The Adja-Ewe, the majority group in Togo
The Adja-Éwé group comprises several ethnic groups, including the Adja-Tado, Éwé, Xwla-Xwéda and Guin-Mina.
The Adja-Tado live mainly on the banks of the Mono River and around the town of Tado, where they originate. They are a farming people, producing food crops as well as peanuts, oil palm and cotton. According to tradition, the Tado people originated in the Egypt of the Pharaohs. Some of them emigrated to Sudan, where they built the city of Khartoum. A people of emigration, they continued their march towards Nigeria, where they founded the city of Ifé, and later towards Benin, where they joined the Adja and founded a new Khartoum, whose name was gradually changed to Kétou. Some moved further west, founding the Adja-Tado kingdom in the present-day administrative district of Notsé, Togo, while others headed south. Among them, the Néglékpé of Afagnan, the Hwé and the Xwla-Xwéda migrated as far as the coast. Around the 15th century, two major migrations took place, one to the southeast, giving rise to Allada, and the other to the west, giving rise to Notsé. According to legend, during the reign of King Adja-Kpodjin, a dispute broke out between the village notables and their sovereign. To punish them, the sovereign asked the village elders to weave him a rope made of kneaded stone. Most of the villagers realized that the king had decided their doom, so they decided to flee Tado and set off to found the village of Notsé. Situated close to the road, the village of Notsé grew in size and, over the years, became larger than the town of Tado. Salt came from the coast, iron from Tado and slaves from the Atakpamé region. The break-up of the kingdom of Notsé is said to have been due to the tyrannical personality of King Agokoli, described as a violent, cruel prince who harbored a genuine hatred for his subjects. In reality, however, Agokoli seems to have been a dynamic prince who gave a resolutely new twist to his political role by intervening directly in the running of the city, a role that had always been devolved to the city's notables.
As for the Éwé, they originate from Notsé, from where they spread throughout the southern region. They are essentially slash-and-burn farmers. In the mountainous regions of the south-west, they have established coffee and cocoa plantations. In fact, the Éwé spill over into Ghanaian territory, where they make up around 10% of the population. This is how they came to be known as Eweland, which stretches from Togo to Ghana. There are many legends concerning the flight of the Ewe from the town of Notsé and their dispersal. Most recount that the inhabitants fled by piercing an opening in the walls surrounding the town. Others report that this exodus took place in several phases, with Agokoli's consent. It seems that this diaspora first stopped at Gamé, 25 km south of Notsé. The Éwé then dispersed in three directions. To the north, they founded the towns of Kpalimé and Agou, to the south, they built the town of Tsévié, and towards the sunset, they founded the town of Ho (Ghana). A fourth group later left the town of Notsé and settled in the south-east, giving rise to the Ouatchi country.
The Xwla-Xwéda are an ethnic group from southern Togo and Benin. They are said to have left the town of Tado during the reign of Togbé-Anyi to migrate towards the coast, splitting up between the Benin border and the town of Lagos, on the shores of Lake Nokwé. The Xwéda migrated to Ouidha and some to Glidji. The Xwla settled all along the coast, where they founded a veritable kingdom. They were at the origin of cities such as Aflao, Agbodrafo, Aného, Cotonou and Glidji. These two peoples made their living from fishing, but also from the sale of salt.
The Guin-Mina, two ethnic groups originally from Ghana, were driven out by wars. Following a long migration, the Ga arrived on the Accra plain, where they clashed with the Akan. They took refuge in the surrounding mountains and formed the kingdom of Guenygbo. They became involved in the slave trade, under the influence of the Europeans who had settled on the coast. In the 17th century, a new conflict pitted them against the Akwamu settled north of Accra. The Ga were defeated and their chief committed suicide. They then moved eastwards to form a new kingdom, that of Glidji. Following the defeat of the Ga, two princes, Foli Bébé and Foli Hemazro, are said to have left Accra, taking with them two royal thrones, one made of ivory and the other of ebony. After settling near Aného, Foli Bébé was crowned King of Glidji, and his brother went on to found the town of Zowla. Later came a second migration of the Ga, who took their divinities with them. This second wave of emigrants was joined a few years later by a group of Fanti from El-Mina in the Gold Coast (Ghana). Originally from Kumassi, they spread southwards to the coast, where they mixed with the Ga emigrants. The name Mina, which means "mine" in Portuguese, refers to the gold mines in the region. It also refers to a population of Fanti origin who lived in the vicinity of Fort Saint-Georges d'El-Mina, built by the Portuguese. Around 1662, a certain Quam Dessou led a maritime migration to found the town of Aného. Tradition has it that Quam Dessou was a merchant who owned many slaves. Condemned to death, he fled with a few Fanti companions aboard Portuguese boats, bound for Grand-Popo and Ouidah. He was welcomed by Foli Bébé, who allowed him to settle between the sea and the lagoon. Quam Dessou left to gather his relatives and, after his return, he built huts in a place called Agbodjji, "the fortified gate". This settlement was first called the Ané hut and later Petit-Popo. In the early 19th century, the Mina were joined by the La, originally from Labadi, near Accra, who founded Agbodrafo. These peoples of different origins eventually merged. The Guin-Mina now occupy the coastal strip stretching from Agbodrafo to Grand-Popo in Benin. Finally, there are the Adangbé, also originally from Ghana. Although they have assimilated into the Éwé, most have retained some of their traditions, such as the initiation rites for young girls, adifo. They are found mainly on the coastal strip and in villages such as Agotimé, Adangbé and in certain localities near Tsévié.
The Lama, the oldest inhabitants of Togo
The Lama include the Kabyé and all related peoples: the Kouhama, the Logba and the Lamba. The origin myths of these peoples all refer to the appearance of an ancestor from the sky in Farendè, in the Lama Dessi (house of the Lama). According to Farendè tradition, the first Lama, Koumbéritou, descended from the sky at a place called Yorou-Nahori. His descendants then spread throughout the plain, mixing with the native populations. They thus occupied all the mountains and plains of central and north-eastern Togo.
Known as the "stone peasants", the Kabyé are said to be among Togo's oldest populations. The toponym "Kabyé" appeared very late, however, as each group originally bore a name linked to that of its territory. The name Kabyé dates back to the conquest of the Kabyé massif by the Tem, who called the indigenous populations "Kabrè". Colonization definitively fixed this name, extending it to groups in the north and east. The Kabyé live mainly in the prefectures of Kozah and Binah (Kara region). A farming people, they are renowned for their terraced cultivation techniques. They are organized around the têtou, within which lineage-based groups are structured. There is no central authority in this group, with each têtou constituting a political unit in its own right.
The other dominantgroup is the Tem or Kotokoli. This is the most Islamized group in Togo. It is made up of indigenous nuclei joined by immigrant groups of Mola from the Gourma region from the 17th century onwards. They brought with them an embryo of state power in the form of chieftaincies. This political system would later give rise to the kingdom of Tchaoudjo. The Mola completely assimilated with the natives, adopting their language, Tem, and eventually forming a single group. While the Tem are primarily agriculturalists, they have also developed commercial and craft activities. The boom in trade was due to the cola trade, whose route passed through Tchaoudjo, and to local production of manufactured goods and handicrafts. The Tem excel in weaving and shoemaking.
The Anoufom, a warrior people originally from Côte d'Ivoire, also known as Tchokossi, arrived in the Mango region in the second half of the 18th century and founded the kingdom of Sansanné-Mango. The name Tchokossi was originally a military term meaning "to stand back and attack". The reasons for the migration of these people are not well known, but it is thought that they were summoned for their warlike qualities by King Mamproussi of Nalégriou (north-west Ghana), to quell the rebellion of the Gurma of Kantindi. After settling in Kondjogo and subduing most of the population of the northern Oti plain, they gradually extended into Komkomba, Kabou and Bassar country, giving rise to new chiefdoms subject to Mango. The subjugated peoples paid heavy tribute, as village communities had to perform numerous services and provide large quantities of millet, oxen or sheep. There were no representatives of the king in the dominated territories, and the conquered peoples retained their chiefs and deities. When the Anoufom settled in Mango, the town, located at the crossroads of three major caravan routes, was already an important trading center. Kola nuts, salt, fabrics, livestock, handicrafts and slaves all passed through Mango.
The Koumaha live in the northeast of the Kabyé mountains. According to legend, Kouhalo and his wife Akota descended from the mountain of Téré and had six sons who founded the six villages that make up Kouhalo country. These villages were originally located in the mountains, but as arable land dwindled, the population gradually left the heights.
The Lamba are concentrated in the Kéran and Doufelgou prefectures. They are thought to have originated in Farendè and passed through Niamtougou and Défalé, where they drove out the local populations or assimilated with them. Finally, the Logba live in the Kémèrida region of Togo. According to tradition, they came from the Lama country in the northwest. These groups later mixed with others of diverse origins. Unlike the other Lama, the Logba had created political structures. Political authority was embodied by a person chosen alternately from Boumdo and Koumdé, and recognized as such by all Logba groups.
The Para-Gourma, an organization in chiefdoms
This group is made up of different groups, including the Moba-Gourma group, which was formed from an original nucleus, the Moba, to which were added immigrants from neighboring countries, including the Mossi, the Gurma (southeast Burkina Faso) and the Mamproussi (northern Ghana). The Gourma brought with them a system of political organization that gave rise to chieftaincies. The Moba-Gourma are mainly found in the Dapaong region. They include the Natchaba, Dyé, Konkonba, Tamberma and Bassar. The Moba are concentrated mainly in the Tône and Oti prefectures.
It is difficult to determine the true indigenous character of these populations, which seem to have been dispersed among immigrant clans such as the Gourma, Mamproussi or Mossi. The Gourma are not indigenous populations, but migrants who came from Burkina Faso as a result of political dissension. Prior to their arrival, the country was inhabited by the Moba in the west and the Dyé in the east. The Gourma subdued all the Moba, with the exception of those under the Mamproussi. They established powerful principalities, keeping the Moba as vassals. The Betanmariba are settled in the northeast of the Kéran prefecture. They are also found in Koutougou, in the Doufelgou prefecture. They claim to originate from Dinaba, in Benin, although in some groups myths of "descent from the sky" can be found, as with the Lamba. This society is defined by its authentic character, thanks to the faithful preservation of its traditions. The age structure bequeathed by the ancestors is still the benchmark. They live in dwellings, called takienta, which are designed as small forts with a single opening. This was originally a warrior habitat, designed to provide effective protection. The Bassar country was occupied very early on by clans claiming to be indigenous. These nuclei were joined, probably from the 16th century onwards, by closely related linguistic elements from the Gourma and Oti basins. Later, other elements of Lamba, Kabye and Anoufom origin were added to form the Bassar group. The Bassar were highly respected craftsmen who mastered the art of ironmaking and whose alliances were highly valued. If we can speak of the emergence of a "Bassar entity", comprising the communities of the East (Bassar, Kalanga, Kabou) and those of the West (Bandjéli, Bitchabè, Dimouri), whose common foundation was the use of the same language and the spiritual role they recognized in the Bassar "kings" through the protective divinity Barba Bassar, we cannot really speak of the emergence of a centralized power in the region. Indeed, the Nakata, who held power in Bassar, were never able to subdue or protect other localities.
The ethnonym "Tchamba" is a distortion of the term used by the Tem to designate the Tchamana people. Tchamba was founded in the first half of the 18th century by Obwê Tchêtiré, of the Laré clan. Originally from Katchamba, in Konkomba country, he left his homeland in search of new hunting grounds. On the way back, he stopped at Alibi, where the chief welcomed him and settled him on the present-day site of Tchamba. He was later joined by his brother and other clans of Bariba, Tem, Mandingo and Bassar origin. A common language, the emergence of centralized power and Islam were the elements that forged the identity of the Tchamba people. Social organization was based on the clan and lineage. The obwé, the chief, was assisted in his duties by a council made up of lineage chiefs and notables from the various clans. The penetration of Islam was spurred on by Muslim traders in the cola trade. Tchamba was indeed an important locality on the southern axis of this caravan trade.
The Dyé occupy the eastern part of the Oti basin. They are thought to have originated from the village of Djébouri, from where they dispersed under pressure from the Gourma and Anoufom peoples. The term "Dyé" originally referred to the populations of the Djé Gando canton, but was eventually extended to the rest of the region's populations. The Natchaba, on the other hand, originate from the Mandouri region and are the product of an ethnic mix. Under pressure from the Gourma, they assimilated with certain populations living further south. Today's Natchaba are a mixture of Dyé and Gourma.
Minority ethnic groups
There are a number of minority ethnic groups in Togo, including the Ana-Ifé, Akposso and Adélé. Representing around 3% of the population, the Ana-Ifé live mainly in the Atakpamé region and south of Tchamba. They originate from the city of Ifé and are descended from the Yorouba. Akposso society is made up of five groups: the Litimé, Ouwi, Ikponou, Logbo and Ouma. Among the Akposso, there are two different versions of their origins. The first is based on "autochthony" and makes Adbogboli the place of origin of the Akposso ancestor. The second makes Akposso-Koubi the place of settlement of the Akposso of Notsé, who fled the tyranny of King Agokoli. Other groups then immigrated to the sub-region. Next, the Akébou are mostly small-scale farmers living in the mountains of Middle Togo. The Akébou were settled by local indigenous populations, who were joined by immigrant populations such as the Éwé, Anyanga and Ntribou. To coordinate this disparate group, the original communities set up a centralized power structure around the Lonfo chiefdom. Legend has it that the god of the Adélé (Ouroubwaré) sent four men and three women down from the sky on a rope, bringing with them the primordial techniques of pottery, spinning, basketry, weaving and blacksmithing. Towards the beginning of the 19th century, demographic pressure led to several migrations, resulting in the foundation of new villages. The Ntribou, who live mainly in Ghana, are also present in Togo, in two villages on the Adélé plateau: Digingé and Abosomkopé. Digingé was founded by an ancestor named Boïsa. Abosomkopé does not appear to have been founded by this same ancestor or his descendants, but by members of a related group, a certain Gounou, who is said to have had two sons, one of whom founded the town of Abosomkopé. The Bogo people are also known as Ahlon. Their origins are difficult to determine, as there are many different traditions. According to some, the Bogo people are the result of miscegenation between the Issassoumè clan and several other clans that immigrated. According to others, they come from Ilé-Ifè, in Yorouba country, or from Notsé. The Fon and Mahi of the Atakpamé region come from Savalou, in Benin. Their migration was probably due to pressure from the kings of Agbomé (Benin), who were looking for new land and slaves.
