There are many different schools of thought about the origins of the Ewe tribe, with a school of thought tracing the origin as far back as an earlier settlement in Adzatome, a suburb founded by Ham, the second son of Noa in the Bible; Noa being the progenitor of various tribes.
It is here that we learnt about the Biblical Story of the building of the tower of Babel to enable the people get close to God, see Him and pray to Him, followed by God‟s displeasure and the resultant fall of the tower and dispersion of the people into clusters of people speaking various languages instead of the single one that first united them.
This story is credited as being the source of a group speaking one language today known as the Ewe language.
Where this occurred is placed in Babylon in present Iraq, and various groups left to find new settlements of their own.
Oral tradition also claim the Ewe people were led by an ancestor called „Gu‟ under whose leadership they settled at the delta of the river Nile, in present day Egypt.
Other ethnic groups also settled in Egypt then, including the Jews forced by draught in their land of Canaan.
There were cultural exchanges among the various people, with groups adopting practices of others with whom they
lived in close proximity.
The acts of circumcision of male children, pouring of libation learnt via the worship of the SUN-GOD, out-dooring of new born babies, widowhood rites, kingship and
burial of kings and chiefs with their personal effects some customary practices adopted by the Ewes from the Egyptians and the Jews.
They also learnt the composition of long songs from the Jews.
When it became difficult living in Egypt, just as the Jews left under the leadership of Moses, the Ewes also left under a leader called Mi and migrated in a south-westerly direction that brought them
into the Sudan where they made settlement for a while close to present day Khartoum.
The stay there was short due to drought, famine and slave raids by Arab slave traders who preferred black slaves to their own kind, due to their physique and courage.
At the time, there were numerous schools in and around Khartoum and some Ewes took advantage of these schools to become great scholars, merchants and farmers.
The Ewe people decided to leave Sudan, and going southeastwards went into “Abyssinia”, the present day Ethiopia.
However, the slave raids continued there too and some members were captured
and sold and were sent to as far as India to serve in the courts of their kings and queens.
As the people were unable to repel the superior weapons of the Arabs and Indians, they finally decided to move out of Ethiopia too.
This time, they moved southwestwards into the region between the bend of river Niger and the middle reaches of the river Senegal.
All these movements occurred between AD 500 and 1200.
Oral tradition has it that they made significant contributions to the rise of the old Ghana Empire, whose capital then was Walata, near Timbuktu.
The old Ghana Empire declined and was replaced by the Mali Empire, led by a
powerful king: Mari Djata whose state insignia was the Lion which the Ewes call “Dzata” and by deduction, the name of the Emperor is said to mean in Ewe ”Amea ɖi Dzata”.
The Mali Empire lasted until AD 1513, disintegrating after the death of its powerful ruler Mari Djata, and due to
internal and external forces, many sub-ethnic and cultural groups departed from the area, rather than stay to serve under the new overlords, the Songhai, who conquered the old Mali Empire.
Whilst residing at the Niger Bend they contributed to the emergence of all three Empires of Ghana, Songhai and Mali.
After the break-up of the last of these empires and by following the Niger River south-eastwards, the ancestors of the Ewes moved into the present day Nigeria, at the height of the Oyo Empire, settled briefly at Ile Ife in Yoruba-land (Osun State of Nigeria), but moved on at the fall of the
Oyo Empire, and going westward, they entered Dahomey (present-day Republic of Benin).
It was in Ile-Ife that they revived and perfected the art of divination (afa kaka), which their ancestors abandoned in Mesopotamia.
They also settled in Ketu, a Yoruba town in modern day Benin.
Ketu is also called Amedzorpe or Mawupe in ancient accounts.
The Yoruba people founded Ketu around the 14th century.
At Dahomey they split into three groups. The first group settled at the bank of the Mono River and named that place Tado (Tando or A‟Tando), which became a powerful kingdom and the
historical capital.
The second group moved on to settle between the Mono and the Haho Rivers.
This settlement became Notsie, in present day Republic of Togo.
The third group settled at what then was Adele country where they established the nucleus of what later became the Kingdom of Dahomey, but then called Dogbo-Nyigbo.
Some members from this group moved out later to join those already
settled at Notsie and in this new settlement, the earlier settlers referred to them as “Dogboawo” due to their earlier association with the settlement at Dogbo-Nyigbo.
Note that Dogbo is a town
between Agbome and Tado.
The migrants who left Tado followed a path of a hunter by the
name Afotse or Ndetsi, or the ancestor Noin or Da, depending on the version told.
All migrants were given a portion of Notsie by their hosts to settle on, to be by themselves.
Thus there were various settlements of the Ewe people at Notsie, and they were all semi-autonomous with their own leaders.
According to some accounts, at its greatest height, the city of Notsie consisted of
thirty-six neighborhoods.
The Dogbo quarter therefore had its own leader, same as other Ewe
groups.
The several and separate quarters were all however ruled by one great King of Notsie.
Some of these leaders and Kings were: Adela Blebua, Tsamla, Adela Dzawoe, Ekpe,
Adelatorble, Agor and Agorkorli.
Some of the original seven quarters are: Tegbe, Tako, Ekli, Agbaladome, Anakpe, and Adime; and the deserted spaces are called Wotsegbeme, Soujafeme, Gbedekordzi, the market place and Azakordzi.
At Ketu there lived other people besides the forefathers of the Ewes.
These were Yorubas, the ancestors of the present Aja and Fon and the Ga-Dangme.
According to Kodzo-Vordoagu (1994) and Agbodeka (1997), “it is not certain when they began to live there and how long they lived there.
It was the gradual westward expansion of the Yoruba that pushed the Ewe and their kin, Aja, from Ketu.
Their movement must have started sometime before the end of the sixteenth century.
On leaving Ketu the people split into two big divisions.
One of these went due south and in turn divided into two.
One of these sub-divisions went to found a settlement on the eastern side of River Mono and called it Tado. Later, they crossed the river
and penetrated the forests on its banks. They then settled in the town called Notsie (a settlement between the rivers Haho and Mono) which had been founded by the advance second sub-division group of migrants from Ketu around 1500”.
The second big group went to the Adele region in present-day Togo.
To this group belonged the people who came to be known as the Anlo, Be and Fon.
They later joined their relatives at
Notsie.
There, they were known collectively as Dogboawo.
Their leaders were the great Amega Wenya
and his nephew Sroe (Sri, son of Amega Wenya’s sister Asongoe) who was the son of the King of Tado.
Sri had fled from Tado with his father’s stool following a succession dispute with his
half-brothers after their father’s death.
At this juncture, it will be useful to note that the Dogboawo, as well as the entire Ewe people of West Africa, once lived together at Ketu.
The arrival of the Ewe speaking people in Notsie is placed around (ca. 1500).
There is no evidence of how long they were in Notsie.
However, depending on what tradition one wants to follow, they either came from Ketu to Notsie or Tado to Notsie.
Manoukian (1952) writes,
“According to these traditions, in the three main groups, a northern, a middle and southern group, each of which migrated to and settled in different parts of Togoland, their present home”.
At any rate, in all accounts, Notsie was their last stop and center of dispersion. Notsie was also a crucial and significant point in the history of the Ewe people, especially the Anlos.
Notsie is to the Ewe speaking people as Egypt is to the Jews.
In those days there was general hostility
everywhere. It is in this context that two walls were built around Notsie.
The first, smaller, known as Agbogbovi, was constructed during the reign of Da, perhaps in the 15th century.
According to some accounts it was built to cut off the royal enclosure from all but members of the royal clan.
Like Ketu, the city of Notsie also had a second 17‟ X 30‟ wall to protect its
inhabitants from external attack on all settled lands and their farmland.
The entire community of
Notsie lived within these encircling second walls called Agbogbo.
On the advice of Agokorli III,
the wall imitated two semi-circles, and facing eastward toward Tado.
Notsie was divided into separate quarters inhabited by members of the different migrating groups.
Each group lived in a separate area under its own head or chief.
Although each of these heads was the judge in matters concerning his own people, a supreme king ruled over all of them.
The early kings of Notsie ruled well and the kingdom flourished.
The prosperity of the city was recorded by the French traveler Elbee in 1669, when he wrote, “the king of this land is powerful and runs it well; his grand politics are devoted to conflict resolution and fairness; his neighbors hesitate to attack
because of his power.
It is believed that he can deploy easily five thousand warriors and that the
town is as populated and as large as Paris.”
Development of Centralized Power
From the time of the arrival of immigrants from Tado, the village of Tegbe was governed by a
theocratic power known as Mawouno, the grand priest of the divinity, Mawu.
An alliance between these two communities produced Notsie.
The future Ewe descendants refer in their
traditions to an arrangement that allowed them exclusive right to enthrone the kings of Notsie at Tako.
From Tako, the royal lineage established its centre at Dakpodzi, the hill of Da (Gayibor
and Aguigah, 2005).
The king of Notsie carried several titles including Anyigbafia, Mawoufia and Homefia.
Here, as in Tado, the king held only nominal power: he reigned but did not govern.
The manner in which he operated, in which he was confined and the prohibitions that governed his actions were very
similar to that of Tado.
The investiture of the king followed two stages.
After the selection of the king, a procession to the sanctuary of Nayo Friko, the chief goes into seclusion for a number of days during which the town nobles and priests conduct various religious ceremonies.
When the Dogbos arrived in Notsie, their host King Adelã Atogble received them well and treated them nicely.
Adelatorble, the King later married Mama Asongoe, a former wife of Adza Ashimadi, King of Tado, and mother of Kponoe who later became Sri 1, leader and later the first
Awoamefia of the Dogbo group.
Asongoe gave birth to a number of girls for Adelatorble, the eldest being Mama Kokui Wala, the mother of Tsatsu Adeladza, second Awoamefia of the Dogbo in their new settlement at Anloga.
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.
The Anlo people of Ghana celebrate the Hogbetsotso Festival every November at Anloga, the traditional and ritual capital of the Anlo state.
It was a day that unfolds Ewe history and brought a replay of memories of the legendary exodus and heroic acts of men of valour and mystical powers who liberated the Ewe-Dogbo people from the rule of tyrant King of Kings Torgbui Agorkorli of Nortsie in Togo.
The event brings together all the chiefs and elders of Anloland at a colourful durbar to mark the annual event regarded as the largest and most impressive festival in the Volta Region.
‘HOGBETSOTSO’ is derived from the word ‘HOGBE’ or ‘HOHOGBE’ the day of exodus, the moment in time when the Ewes in the Dogbo quarter of the walled city of Nortsie in Togo fled to their freedom.
According to historians, the original home of all Ewes of which the Anlo people form part share traditional and cultural traits of the Yoruba people can be traced among the Ewes of Anlo which is clearly evidenced in musical forms i.e. the Ganu (Anago) dance, ancestral worship, the worship of deities and divination (AFA KAKA) an art perfected by the Ewes while in Nigeria.
Other traditions among the Anlo people are TRONUAWO – priest-kings and TROXOVIWO – vestal virgin shrines.
However, Nortsie is seen as the place of major exodus of the Anlo ancestry.
The Kingdom of Anlo is one of the largest of the Ewe coastal tribes in Ghana.
The Anlo state is made up of about thirty-six major [City] states including Abor, Anyako, Keta, Weta, Afife, Flawu, Dzelukorfe, Avenor, Dzodze, Atorkor Asadame Woe, Vodza, Srorgboe, Kedzi, Tsiame, Atiavi, and Alakple. Others are Fiaxor, Dzita, Tegbi, Vodza, Anlo Afiadenyigba, Fenyi, Bleamezado, Hatorgodo, Atito, Sasinyeme, Anyanui, Tregui, Abor, Weta, Evui, Ave-Afiadenyigba and Aborlorve.
Situated 12 miles west of Keta, Anloga which is now developing at the expense of Keta because of the latter’s destruction by the Atlantic sea waves, has established itself as the spiritual home, chief city, and soul of the Anlo State.
At Nortsie, celebrated hunters and natural leaders with mystical powers such as Kugboaka, Tegli, Gemedzra, Setsi, Amega Wenya, Torgbui Takla, Kponoe Sri I, Adela Adzoma, and Tsali Akplomada played various roles to set the stage for the miraculous escape from the walled city of Nortsie.
According to oral historical accounts, in the beginning the inhabitants of the Nortsie enjoyed relative peace under various rulers until Torgbui Agorkorli emerged on the scene.
He used forced labour from the Ewe-Dogbo people to build a wall around his city which measured 24 feet tall and 18 feet wide, wide enough to allow for patrols with horses. There are varying accounts about the reason for building the wall.
Some historians have agreed that the walls were to prevent slave raiders from attacking the residents in the royal city whilst others believe it was to keep the kings enemies from escaping but as fate would have it for the Dogbos it turned out to be a kind of prison for them making it possible for wicked King Akorkorli to perpetuate more atrocious acts against the Ewe-Dogbos to settle scores for the killing of his son.
Oral tradition [history] has it that one day the king’s fovourite son, Ekpei [Atsifoza] and the son of Sri I, Atsifoza [Ekpei] were engaged in aquatic sport during which the Dogbo royal was almost drowned but Torgbui Sri I conspired with his elders to falsely accuse Atsifoza of drowning their son.
They sent word to King Agorkorli about the supposed death of their son to get Agorkorli’s son killed for the alleged murder.
This was a good opportunity to punish King Agorkorli for his wickedness to the Dogbos.
The plan of the feigned death of the Dogbo royal was executed expertly and Ekpei was taken into hiding while someone who bore semblance to Ekpei was killed and laid in state to make their case.
After the funeral, King Agorkorli released his son to be killed under his tough laws similar to the Mosaic Law of “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” At long last the secret of the feigned death was revealed.
Sri I was drunk one day and publicly boasted that “MIAWOE NYE ADZA VIWO TSO ADZATOME, AMEMAKUMAKU FE HLORBIALAWO” translated “We are the children of Ham from Ham’s jurisdiction (Egypt), the avengers of the living dead.”
King Agorkorli became incensed when he was informed about the Dogbo deception and ordered the killing of all Dogbo elders in revenge.
However, Torgbui Tegli was taken into hiding in a sacred groove in the forests of Nortsie.
His son Kelemu who did the job kept the secret and Tegli was ministered to from his hideout. [Allowed] a few Dogbo heads visited him to consult him whenever the situation arises.
He was the only advisor left among the Ewe-Dogbo people whose solution to problems was without comparison in his time.
The wall of Nortsie was reinforced to prevent any possible escape of the Dogbos. It was said that the bodies and blood of King Agorkorli’s enemies were used to lay the foundation of the wall to spiritually fortify the city.
In fact, any [attempted] escapee was executed. Many Dogbos died during the construction of the wall because the Nortsie supervisors under instructions from King Agorkorli mixed the clay with thorns, sharp cutting instruments, and broken bottles apparently to exterminate the workmen.
The wall was finally built after a Dogbo spiritualist neutralized the cutting effects of the foreign objects in the clay for the construction work.
The wicked King Agorkorli was astonished but continued with his dreadful policies to annihilate the Dogbos in revenge for the killing of his son.
The king next ordered the Dogbos to provide him with twine made of clay. There will be mass execution if this difficult and impossible demand is not met.
A powerful delegation went to Torgbui Tegli to seek his advice.
He told the delegation to go and demand a sample of the clay twine from the king to help the workers to make an excellent pattern out of the old one, “XOXOAWO NUE WOGBEA YEYEA[WO] DO.”
The king was overwhelmed at the demand of the Dogbos to have a sample of the clay twine which he could not provide.
His authority was threatened and he instituted harsher policies that often led to the death of many aliens in his kingdom.
The Dogbo people planned a bloody escape during which the royal guards at the gates to the city would be killed but Torgbui Tegli dropped that plan for a peaceful and tactful flight.
He advised that a section of the wall should be mapped and women were instructed to pour household water and water contaminated with menstrual flow [on] a portion of the swish wall.
This was to neutralize the mystical powers that were supposed to have made the wall super-hard because of the infusion of human blood and dead bodies of the king’s enemies during its construction.
The Dogbo women kept the secret and over a long period weakened and desecrated wall with the dirty water.
On the day of departure ‘HOHOGBE’ the Dogbos organized an all-night drumming and dancing session as they often did. According to oral tradion, at midnight, Torgbui Tegli, carrying ‘ADEKPUI’ the dagger of liberation, was whisked into the city.
He was spiritually shielded from the eyes of enemies as he possessed mystical powers and spirits of the forbearers.
He pierced the wall with the dagger dealing an occultic death to the wall and the men brought the wall down.
The people fled to freedom under the command and leadership of Torgbui Tsali.
Torgbui Tegli was too weak to undertake the long journey. He did not die in the hands of Agorkorli. Oral tradition said he vanished (ETSI AMLIMA DOZI) and relocated himself in a distant land where he died and joined the ancestors in the land of death (TSIEFE.)
The forebears of the Dogbos, after wandering, entered Ghana and finally broke into smaller states namely Anlo, Asorgli, Gbi, Akpini, Tornu, and Hokpe. With time other traditional areas were established.
Now we have to main groups, the southern Ewes which include the Anlos with their traditional headquarters and King at Anloga; the northern Ewes, referred to as the Ewedomeawo who inhabit the central belt of Ghana.
Dutor Wenya, the founding father of Anloga created a well-developed traditional institution, the clan which united his kingdom and made it powerful.
In Anlo everyone belongs to one of the fifteen patrilineal clans. The Avenor people who were originally part of the Anlos have their own system that is quite separate and different in organization from the Anlo clan system.
According to history, When Amega Wenya led his people from HOGBE, he founded many communities along the route and on reaching Anloga his advanced age would not allow him to continue the journey.
The old man told his tribesmen that ‘MENLO’ or ‘TORGBUI BE YENLO’, literally meaning ‘the oldman says he has recoiled (tired),’ and therefore cannot move on hence the name ENLO which was corrupted to ANLO or ‘AWUNA’ by the early European merchants and slave traders.
The fifteen clans of Anlo are Lafe, Amlade, Adzovia, Bate, Like, Bamee, Klevi, Tovi, Tsiame, Agave, Ame, Dzevi, Vifeme, Xestofe, and Blu.
The original clans from ‘HOGBE’ (Nortsie) were the Kleviawo, Ameao, Lofeawo, Amladeawo, Bateawo, Vifemeawo, Bluawo and Adzoviawo, All clans have their ancestral shrines at Anloga except the Xetsofe who have their shrine at Tsiame across the Keta Lagoon. Each clan has totems, taboos, and clan cults.
The Anlo state instituted a centralized traditional political system complete with executive authority, an administrative and judicial institutions which are administered by chiefs and elders of the state at the head of which is the AWOMEFIA, The King who is attributed with the powers of divinity and lives in a sacred place ‘AWOME’ made holy by the presence of the ancestral gods.
Below him are three senior chiefs, who in the past commanded the three military divisions of the state. The kinship is vested in two royal clans, the Adzovia and Bate whose local segments at Anloga provide the AWOMEFIA, adhering strictly to a rotary system.
According to Anlo practices, when it is the turn of a clan to provide a king the elders of the clan meet to select a candidate on the basis of physical appearance, intelligence and good character.
Usually the various segments of the clan each present their own candidates.
They compete with one another for sometime before a candidate acceptable to all emerges.
The alternating rule was established owing to a historical incident.
The stool belonged to the Adzovia clan. The Bate clan acquired succession rights as reward for a service performed by Togbui Adeladzea for his mother’s brother (Uncle) Sri the founder of the Adzovia clan.
According to the history of the Anlo heritage, when the Dogbos were fleeing Nortsie they forgot to carry an ivory stool (NYIDUZI) which is the soul of the people and the rain making stone Tsikpe, which were bequeathed to Sri I by his father Adza Asimadi through Adela Blebua.
The absence of these items was said to have brought calamity to the Anlo state at appoint in history and after much divination the gods revealed that unless these items were brought back to Anloland there will be no peace for the people.
Fui, the son of the AWOMEFIA was the ideal candidate to undertake the expedition but his mother and uncle strongly opposed the decision for fear of his life. Adeledzea, the AWOMEFIA’S nephew agreed to go for the items. After two expeditions to Nortsie the mission was accomplished and the items were returned to Anloga. To reward Adzeladzea, Torgbui Sri I decreed that after his death he (Adeladzea) should become the next king but succession should be reversed to his children after Adeladzea’s death. This act of valour by Adeladzea created the rotary system of kinship in Anloga.
The different physical features of Anloga and its surrounding communities provide a multiplicity of economic activities.
The costal strip which is sandwiched between the sea and the Keta Lagoon makes it an important fishing industry. Available statistics indicate that the Anlo coast is more heavily fished than any other West African coast.
Subsistence agriculture is common and crops grown include cassava, maize, pepper, vegetables.
The application of guano and cattle dung to improve the fertility of the heavy clay soil in the neighbourhood of Anloga has given rise to an effective onion [shallot] growing industry.
The mixed economy of Anloga also includes a well-developed kente [kete] weaving industry poultry production and the rearing of pigs [ship, goats] and ducks.
Anlo proper includes the coastal belt lying between Anyanui at the estuary of the Volta Lake, and Blekusu located about five kilometres east of Keta. It also extends north of the Keta Lagoon as far as Abor more than 40 miles.
The Anlo state provided security to its people and fought a number of wars to fend off enemies or gain more territories. The gallantry of the Anlo warriors and statesmen is summed up in the following dictum, “Anlo kotsiklolo, naketi deka nor dzome binu” meaning ‘Anlo, the unified state, one firewood is able to prepare a meal, which translated means (one man has performed the task assigned to many men).
“Before the Germans came, the Ewe land was one stretch of land from the Volta River to the Mano River in Benin.
But when they came, the Germans took hold of Togo and the French took hold of Benin.
They are the same ewe people. As you move along the coast, we have no other language but Ewe,” said Agbotadua Kumassah, spokesperson for the Anlo Chiefs.
