Getting To Know Ewes Trivia Quiz

Answer: Togo, Benin, Ghana, Nigeria

The Ewe tribes and their relatives in Africa live primarily along the coastal areas of the mid northwestern countries including the Volta area of Ghana (formerly Gold Coast). The language they speak is called Ewe (aka 'Evegbe') and is somewhat related to languages of tribes in the same general area such as the Fon, Phla Phera, Gen and Aja.

These languages belong to the Gbe group, which is in the Kwa family in the Niger-Congo areas. There are approximately 3 million speakers of these and variant languages in the area. Variations in Ewe can be heard from one settlement to another, but are mutually intelligible.

Answer: Patrilineal kin

Paternal kin was the usual line of succession, but extended family connections are also very important to the Ewe, as they prefer not to have too high a concentration of power in only one family. During European colonization, parts of then Togoland were held by the British and the French.

After WWI French Togoland was named Togo, and independence was achieved in 1960. While French was the official language in Togo, Ewe and Kabiye are the recognised indigenous languages and are taught in school. There is a considerable amount of flow between French, English and native languages so words and phrases are borrowed wherever needed.

Answer: To look upon the dead

Chiefs may not look upon a corpse's face. They may not have any contact at all with a corpse, but may partake in the funeral ceremonies after burial.
Chiefs are not to drink in public. They must have a clear mind and be aware of their responsibilities as communicators between their living people and their ancestors. The chief keeps his head covered in public.
Chiefs sit on a black stool, while white stools are reserved only for 'honorary' chiefs, those who have been recognised as great contributors to the tribe. Many rituals are designated only to the true chief.

Answer: Weaving of running feet

The design is repeated in different sizes and colors, and looks like modernistic footprints in the sand. The Ewe seem to favor blue, purple, black, tan and green in their weaving, perhaps because those were the available dye colors in their region.

Answer: Noah

Noah's second son, Ham, settled in the Mesopotamian area (now Iraq) after the great flood. Ham is believed to be the ancestor of the Egyptians, Canaanites and Cushites as well. According to Ewe tradition, their ancestors at some point had their languages confused by God before they left Babel (a suburb of Sumeria or Mesopotamia).

When the people followed Gu, their leader, they settled in Egypt where they were joined by many other peoples, including the Jews. There was a severe drought and famine in that time that lasted seven years.

The Ewe adopted the rite of circumcision from the Jews. They named their God Yewe, from Jehovah. They also adopted the rite of pouring libation, which is done usually by chiefs; the libation is poured three times a day in honor of life, ancestors and the one who pours.

The Ewe and others migrated through many areas of northern Africa, including the Sahara Desert, and between 500 and 1200 AD they also lived in Abyssinia (now Ethiopia). Arab invaders drove the Ewe further west where they eventually settled.

Answer: Divination

The Ewe had lost the art of divination which their ancestors had practiced in Babylon. The chiefs among the Ewe were able to recover this lost art called "Ifa" and bring it with them on their travels to preserve it. Divination has been practiced by many civilisations, among whom are the ancient Greeks, Native Americans and many Asian and African tribes. Although dream interpretation is represented in the Bible, divination is forbidden in Islam, Judaism and many Christian sects. 'Sortilege' is the practice of casting bones, shells, coins or other representative objects, and then reading them. Some tribes used hallucinogens such as Morning Glory, Peyote or Jimsonweed to free their minds for visions.
Divination may be obtained from a seer who interprets signs and omens, or from animal innards, sacrifices, augury (such as dowsing), weather phenomena, animal behavior, and so on. It was customary in ancient days for armies to hold off fighting until their seers had prophesied a good outcome. Most renowned of the seers was the Oracle at Delphi, who was not always available and involved a long journey, so minor seers were consulted closer to home.
Bear in mind that communication and knowledge were not available to most people in the old days, so superstition was rampant, and if one prediction was fulfilled that was the one remembered. No internet, cell phones, science, etc.

Answer: Dahomey

They were often called the Dogboawo or Dogbo even after they settled in Togo. The Dogbos lived among the people ruled by King Agorkoli in Notsie and had some conflicts which caused suffering to both tribes. The Dogbo (Ewe) were punished by the king in having to build a fortifying wall around the kingdom that had to be 24 feet high and 18 feet thick.

The building material, a clayey mess called 'swish' was heavily loaded with hedgehog bristles, broken earthenware and thorns. It is claimed that they worked all night and by morning were determined to weaken the wall with water and escape at night by crawling backwards through the openings they created.

Answer: We are on the sand!

Yes, he stated the obvious. The tribes had been through the Sahara Desert, which they named "Ketu" meaning 'grinding sand'. Ketume (inside the grinding sand) and Khartoum are similar. The new land was christened "Kedzi"; it had golden sand. When the leader, Wenya, arrived at their destination he cried, "Menlo!" meaning, "I'm exhausted!" He was at an advanced age by then.

The festival of Hogbetsotso is celebrated every year on November 1st to commemorate the Ewe's long journey from Notsie to Togo.

Answer: Day of the week

Unlike "Dances With Wolves" tribes, the Ewe name a child for the day of the week it was born, postponing the official naming ceremony to the 8th day of life. This becomes confusing if several babies are born at the same time (and this is known to happen in tight-knit groups of people: for example, many women will eventually experience the same menstrual cycle as other women living nearby; therefore the fertile period can very well be the same). Thus it becomes necessary to add things to the day name, such as first one born, larger boy, smaller girl, third child. So, if you're a boy born on a Friday, your first name will be "Kofi"; if another boy comes along that day, you get moved up to Kofiga and the new baby becomes Kofi.

The next name might be Kofivi or Kofitse. Girl's names are very different, but I believe the tribe can tell boys from girls without that distinction.

A girl born on Friday could be named "Afua", "Afi" or "Afiwa" until another one comes along. Many people keep their day names for life and use their proper name only on official papers. U.N. Secretary-General (1997-2007) Kofi Atta Annan, was born in Ghana.

His name means 'born on a Friday'. He was a twin, which is rare in that area and greatly admired, but his sister later passed away of unknown causes.

Answer: Remote from daily affairs

Mawu and Lisa are the creator/creatress and are not concerned with the daily doings of the Ewe. There are many secondary gods each worshipped in his own way.
Ewe believe in spirit ancestors and use divination.
The Ewe also have a complex set of rules for making music with different size drums, from the great barrel-sized 'grandfather' drums, on down to the little 'baby' ones. These drums are decorated lavishly and have a hierarchy of their own. The Ewe also have many ritualistic dances for men and women separately or apart. The "Adevu" celebrates hunting and placates the spirit of the animal so it won't come back to hurt anyone. The "Agbadza" is a war dance, mostly used for practicing maneuvers. Many of the original Ewe dances are now performed as a means of entertainment alone, including the "Gota" which uses the calabash (drum of the dead) and is played at funerals.