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By Carly Ahiable The Anlo people of The event brought 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 According to historians, the original home of all Ewes of
which the Anlo people form part, is traced
traditionally to Oyo in However, Nortsie is seen as the
place of major exodus of the Anlo ancestry. Other
historical accounts have linked Ewes to roots in The 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 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, 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 The forebears of the Dogbos,
after wandering, entered 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 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 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). |