16th century – 18th century
Notsie and the Volta region
The Ewe dispersal from Notsie was a major migration beginning in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century. In response to the rule of King Agokoli, the Ewe left Notsie in two main groups: southern Ewe communities moved toward the coast, while northern or interior groups occupied central and northern parts of the southern Volta region. Continued fission and settlement expansion shaped Ewe communities throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
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The Story
The Ewe migrations from Notsie were described as the most dramatic movements affecting the peoples of Lower Guinea. They began in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century, when Ewe communities left in order to escape the tyrannical rule of their king, Agokoli. The migration divided into two principal directions, creating distinct southern and interior trajectories.
The southern Ewe moved toward the coast, while the northern or interior Ewe occupied central and northern parts of what is now the southern Volta region. These movements were not completed in a single episode. Sub-groups continued to separate from the main communities and founded additional settlements, producing an extended process of fission and diffusion.
The dispersal continued throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and helped establish Ewe communities across a broad zone between Notsie, the Volta interior, and the coast. Unlike many Akan migrations into densely populated areas, Ewe and Ga-Adangbe groups moving into more sparsely populated spaces were able to preserve their ethnic and linguistic identity, according to the extract.
16th century – 18th century
Notsie and the Volta region
The Ewe dispersal from Notsie was a major migration beginning in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century. In response to the rule of King Agokoli, the Ewe left Notsie in two main groups: southern Ewe communities moved toward the coast, while northern or interior groups occupied central and northern parts of the southern Volta region. Continued fission and settlement expansion shaped Ewe communities throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Continue exploring
The Story
The Ewe migrations from Notsie were described as the most dramatic movements affecting the peoples of Lower Guinea. They began in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century, when Ewe communities left in order to escape the tyrannical rule of their king, Agokoli. The migration divided into two principal directions, creating distinct southern and interior trajectories.
The southern Ewe moved toward the coast, while the northern or interior Ewe occupied central and northern parts of what is now the southern Volta region. These movements were not completed in a single episode. Sub-groups continued to separate from the main communities and founded additional settlements, producing an extended process of fission and diffusion.
The dispersal continued throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and helped establish Ewe communities across a broad zone between Notsie, the Volta interior, and the coast. Unlike many Akan migrations into densely populated areas, Ewe and Ga-Adangbe groups moving into more sparsely populated spaces were able to preserve their ethnic and linguistic identity, according to the extract.