lot or destiny) in life. Therefore, whatever happens
to one depends on one’s choice of ori when one
was making one’s choice (akunleyan).
Deji Ayegboyin and Charles JegedeSeealsoAncestors; Yoruba
Further Readings
Ade, D. P. (2000).Esu:The Invisible Foe of Man. Ijebu-
Ode, Nigeria: Shebiotimo Publications.
Fadipe, N. A. (1970).The Sociology of the Yoruba.
Ibadan, Nigeria: Ibadan University Press.
O’Donovan, W. (1996).Biblical Christianity in Africa
Perspective. Carlisle, UK: Paternoster.
Okafor, R. C., & Emeka, L. N (2002).Nigerian Peoples
and Culture. Enugu, Nigeria: New Generation Books.
EWE
The Ewe people are found in three different coun-
tries in West Africa: Ghana, Togo, and Benin. This
distribution over these three national territories
resulted from the fragmentation of the African
continent that took place during the Berlin
Conference in 1884–1885.
The Ewe people are patrilineal. They are
composed of several clans, defined in relation to a
common male ancestor. Furthermore, branches of
the clans or lineages also trace their ancestry back
to a shared male ancestor. Each lineage is charac-
terized by its own symbols and ancestral shrine,
and it assumes collective ownership of property.
Stools are particularly important because they are
often carved with great care and provide a rich
narrative about the clan in question. Furthermore,
during rituals, the clan stool serves as the place to
which ancestral spirits may be called. This entry
looks at their historical background, deities, and
rituals related to life passages.
Historical NarrativesAccording to Ewe oral tradition, their present-day
location was not the original home of the Ewe. It
is widely accepted that the Ewe migrated from a
place called Kotu or Amedzowe, east of the Niger
River, and settled around 1500 in Notsie, a region
of what is now Togoland. From Notsie, however,
they had to escape in a quite dramatic fashion.
Indeed, whereas King Adela Atogble of Notsie
extended his hospitality to the Ewe newcomers
and treated them with kindness, his successor,
King Ago Akoli, was not so generous and wel-
coming. In fact, he was quite hostile toward them
and treated them with much ruthlessness. One of
the most terrible things that he is said to have
done was to put to death all Ewe elderly men and
women. This he allegedly did to deprive the Ewe
people of the knowledge of their history.
The Ewe nonetheless managed to save one
elderly man, Tegli, by hiding him in a secret place.
It is eventually Tegli who conceived a clever plan
that would allow his people to escape the tyranny
of King Ago Akoli. From Notsie, the Ewe found
their way to a town called Tsevi, in Togoland.
There, they split into different groups and trav-
eled separate paths. One of the subgroups became
the Anlo Ewe of Ghana. Today, the Ewe com-
memorate and celebrate their heroic escape from
Notsie every year during a festival known as
Hogbetstoto Za.Major Deities
The Ewe believe in an androgynous (i.e., both
female and male) supreme God, whom they call
Mawuga Kitikana, or simply Mawu. God created
the world and everything in it. Mawu Kitikana’s
power is absolute, and its presence permeates all
that is. Mawu is venerated through intermediary
secondary divinities calledTrowo. The Trowo are
similar to the Vodun venerated by the Fon, to
whom they are culturally related. Mawu is held
to be the mother and father of all the Trowo. There
are many Trowo, but some are obviously more
important and, hence, more popular than others.
Among the main Trowo, one must certainly
mention Afa, the divinity of divination. The Ewe
Afa is the same as the Yoruba Ifa deity of divina-
tion and originated in Ilé-Ifè. Afa devotees must
undergo a special initiation. Divination being the
preferred epistemological mode among Ewe reli-
gious followers, Afa naturally plays a central role
in Ewe life. Afa is consulted with the assistance of
a diviner, who relies on a special chain with four
concaves on each side.250 Ewe