The Ewe people of Ghana are part of the Gbe speaking group made also of the Ga_adamgbe group. These groups co-exist in mainland Togo and have been brotherly people who intermarry. And that is where the name Ayigbe came from.
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Origin of ewe people
That is just by the way but When one crosses the Volta lake towards the West from Anlo he enters Adangbe territory. And that is how it is and was. We were close.
Since leaving Notse the Ɛʋe people decided never to concentrate power in the hands of anyone chief of the village. And this is why, unlike our Fore brothers who maintained their Benin Kingdom until the French invasion we on the other hand just migrate in small groups as villages, family, etc. And settled wherever we please but had a connection with a bigger group that we could call upon in times of war or difficulty. The Ewe people of Ghana, therefore, were like nomads but with a place, they can return to.
The fishermen among the Ewe people also travel along the coast to wherever they could settle or find a good catch. It was one of these fishing escapades that gained the Aflao people the Godigbe festival(let’s talk about it another time).
Settlement
The Ewe people of Ghana have settled in places from Ada through Tema, Accra to the Central region, Western and their settlements dating back to pre-colonial times can be found in Ivory Coast and beyond. Some of these settlements might be less than 120 years but the chunk of them including the settlement called Anloga in Kumasi are over 150 years old and were established when Togbi Karikari was king of the Asantes. The land was a reward for valor and so it belongs to the Anlo people who passed it on to those who live there with some integrating.
So let us not assume that the Ewe people are a single group of people found between the Volta river and the Mon
Why Ayigbe?
Ayigbe simply means Ayi has refused. Ayi is not a Ewe name. Ayi Kushi according to historical narratives is the founder of the Ga state in Ghana. He had a brother who during their migration stopped at Anexo and settled with the Ewe people there over a while he integrated so well with the Ewes that when his brother Ayi Kushi asked that he join him in Accra, the Anexo (Togo) Ayi sent a message through the Ewe people to be delivered. These Ewe messengers came and told Ayi Kushi and his elders that his brother Ayi who has settled in Anexo Togo has refused to bring his stool and join them in Accra. They simply said Ayi gbe. So Ayigbe is not a name for Ewe people of Ghana.
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