Ewe people of Ghana, Togo, Nigeria , Benin and Ivory Coast.

Ewe People also known as Evê can be found in Ghana, Togo, Benin, some parts of Nigeria and Ivory Coast, they are part of the Gbe Speaking People and related to the Fon, Mina and Aja people.  

According to Professor Amenumey he claimed they originally came from Ketu in Dahomey Present day Benin which is considered as a Yoruba area, they were eventually forced which led to migration from eastward as a result of the expansions others claimed the Eweland extended from the mono river on the western border of Dahomey Present day Benin across Present day Togo and into the present day southeastern Ghana which is believed to be formely British Togoland as far as the volta river, from the south to the north and extend from the coast into the heavily forest hills. 

According to an Ewe writer he also claimed the Ewe has its origins at the niger river to the northeast of their present day location just before the coming of the British, French and Germans in the 19th Century it is said they were persistently attacked from north west in 1884, when the German protectorate of Togoland was established they were divided up between both British and German territory after the world war l from 1914- 1918 with the legacy of nations divided Eweland granted territory mandates to both Britian and France in 1945, the league of nations was dissolved and united nations was formed.  

According to Anthropologist Dr. Dzameshie they were part of the Oyo Kingdom which was founded by the Yoruba people of Nigeria in Ille Ife, Western part of Nigeria during this Kingdom the Ewe, Yoruba, Ga, Mina and Fon were part of this Kingdom wars took place in 1300s, many of them fled to Ketu in Present day Benin to the west then in the late 1400s they moved into two large groups including Ewe and people who were not Ewe and settled in Tado in present day Togo and even further west the second group fled from Ketu and settled at Tado before they settled in Notsie,Togo around 1600s it is believed the second group were Anlo, Gbi spelled Be and Agu she claimed they came and formed what is known as the Ewe others claimed they settled in Badagry, Nigeria and where a small population of Ewes in Ivory Coast from Notsie.

 Ewe settled in the Southern part of Ivory Coast and from Notsie settled in their present day homeland in the Volta, during slavery the Europeans such as British and French captured them into slavery to the Americas and Carribeans, places like Puerto Rico, U.S.A, Guatemala, Venezuela, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Dominica ,Haiti and other parts of the Carribeans and Americas sold into slavery.  

During the late 1800s it is said Ghana was controlled by the British from 1850- 1885 but in 1884, Britian and Germany decided that they would split the land and rule then Germany had controlled the Ewe area.

 According to Anthropologist E. Ofori Akyea he made people understand in his book that Ewe and Yoruba are the same he went into details about the culture, symbolism and how the Yoruba aspects of governmental systems were borrowed and the leadership which is Awoamefia and Yoruba have similarities. 

 Asogli Ewe people traced their origins to Abyssania which is now modern day Ethiopia it is said they migrated with other Ewes from Abyssania to Oyo in ille Ife, Western Nigeria then migrated to Ketu in what is now Benin then later settled in Notsie, Togo around the 12th Century.

 Nortise had a ruler called Torgbui Agorkoli under the leadership of Torgbe Kakla they broke through a portion of the fortified for all Ewe to escaped then Torgbe Kakla and his people broke the wall after softening it through a planned and persistent splashing of water, then during the settlements it is claimed Torgbe Kakla and his people broke away from a large group and settled in what is now Komedzrale near Present day Ho in Volta, Ghana they were engaged in farming and hunting, he had three children called Akoe, Letsu, Asor and Esu it is said Komedzrale lands gradually lost their fertility and could not help with any meaningful economic and growing population and migrated futher.  

Ewe music and dances play a big role they perform dances such as Abgadza, Agbekor, Gahu, Gota, Borbor, Adanu Habobo and others dances, Agbadza dance is one of the well known dance which was envolved during the times of war it is performed in Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Benin and some parts of Ivory Coast by Ewe people followed by Agbekor dance is a war dance performed by Ewe in Ghana and some parts of Ivory Coast it was performed by the Ewes before going to war the drummer calls to perform a specific movement songs include Hatsiatsia.  

Gahu dance is perfomed by Ewe people in Togo, Ghana and Nigeria is performed during marriages, wedding, ceremonies, festivals, funeral and other social ocassions, Adanu Habobo is performed only in Benin by Ewe during ocassion it is believed to have its roots among the Yoruba people of Nigeria along with its songs and Gota dance is perfomed by Ewe people is considered to be a community dance the dancers and spectators alike become hypnotized by music until the drummers suddenly stop is performed along with other dances during ceremonies and Jazz in some parts of Cuba have Ewe roots and other roots in other parts of Africa.

Source: Selikem Okatakyie