The Structure of Titled Offices among the Abutia Ewe

Abstract

Opening ParagraphThe Abutia Ewe form one of what the British colonial administrators dubbed the ‘traditional areas’, over one hundred of which are said to compose the Ewe people or Eweland. These Ewe traditional areas lie in the southern half of the Volta Region (in Ghana) and in southern Togo. Although much has been written about the Ewe, little is known about the political organisation of the inland areas, north of the coastal savanna. In fact, most authors have treated the Ewe as if they were thoroughly homogeneous and could be analysed as one ethnic group or one society, only acknowledging variations between the north and south, not considered significant enough to make them completely different groups (Spieth 1906; 1911; Westermann 1935; Ward 1949; Manoukian 1952; Nukunya 1969; Friedländer 1962; Asamoa 1971 amongst many others). And yet I contend that the northern areas are as distinct from the southern ones as they are from the Akan populations. As a result, none of the present available literature is particularly useful as a paradigmatic model of the northern areas' political organisation.

Political sovereignty, village reproduction and legends of origin: a comparative hypothesis

“…This idea seems to be corroborated by the ethnographic facts. Anlo (and the coastal divisions on the whole) number many more villages than the northern village leagues (this is how I defined the northern polities -Verdon 1980a). This discrepancy can directly be attributed to the rate of village reproduction.…”

“…Selon l'auteur, cette interpretation du type de gouvernement Ewe ne s'applique pas aux groupes du nord (de l'interieur des terres), ou les villages semblaient etre souverains. L'auteur a deja elabore cette hypothese dans des publications precedentes (Verdon 1979(Verdon , 1980a et il en 6tend ici le champ d'application en montrant comment cette idee de souverainete villageoise explique beaucoup d'autres traits de l'organisation sociale des Ewes d'Abutia, un groupe de l'interieur des terres.…”

“…In this attempt to understand the precolonial Abutia polity, I was led to a redefinition of 'political sovereignty' (Verdon 1980a), basing myself on the analytical distinction between simple or elementary groups, on the one hand, and 'aggregated groups' on the other (Verdon 1980b). One thus gains membership of elementary groups only, and these elementary groups are themselves aggregated into more inclusive units which, analytically speaking, are 'groups of groups'.…”

Re-defining pre-colonial Ewe polities: the case of Abutia

“…By 'sovereignty', however, I mean something radically different from the political philosophers' and many ethnographers' notion. In another publication (Verdon 1980) I have distinguished analytically between simple or elementary groups, on the one hand, and 'aggregated groups' on the other. One gains membership of elementary groups only.…”

Mystical Protection among the Anlo Ewe

“…10. See Verdon (1979) for a description of the contrasting northern Ewe. See Nukunya (1%9b) for Anlo Ewe social organization.…”