Ewe 101

Bueller… Bueller…

Pay attention my little pupils to today’s lesson because corporal punishment is very culturally appropriate in Ghana and I’d hate to have to break out the stick. Also, there may just be a pop quiz next week on the material covered. But not to worry, this is an important and fun class because today we are learning about Ewe!

The term “Ewe” refers to both the tribe and the language that they speak. Today we will focus on the tribe, its history and its culture. While they are a unique tribe all on their own, it should be noted that they share many cultural and societal norms as the other southern tribes in Ghana (northern tribes can be quite different). I may also remind you before we begin, that I am a fill in professor and what is represented in my lesson today is my observations from a limited time living in Ghana and may not accurately represent every village or community.

The Ewe live primarily in present day Togo and Ghana, but can also be found in Benin. They are the third largest tribe in Ghana with 2.7 million people and live primarily in the southern and central parts of the Volta Region. Predominately Christian, they also have Muslim and Traditional religions represented as well. Farming and fishing are the most common occupations.

According to lore, the Ewe people lived in the town of Notsie (in present day Togo) under King Agokoli, who was cruel and merciless. Worse yet, they were confined to the town by a large mud wall and not permitted to leave. But the Ewe people were smart, so they had the women of the village all throw their used laundry water onto the same spot of the wall to soften it. When the King was asleep, they made a small crack in the weakened clay and walked backwards away from the town to confuse any pursuers. The truth of that story is anybody’s guess, but what is known is that they migrated west from Togo or Benin and settled in Ghana around the 17th century.

The Ewe were involved in the slave trade as both victims and traders. To be honest, I don't know a lot yet about this period of time as it is not generally discussed, but you can still visit castles and slave markets all throughout Ghana, including on the coast of the Volta region.

*WACK* Are you still paying attention? Peace Corps Volunteers aren’t (and shouldn’t be) allowed to corporally punish Ghanaian children, but there’s no rule about family and friends so I trust I have your full attention. Moving on…

Chiefdom is very important to the Ewe people, as it is with most Ghanaian tribes. Every village has at least one chief whose role is to govern the people in his area. The chief (typically a man) is a political figure and in many ways has more authority than locally elected politicians. They lead community projects, resolve disputes, and allocate resources and tasks to different members of the village. In the Ewe tribe, chiefdom is strictly familial but is not passed down as royal titles are in Europe. While you must be a member of the ruling family to be a Chief, the elders of the community decide which member of the family has the best temperament to be the Chief when one is needed. Chiefdom is also hierarchal, as Chiefs are often advised by sub-Chiefs who are also familial, BUT also have to report to Paramount Chiefs, who have even more authority. While I’m still trying to learn about the culture, it would appear to me that it is less hierarchal in Ewe than other Ghanaian tribes, which I know are hierarchal to the point that there is one Chief sitting atop the chain governing the entire tribe (who can be millions of people strong). I haven’t noticed that for the Ewe - instead it seems to end at a very local level. Each village also has a “Queen Mother”, who is typically a woman and whose responsibilities are to assist the Chief and select a new one upon his death.

There can also be Chiefs for specific duties, such as Education Chief or Development Chief that are not necessarily familial. In fact, some volunteers have been given honorary chief titles. Some positions can be left vacant for months or even years. It is also not uncommon to have “run away chiefs”, which is when people who are in contention for an open position literally flee so as to not be chosen because of the responsibility associated with the title. Saying “No” is simply not an option. In some cases, the village elders have to track down the chosen individual and essentially kidnap them to return them to their village for the ceremony. Other villages have long-running disputes about who should be the chief resulting in empty or shared posts. For instance, my Ewe teacher was in a royal family but could not be considered for the chief position because the seat rotates between two families by generation.

You can see the band playing on the left hand side of the above image. The community meeting was supposed to start at 9am, this picture was taken at around 9:50am and the meeting got underway around 10:45am. This is quite common in Ghana but the band was there early!

The Ewe are not all business though. They know have to have fun and express themselves as well. Music is very important, with a heavy emphasis on drumming and brass instruments. In my village the band comprises traditional drums, trumpets and trombones and can be heard practicing every afternoon. They also love to dance, as I experienced during my site visit. They frequently find excuses to dance, including during church and at community meetings. The style they seem to like best involves heavy shoulder and chest movement with their elbows out resulting in an almost chicken-dance like motion.

And finally, how could I not talk about their love of soccer? Almost every village, no matter how small, will have some kind of soccer field with goal posts (although it is rare to see nets). Larger villages and towns will usually have a "Game Center", which is a small room or hut with benches and TVs playing the European and International soccer matches via satellite that you can enter for a small fee. Side note: This is how I was able to follow the election coverage - CNN was included in the satellite package and we rented the game center for a night. I was lucky enough to be here for the AFCON tournament (held once every two years, this time in Gabon). Ghana finished a disappointing 4th. I'll also be here for the World Cup but Ghana will need some help as they are currently on the outside looking in during qualifying.

*BZZZZZZZ*

Well, I guess that's the bell. The professor is out next class as well so I'll be covering the Ewe language during part 2!