Togo - Ethnic Groups
The northern ethnic groups, especially the Kabye, dominate the civil and military services while southern ethnic groups, especially the Ewe, dominate the private commercial sector. Relative dominance has been a recurring source of political tension. The ethnic groups of the coastal region, particularly the Ewes (about 21% of the population), constitute the bulk of the civil servants, professionals, and merchants, due in part to the former colonial administrations which provided greater infrastructure development in the south.
The Kabye (16% of the population) live on marginal land and traditionally have emigrated south from their home area in the Kara region to seek employment. Their historical means of social advancement has been through the military and law enforcement forces, and they continue to dominate these services.
The Ewé and Mina in the south, the Kotokoli in the Center, the Kabyés and the Mobas in the north constitute the majority groups. But there are other groups such as the Akposso in the extreme west of the Plateau Region, the Bassar in the center-west, the Tchamba and the Konkombas around Sokodé, the Lambas in the Kanté region, the Haoussa, the Peuhls and the Mossis to the north. Other groups include the Tamberma, the Guins, the Lossos, the Ouatchis and the Gurmas. The mountains of North Togo, beyond the Kara, are occupied by populations organized on the basis of territorial groupings of tribal character. Each grouping is supposed to derive from an ancestor or ancestral group descended from heaven. These groups show remarkable internal cohesion and are almost all characterized by systems of organization of society in age classes which give rise to particular initiations.
Things have changed. First, the appellation of the King is no longer so much in practice, and tribes have returned to the level of tradition. For example, they say to Ouantchin, the King of the Ewes, just as one speaks of the King of the Guins at the level of Aného. Previously it was the kingdoms, but with the advent of the colonial administration and the Republic, the term "traditional chief" is more fashionable. The traditional chief is chiefly responsible for his citizens. Its role is to ensure social cohesion so that peace prevails in the city. It deals with small problems and other conflicts in all areas. The traditional chief is also the main guarantor of the usages and customs.
The Tados
The Tados claim to trace their origins to the Egypt of the Pharaohs. Some of them emigrated from Egypt to Sudan and then to Nigeria (Ife) to reach the last Benin where they joined the " Aja " and founded the city of Ketu. Later, some groups emigrated from Ketou and founded the city of Tado at the origin of the Adja-Tado kingdom . In the vicinity of the 15th century, two large migrations took place: one towards the south-east and the other towards the west, which gave birth to the town of Notsé. This will take over the years the ascendancy over the city of Tado . The coast was from him the salt, Tado the iron, in the region of Atakpame, domestic slaves.
The Ewe
The Ewé population of Southern Togo are from Notsé where they swarmed across the southern part. They dispersed in 3 directions. In the north, where they founded the towns of Kpalimé and Agou , in the south, where they built the town of Tsévié and towards the setting where they gave birth to the city of Ho ( Ghana ). A fourth group later left the city of Notsé and moved southeast to form the country Ouatchi.
The Guin-Mina
The Guin-Mina of South Togo are two ethnic groups originating from the present Ghana , where they immigrated as a result of the ethnic wars. The Guin come from the Gan Kingdom of Accra while the Mina come from Elmina. The name "Mina" comes from Portuguese and means "mine" in reference to the gold mines present in their region of origin. These two groups merged over the years to form a single set. They now occupy the coastal strip stretching from Agbodrafo to Grand - Popo in Benin .
The Xwla-Xweda or Pla
The Xwla are from Tado, the Xweda from Benin. They left the town of Tado during the reign of Togbe-Anyi to emigrate towards the coast. The Xweda emigrated towards Ouidah from others towards Glidji. The Xwla settled on the whole coast, where they founded a real kingdom. They are the origin of cities such as Aflao, Agbodrafo, Aného, Cotonou and Glidji.
The Ifè or Ana
The Ifè or Ana live mainly in the region of Atakpamé and south of Tchamba. They are natives of the city of Ifè and descend from the Yoruba.
The Bassar
The Bassar country was occupied very early by clans claiming to be indigenous. On these nuclei were added very close elements coming from the country Gurma and the basin of the Oti. Later, other elements of origin Lamba, Kabyé and Anoufom came to settle in the region forming "ensemble Bassar". Knowledge of iron metallurgy among the Bassar would go back at least 5 centuries before the colonial period. Possessing the techniques of iron, they were highly respected craftsmen whose alliance was spared.
The Tem or Kotokoli
The other dominant group in this set is the Tem or Kotokoli. It is the most Islamic group in Togo. It is made up of indigenous groups joined by immigrant groups from Mola from the Gurma country. The Losso inhabit the plains between the Kabyé Mountains and the Defalé range . They emigrated numerous towards the region of the Center and that of the Plateaux. Finally, the Tchokossi ( Anoufom ) are located in the region of Mango where they settled after having immigrated from Ivory Coast.
The Kabyes
The Kabyes rank among the oldest populations in Togo. Originally, each grouping bore a name related to its territory. Only with the conquest of the massif Kabyé by the Tems will appear the name of "Kabré" which will be transformed by use in Kabyè. Colonization defined this name definitively and extend it to the groupings of the North and the East. The Kabyes are mainly located in the prefectures of Kozah and Binah ( Kara Region ). This people of cultivators is also called "peasants of stones." This nickname was given to them in reference to their fields, built in terraces, supported by stone walls that avoid the ravinement of the soil. The Kabyes still continue today many ancestral traditions related to initiatory rites such as evala struggles in boys or the Akpéma ceremony among girls.
The Tamberma / Batammariba
The Tamberma are part of the so-called Somba groups in the Natitingou region (Benin). Like the populations of the Atacorian mountains of northern Benin, the Tamberma are characterized by a dispersed habitat of fortified farms (the tatas ), organized in small territorial groups of lineage type, and by cultural traits that they still maintain today. The name "Tamberma" means "the true architects of the earth" or "good masons" in reference to their fortified constructions.
The Koutammakou landscape in north-eastern Togo, which extends into neighbouring Benin, is home to the Batammariba whose remarkable mud tower-houses (Takienta) have come to be seen as a symbol of Togo. In this landscape, nature is strongly associated with the rituals and beliefs of society. The 50,000-ha cultural landscape is remarkable due to the architecture of its tower-houses which are a reflection of social structure; its farmland and forest; and the associations between people and landscape.
Many of the buildings are two storeys high and those with granaries feature an almost spherical form above a cylindrical base. Some of the buildings have flat roofs, others have conical thatched roofs. They are grouped in villages, which also include ceremonial spaces, springs, rocks and sites reserved for initiation ceremonies.
Education, centralization of administrative power, religions, tourism, monetary system and the appearance of new needs have all exercised their influence. Despite these aggressions that tend to unsettle the Tammari society, very strong and motivated centres exist in all the villages that constitute this melting-pot where the essential elements of the Tammari culture mix and persist throughout time and space. Therefore, despite the threat of globalization, expressions of culture and identity persist.
The Moba-Gurma
This group is made up of different groups including the Moba-Gurma group, which was formed from an original nucleus, the Moba, which were joined by immigrant peoples from neighboring countries such as Mossi, Gurma (South-East Burkina Faso ) and the Mamproussi (Northern Ghana). The peasant moba-gurma of the far north of Togo is based on a clan organization and the existence of small customary chiefdoms. The Moba-Gurma are mainly found in the Dapaong region (extreme North, savanna region).
The Peuhls
Many Peuhls of North Togo have settled down. In doing so they adopted the language of their host and sometimes even their ethnic identity.
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