relative was responsible for this heinous crime and ordered that Dzedua be put to death as a deterrent to others who may take the law into
their own hands.
This decree was subsequently carried out. After Agorkorli had his relation executed for the ‘crime’, the Dogbos organized the “final funeral rites of Aga” and too much
drinking made some of the ”drunkards’ boast: ”Miawoe nye Adza pe viwo tso Adzatome,
Amemakumaku pe hlorbialawo”.
A few days or weeks after Dzedua was executed, some of the
Dogbo-Nyigbos were also heard bragging that they have taken vengeance on King Agorkoli.
They were heard making the statement “Amea le agbe gake bie hlor”. Unfortunately, this
information got to King Agorkoli. He was so infuriated that he made life completely unbearable
to the Dogboawo.
The legendary Togbi Atsu Tsala and several Dogbo elders were
worried about the state of events and wanted the Dogbo elders to go and apologize to King
Agorkoli, since they believed that the Dogboawo were on the wrong side of the issue.
This advice was however not taken.
It is one of the reasons why Togbi Atsu Tsala and several others
left Notsie prior to the general exodus.
Meanwhile when Aga was in hiding, Agorkorli’s people were threatening to ‘smoke him out’ but
he was a close friend to one Notsie man called Kli (son of Torgbi Ekpe) who advised him to
escape and accompanied him till they reached present day Aborlove and Afife, meeting the
earlier settlers, the Aborlors there.
They subsequently left Aborlove and Aga went to settle at
Agavedzi, while Kli settled at and founded Klikor. When Agar heard of Agorkorli’s plan to send warriors after him, he moved on to Bomigo and later founded a number of settlements at present day Agave territory.
The direct result of this incidence was Agorkorli’s decision to wall his State / Kingdom, and as
punishment, using the Dogbos to prepare the mortar (with broken pots and thorns mischievously
mixed into it) for the building of the wall.
The Exodus of Dogboawo and Others from Notsie (Not a Migration!)
As King Agokoli‟s rule became unbearable, various groups of the population decided to migrate.
Because of the king’s repressive acts, the Ewes initiated a secret plan to escape. Tatar (1973)
writes, “Along with the need for more land and food, malcontents, inspired by the tyrannical rule.
of Agokoli (King of Notsie in the late 1600’s), they instigated another general movement west
and south.
The groups that migrated are those that make up the Ewe tribe of today”.
The 17‟ X 30‟ wall that offered protection to the entire population eventually became a barrier to
the Dogboawo in planning their escape. However, they finally carried out their plan through.
After several consultations with the oldman Tegli at his hiding place, the Dogboawo came up
with a plan.
They instructed their women to throw water against one spot of the wall while
washing their clothes and dishes.
The women executed this plan without knowing the reason.
One day when the elders found out that the wall was wet and soft enough, they decided to
implement the final stage of their plan.
The elders gathered all their people together near the wet
wall and started drumming, singing and dancing. There was a lot of jubilation in the Dogbo
section of the city from late afternoon throughout into the night. About midnight, while the rest
of the people of Notsie went to bed and the Misego (Husago, meaning tighten your waist)
drumming was at its performance peak, the Dogbo elders went and brought Tegli the brain
behind the plot from his hiding place.
He called a few of the trusted people closer to the wet
wall and told them the essence of their gathering. He drew out the “Sword of Liberation” from
its sheath, pointed it up, invoked the spirit of the gods and the ancestors and said a short prayer.
Then he said, “O Mawugã Kitikata, uo na mi ne miadogo, azo adzo.” (Oh great God “Kitikata”, open the door for us so that we can walk through it and leave).
With these words,
Tegli thrust the “Sword of Liberation” into the wet and softened wall and bored a big hole (door
pattern) into it.
The men pushed and the soft wall fell before them. After Scouts had gone ahead to find suitable lands for settlement, the various groups moved out of Notsie.
The women, the sick, and children were led out first, followed by the elderly, while the energetic
youth and middle-aged men stayed behind to continue drumming, singing and dancing.
After all the others were gone, the drummers and the few remaining singers and dancers followed them.
The last part of the group walked backwards on the exact footsteps of the earlier parties for about
two miles so that their footprints might not betray their whereabouts.
After King Agokoli discovered that the Dogboawo had escaped, he ordered a search for them and demanded their
return back to Notsie.
The search party however got confused: tracing the footsteps of the Dogboawo always led them back to the dwelling place of the Dogboawo in Notsie.
It was a brilliant and well-executed plan.
The sword (Adekpui) used by Tegli to bore the hole is said to
be preserved to this day as part of the stool regalia of Togbui Asor, leader of Dogbo groups at Ho, a town in Northern Eweland. It must be pointed out here that the history of the Asorgli of
Ho mentions also a leader by name Torgbui Kaklu who led their group out of Notsie.
Upon quitting the city, all the fugitives followed the same direction without a precise destination
in mind.
The majority of versions cite Game, south of Notsie, as the first point of rest.
The rest of the story of the exodus of the Dogboawo from Notsie is told with some variations of details by
all Ewes, with particular reference to settlements they founded, later continued migration, wars
they fought for territory or just survival among hostile people they met on their way, or at the
places they decided to settle at.
But the general outcome of the exodus is the dispersion of the
Ewes as a people from the first settlement they made as a group at Tsevie, in present Togo, from
where under different leaders according to lineage, the group split into three – south westwards
towards the Volta, northwards toward the mountain range and south-eastwards toward the sea, to
frustrate the pursuit of Agokoli and finally to settle in their present homes.
The old man Torgbui Tegli was reported to have died at Tsevie and was buried there.
Thus, from Notsie the Ewe traveled together eventually to a town which is now called Tsevie in the Republic of Togoland.
It is about twenty kilometers from Lome.
The name Tsevie means
“let it grow for a while longer”.
When the Ewes settled in this area after leaving Notsie, they
decided to sow some cowpeas to sustain themselves. As if by fate, their new neighbors started
becoming hostile prompting another decision to move. One day the Ewes woke up only to find
that wild pigs destroyed the farms.
The horror and concern generated by this tragedy led to the
battle cry which is now made into a song: “Ayibo Pee, Hawo Pee!, Ayibo Pee, Hawo Pee! Egble
o, Enyo o, OOO!!.” A free translation of this is, “See how pigs have destroyed the cowpea
farm!.
Whether good or bad, we don‟t care, and we would not despair.” It is worthy to note that
the town Tsevie got its name from the plantation episode. The story is that before the cowpeas
could fully mature, the insecurity of the place led to agitation among sections of the people for
early departure.
This was opposed by others who insisted that they should wait, despite all odds, for the crops to mature for harvesting before making the next move.
Apparently, the disagreement led to the departure of the main group with the others remaining there to give the
name Tsevie to the place.
Here is another historical fact about an Ewe food crop (Agbodeka, 1997). Cassava, the most
widely used root crop is named in Ewe as agbeli. Literally translated, it means, “There is life.”
The story is told of the migration of our ancestors who during their long journey became hungry
and had nothing to eat.
Fortunately, they came across a root crop, which they suspected could be edible.
They uprooted the crop, boiled it and ate, and found it to be tasty and satisfying.
Experiencing no harmful effects, they acknowledged the crop as life giving.
Cassava has since become a very useful crop in Eweland and its utilization extended beyond simply boiling.
Cassava is now processed into other products, which are used in the diet in a great variety of ways.
We have read above that during the migration from Notsie, the people split into three broad
groups, which were to populate the northern, central and southern areas of their new home
stretching up to the Volta in the West.
Oral tradition says the Central and Northern Dogbo
groups were led out of Tsevie by leaders who included Akoto, Kodzo De, Amega Lee, Asor and
Bisiaku and they led the various branches to settle places like Hohoe, Matse, Peki, Asorgli,
Awudome, Ve, Gbi, Kpando, Logba, Alavanyo, Kpalime, Agu, Kpedze, Wodze, and other
towns.
Amega Lee however left the group and went on his own with some followers/family southwards till he made a settlement close to „Ge‟ or Accra, which is Legon, still bearing his name.
He left later to go in search of the main Dogbo group which had settled at Aŋlɔga.
From the central and northern groups, some Dogboawo went and founded the settlements of Ho,
Akovia, Takla, Kpenoe, Hodzo, Klevi, Sokode, Abutia, and Adaklu all in the central part of their new home.
The third group made up of various sections of the Dogboawo moved together southward.
The group split at Gafe and further divisions occurred within the sub-groups as the southward
movement, coupled with the founding of various settlements, progressed.
They include the
founders of Be, Togo, Wheta, Alɔ, Klikor, Ave, Fenyi, Afife, Dzodze, Mafi, Agave, Tavie,
Tokoe, and Tanyigbe.
It was at Tsevie that the Ewes divided into different groups, one of which the Alɔ Ewes belong
to. During the exodus, Agbana one of Togbi Wenya‟s children led the advanced party.
Before moving out, it was usual for scouts who were powerful hunters to go out first and look out for
safe routes.
Togbi Tse Tsali Akplormada, a mystic, was one such scout for the Dogbo group, who reportedly cast a sleeping spell on the Notsie people to enable the Ewes to move out un-
dictated amidst drumming and dancing, moving backwards to show footsteps entering rather
than leaving.
His twin brother Atsu Tsala, left the Notsie settlement earlier, went to Awukugua, performed miracles and healed with herbs. Osei Tutu found him there at the court of the
Awukuguahene and invited him to Kumasi to help him claim his throne as Asantehene, unify the
Asante State, and he conjured out of the sky, a golden Stool that has till this day embodied the
soul of the Asante nation.
He was called “Okomfo from Notsie” and corrupted into „Komfo
Anorkye‟.
We will have a detailed inside story of this legendary and mystical personality, his
lineage and travails in pre-colonial times in later parts of this narrative.
Togbi Tse Tsali Akpormada with other hunters such as Togbi Tsatsu Batemenu (aka Adeladza)
were members of the Dogbo scouts from Tsevie who went south eastwards, under their leaders.
The present-day Anlos traveled from Tsevie as one unit, but later divided into two groups under
the leadership of Amega Atsu Madopkui Wenya and his nephew Togbi Sri I (aka Kponoe Adza
Ashimadi). Torgbui Atsu Wenya led the main group which went south and moved along the sea
shore westwards, founding settlements along the way. After many discoveries and settlements,
Wenya’s group reached a sandbar and called it “ke dzi” which means the top of the sand.
It is presently called Kedzi.
Subsequently the group crossed the sandbar and Wenya informed his followers, “mieva do kea ta” meaning they had reached the „head‟ or the tip of the sand.
Consequently, the settlement there was named Keta. They later founded other towns including Tegbi and Woe.
As they reached what is now called present-day Alogã, Wenya was found to be aging and tiring.
When his followers asked him when they were going to leave again, he
answered: “Nye amea melo. Afia deke yiyi megale nunye o.” (I am exhaustively „coiled‟, my
limbs are shrunken. I can’t go any further). The name of this settlement was also taken after
“Me lo” and was contracted to “Anlo.” Being the capital of the whole Alo nation, the
adjective “gã” meaning big was added and it became Aŋlɔga, and the people Aŋlɔawo.
Later on, some settlers of Klikor and founders of Wheta also left off from Amega Atsu Wenya’s
group.
The second group of the Dogbo people was led by Kponoe Ashimadi (aka Sroe I or Sri 1).
Sri and his followers took the northern route off the Atlantic Coast and settled at present Klikor
where Kli found the settlement.
Kponoe then continued by canoe via the Keta lagoon to settle at
Fiaxor, and founded various communities on the northern shore of the great Keta Lagoon, but
later moving on to join the uncle Wenya at Aŋlɔga and take over his leadership role as King of
the Dogbos now Aŋlɔawo.
As we saw earlier, Kponoe’s half-brothers Adzofia and Adzoyi co-
founded Dzodze and Asem founded Mafi-Kumasi. The following brothers of Torgbui Sri I, also
children of King Ashimadi, settled at various places giving rise to some differences in clan
names.
Descendants of his brother Adu Lo led by his son Adisre and Ege Amegayibor, brother
of Sri I, settled at Dzodze. Asuma settled at Penyi. Eti settled at Ave. Kofi Akpo settled at
Mafi. Other settlements followed later from additional splits, such as Some. These are all
people of Dogbo descent and became part of the southern Ewes.
Meanwhile, other groups also split off from Sri‟s party and found states of Ave, Fenyi, Dzodze,
and Mafi.
The founders of Afife also formed part of Sri‟s party at one time but tarried and found
Afife.
The remainder of Sri‟s party went on to find Kodzi from where Sri later on rejoined his
uncle Wenya at Alɔgã.
The towns or settlements actually founded by Wenya and Sri, their families and immediate circle of followers came to constitute one kingdom – Alɔ with the
capital at Alɔgã.
Other towns that belong to Alɔ are Anyako, Seva, Kodzi, Alakple, Atiavi, Asadame, Fiaxor, Tsiame, Atito, Atiteti, Atorkor, Whuti, Srogboe, Woe, Tegbi, Keta and Kedzi,
to name only a few. In the neighborhood of Alo, settlements founded by other members of the
Dogbo sub-group who had been part of Wenya and Sri‟s party at one time or the other also
evolved into states like Klikor, Ave, Fenyi, Dzodze, Wheta and Afife.
Oral tradition links the
founding of Volo, Daffor, Battor, Agave and Tefle with the third group of people from Notsie.
Thus the people of Alo state and all these other states described above belonged originally to
the Dogbo group under Wenya and constituted essentially one people as they entered their new
home in what is now southeastern Ghana.
Another Dogbo sub-group or its divisions founded
Be, Togo, in present-day Republic of Togo.
From available evidence, it would appear that the Alo and their neighbors arrived in their
present homes sometime around the early part of the seventeenth century.
We do not know anything about the original inhabitants of these areas. However, it is believed that either they
fled as the Alos were coming, or became assimilated into the Alo population.
Some of the implements and tools used by these earlier inhabitants have survived in the form of Sofia or
Sokpewo – called stones of god. In what is now Alo territory there were traces of the former
inhabitants at Woe, Atiavi and also at Avenofeme. This final migration saw the Alos in their
present homes by the early 1700’s.
Later around 1792, as a result of an agreement that
miscarried, the residents of Keta migrated to and found Agbozume, which became the capital of
a new state of Some.
Two of Togbi Wenya‟s descendants, Awanyedor and Akaga were co-founders of Agbozume (was established after Keta War of 1790).
The majority left in bulk.
A few who could not go with them left in small batches afterwards.
A few fled to seek refuge with relatives at Wuga (Zomayi). When they started coming back after
sometime because of their landed property, the Alo asked help from Kobu Koto (Nana Akoto
Kwafo, Akwamuhene) to eject the remnants. Blekusu became the dividing line between Alo
and Some along the coast.
During this and other times, Aloga provided a court of second instance for Aflao and Wheta
who readily identified themselves with Alo. She was, therefore, regarded as the big sister and
was referred to in matters of common interest. Together, these states constitute greater Alo.
In addition to Alo Ewes, there is a large number of other Ewe states like Adaklu, Peki, Ho,
Tove, Keve, Kpando and Hohoe, to their north of Ghana and Be, Gen, Watsi, etc., in the
Republic of Togo.
Ewe Unification – May 1956 Plebiscite
Unlike the political and social organization of the Akan, where matrilineal rule prevails, the Ewe
are essentially a patrilineal people.
The founder of a community became the chief and was
usually succeeded by his paternal relatives.
The largest independent political unit was a
chiefdom, the head of which was essentially a ceremonial figure who was assisted by a council
of elders.
Chiefdoms ranged in population from a few hundred people in one or two villages to
several thousands of people in chiefdom with a large number of villages and surrounding
countryside.
Unlike the Asante among the Akan, no Ewe chiefdom gained hegemonic power over its neighbor.
Before the First World War, Togoland occupied the area from Lome to the present western
boundary of Benin on the east, and north of the current Anlo-Ewe land and Tornu areas.
After
the First World War, Togoland was divided into two parts. The western Togoland was given to
the British to administer with the Gold Coast, while eastern Togoland was given to the French.
Just before independence of Ghana, a Plebiscite was held to decide whether western Togoland
would like to unite with eastern Togoland or remain with the Gold Coast.
The result was that
western Togoland decided to remain with the Gold Coast. After independence the south-eastern
bulge of the Gold Coast which comprised mostly Eweland which was made up of Anlo-Ewes
was added to the Togoland which was a Mandated Territory under the Security Council of the
United Nations, to form the present Volta Region of Ghana, with the regional capital city at Ho.
So, the Plebiscite united Anlo-Eweland with western Togoland which lies north of Anlo-Ewe
land.
The partition of Togoland was achieved when the Security Council divided Togoland into
east and west Togoland.
The common ‘Ewegbe’ remains a unifying element to identify the Ewes as one people, but living
in different countries as a result of Colonization, the scramble for Africa and the division of the
spoils of war by the Colonizing powers after World War One, at the Berlin Conference; and then
the plebiscite conducted by the United Nations in 1956, just before the Gold Coast gained
Independence on the 6th of March, 1957 to become Ghana. Thus we now have Ewes, some with
close family ties, in Republics of Ghana, Togo and Benin. But as a people, the Ewes are one
people, and especially in the Diaspora, far from home, they are each others’ keepers and look out
for each other.
That is one of the reasons why CEANA (Council of Ewe Associations in North
America) was formed.
This is laudable and must be maintained and nurtured to grow, so that even though politically we belong to different Nationalities, as a people with common origin and
language, we can form a strong unified Eweland.
National Flag of Ewe People
An ethnic flag, just like the Ewe Flag is a flag that symbolizes a certain ethnic group.
Ethnic flags are often introduced to the ethnic community through the respective cultural or political
ethnic movements.
In many cases, they have ancient origins, or, at least, they are inspired by symbols rooted in historical and cultural tradition of a people.
They are popular among ethnic minorities and some ethnic majorities, especially in multiethnic countries.
Compiler/Narrator/Author: A. Kobla Dotse, Ph.D.
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