THE EWE PEOPLE OF GHANA

 The Ewes trace their routes from Nigeria. They settled at Ketu in Benin. From Ketu, they furthered to Notsie in Togo. It was in Togo that their troubles begun. In Togo, they were ruled by a king called Agorkoli. Togbui Agorkoli ruled the people of Ꜫwɛ. “Togbui” means a king in the Ewe language. They were referred to as WƐGBƐ because they were believed to have migrated from a place which was a valley. And in the language of the Valley people, a valley is “Ɛwɛ” which came to stay as the name of the people. And in Ɛwɛ, a language is said as “Ɛgbɛ” thus the word “wɛgbɛ” came to stay as the name and language of the people.

The people of Ɛwɛ suffered from the wicked rule of Togbui Agorkoli so much that they decided to escape from his kingdom. There were then three very huge walls (according to Mr Samuel Bewiadze, IAS UG) around Notsie. The movements of the men were restricted but the women were free to roam so they used that as an advantage. Whenever the women washed, they poured the water on the walls in order to soften it. They did that for days on the second and third walls also. After some weeks, they noticed the walls were soft and thus they could escape. They planned their escape very well that they woke up one midnight, silently broke the walls of Notsie and after it was completely brought down they walked out of Notsie faced-backwards. The intention was to fool Togbui Agorkoli and his men to think that there were rather intruders within the empire.

They got to modern Ghana and decided to celebrate a festival in remembrance of their escape from Notsie. Hogbetsotso came into existence and the Agbadza dance, with its backward dance movements was to mark and remember their escape from Notsie.

Before they got to Ghana, they divided themselves into three groups. One group came and made their settlement around Kpando. The next group also settled at the Ho areas. The third group, led by Amega Wenya settled at the Keta-Anlo areas (the south). One town, settled around the coasts and they claimed the Ada salt mine since it was close to their settlement. The Dangmes were not willing to give up their priced possession so they sent messages throughout the Ga-Dangme kingdom which led to a war. The war lasted terribly that the Ewes gave up. They later settled their differences with the Dangme people and peace was established among them. This peace even led to the Dangmes uniting with Ewe people through marriages and thus till date, the Dangmes are very good Ewe speakers and even have Ewe names and the vice versa.

The Ewe group that settled with the Dangme people around the Keta lagoon were named Tɔŋhu in the Ewe language which means River Dwellers. This name came to be accepted by the Dangmes as Pahelii which is how the people of Ada, a Dangme speaking community call the Ewe people. So the Tonhu people have adopted and they celebrate the Ada Asafotufiami festival as theirs.

The people of Wεgbε finally settled in Ghana and they occupied a vast territory which we currently call the Volta Region. They actually consist of minor but quite distinct dialectic groups which would number about thirty-two (32). These small groups all come together to form the big Wεgbε ethnic group. These dialectic groups are quite distinct in their various dialects but then they are still seen as one people. There is one particular dialect Anlo (Aŋlɔ) which is learnt by all the dialectic groups to serve as a common language among them.

Then again, according to one Atsu Prince from Adidome, he furthered that the Ewe land is blessed with the highest mountain in Ghana at Liati-Wote. And that Liati simply means climb and Wote is coined from the Ga language that is “wɔ tee” meaning “let’s go.” So then the meaning of Liati-Wote is “climb, let’s go” to express the climbing activities on the mountain.

I would like to address the Nkonya versus Alavanyo war in this book. The cause of the war is of no importance to this book but the need for peace is what the author of the book wishes for the people of Ewes to look at. Where there is peace, there is progress. Where peace fails to exist, there is retardation. Please, let us try to end this war so that the next generation can strive to develop the Volta Region rather than to think of killing neighbours.

Nkonyas are Guans and they have co-existed with the Ewes for long. And together with the Ewes, they can achieve a lot so let us focus on that rather.

THE STORY OF AYIGBE

According to history, as the Ga-Dangmes were migrating to Ghana, one story has it that some of the Ga people decided to make Anehor, a fishing community in southern Togo their home. Later, a delegation from Accra was sent to bring them to Ghana as the Ga people had acquired a new settlement in Ghana. The then chief of Anehor Nii Matsɛ Ayi received the delegates from Ghana but refused to migrate with his people to Ghana. One side of the story says the King refused the proposal by speaking Ewe which the Ghanaians could not understand and it was misinterpreted by the Ghanaians as Ayigbe.

The other side of the story goes that the elders said to the Ghanaians as Ayi mɛ gbɛ meaning “Ayi refused” thus, the Ghanaians went home with a corrupted version of Ayi mɛ gbɛ and said Ayigbe.

Yet another account to the history is that some people from Nungua and Ga-Mashie went to Togo and made settlement there so in case there is war in Ghana, fellow Ga-Dangmes could migrate and settle there. After about three hundred years, a delegation was sent to Anexor to bring them to Ghana but the King as at then, Nii Matsɛ Ayi refused the proposal by speaking Ewe which the Ghanaians could not understand and the elders said to the Ghanaians as Ayi mɛ gbɛ meaning “Ayi refused” thus the Ghanaians went home with a corrupted version of Ayi mɛ gbɛ and said Ayigbe.

Currently at Anehor, there are efforts to revive the Ga language there; this is because for the past few years, the Anehor people have accepted their roots and they come to Nungua to celebrate the Homowo festival in July every year. They also come to British-Accra when traditional rites during the Homowo are also being performed. As a result of that, efforts are being made to revive the speaking of Ga at Anehor.

TOGBUI TSALI

 According to sources, the Ewes were under the wicked rule of Togbui Agorkoli. They sought to escape but then it was quite impossible until they were able to use their women as an advantage. This was because the town in which they were had three very thick walls made of clay with the gates at very different directions. Atsu Prince from Adidome furthered that the walls were not only made of clay but then there were metallic, wooden and glass materials all mixed with clay to make the wall very strong.

The movement of the men were restricted whereas the women were free to move. So they used the women as an advantage. Anytime the women washed or urinated, they poured it on the walls. They found and created excuses to be able to get to the second and third walls and they made sure they did same to those walls. The walls eventually softened and were ready to be broken; that was when they planned their escape. They escaped at mid-night. In the course of their escape from the town, they walked backward so to mislead the people to think that there are intruders within the city.

King Agorkoli later realized some people were out of the town but then they were long gone. In their movement they divided themselves to three groups. One of the three groups settled in the Ho areas. The second group in the Kpando areas and finally the third group settled around the Keta areas. Togbui Tsali is said to have led the raid in pursuit of the escapees but then he later migrated and joined the Keta people. It is said years later, that there was a severe famine in the Ewe lands that Togbui Tsali seized that opportunity to weed his farm and he casted a spell so that it rained only on his farm. He practised the art of magic and he used his magical powers to enchant his seeds to grow the same day and he would sell his instant produce to the people. That continued for some time but the people of Keta and its environs were not happy as he took advantage of the famine and by so doing they sought to kill Togbui Tsali.

They managed to capture him, killed him and cut him to pieces and they buried him.  After three days he was seen in his lazy chair smoking his pipe. The people managed to capture him again and tied a stone to his neck and submerged him in the Volta Lake. Later three women went to fetch water and they saw Togbui Tsali sitting at the back of a crocodile and it was swimming towards them. He said “nɔwo mikpɔ mivi la” meaning “mothers behold your son”.

He saw that age was catching up with him and he taught his son the arts of magic and sorcery. His son wanted to test his powers and to perhaps challenge his father. Thus, he transformed himself into a hawk. According to sources, Togbui Tsali had stomach ache and he removed his intestines and washed it thoroughly after which he hanged on a dry line.

One of my sources stated that his son came to steal his father’s intestines, shape-shifted into a bird and flew with it but then he could not find any tree to perch on except one mahogany which was actually Togbui who had transformed himself to that because he had caused all the trees to vanish. He collected his intestines back.

Another source went on to explain that as his son flew with Togbui Tsali’s intestines, Togbui casted a spell to make all trees small before his eyes so his son could not find any tree to rest on and that Torgbui traced him and collected his intestines back. His only words to him were that “I may have taught you much but then I did not teach you everything.”

 Later he saw death was catching up with him so he decided to do something for his town. He took out his jaws and he used it to establish a shrine which till date is at Tsiame.