Ketu (Benin)
Encyclopedia
Ketu is a historical location in present day Republic of Benin
. It is one of the oldest capitals of the Yoruba
speaking people, tracing its establishment to a settlement founded by a daughter of Oduduwa
, also known as Odudua, Oòdua and Eleduwa. The regents of the town were traditionally styled "Alaketu", and are believed to be related to the Egba
sub-group of the Yoruba people
in present-day Nigeria.
Ketu is considered one of the seven original kingdoms established by the children of Oduduwa in Oyo
mythic history, though this ancient pedigree has been somewhat neglected in contemporary Yoruba historical research, which tends to focus on communities within Nigeria. The exact status of Ketu within the Oyo empire however is contested. Oyo sources claim Ketu as a dependency with claims that the Ketu paid an annual tribute and that its ruler attended the Bere festival in Oyo. In any case, there is no doubt that Ketu and Oyo maintained friendly relations largely due to their historical, linguistic, cultural and ethnic ties.
The kingdom was one of the main enemies of the ascendant kingdom of Dahomey
, often fighting against Dahomeans as part of Oyo's imperial forces, but ultimately succumbing to the Fon
in the 1880s as the kingdom was ravaged. A large number of Ketu's citizens were sold into slavery during these raids, which accounts for the kingdom's importance in Brazilian Candomblé
. Ketu is often known as Queto in Portuguese orthography.
traditions refer to Ketu as Amedzofe
("origin of humanity") or Mawufe ("home of the Supreme Being"). It is believed that the inhabitants of Ketu originally belonged to the Oyo
people of Nigeria
and were pressed westward by a series of wars between the 10th and the 13th centuries. In Ketu, the ancestors of the Gbe
speaking peoples (Fon
, Aja
, etc.) separated themselves from other refugees and began to establish their own identity, but were pressed even further westward by the Yoruba
during the 14th and 15th centuries.
Republic of Benin
The short-lived Republic of Benin, in Nigeria's coastal Bight of Benin, was named after its capital Benin City. It was known as Mid-Western state in Nigeria until August 1967 when it was occupied by Biafra as its forces advanced towards Lagos...
. It is one of the oldest capitals of the Yoruba
Yoruba language
Yorùbá is a Niger–Congo language spoken in West Africa by approximately 20 million speakers. The native tongue of the Yoruba people, it is spoken, among other languages, in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo and in communities in other parts of Africa, Europe and the Americas...
speaking people, tracing its establishment to a settlement founded by a daughter of Oduduwa
Oduduwa
Oduduwa Omoluabi, Olofin Adimula, Emperor of the Yoruba, phonetically written by his people as Odùduwà and sometimes contracted as Odudua or Oòdua, is generally held among the Yoruba to be the reigning ancestor of the crowned Yoruba kings....
, also known as Odudua, Oòdua and Eleduwa. The regents of the town were traditionally styled "Alaketu", and are believed to be related to the Egba
Egba
The Egba are a clan of the Yoruba people who live in western Nigeria. Many Egba live in the city of Abeokuta, capital of Ogun State.- History :...
sub-group of the Yoruba people
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
in present-day Nigeria.
Ketu is considered one of the seven original kingdoms established by the children of Oduduwa in Oyo
Oyo Empire
The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba empire of what is today southwestern Nigeria. The empire was established before the 14th century and grew to become one of the largest West African states encountered by European explorers. It rose to preeminence through its possession of a powerful cavalry and wealth...
mythic history, though this ancient pedigree has been somewhat neglected in contemporary Yoruba historical research, which tends to focus on communities within Nigeria. The exact status of Ketu within the Oyo empire however is contested. Oyo sources claim Ketu as a dependency with claims that the Ketu paid an annual tribute and that its ruler attended the Bere festival in Oyo. In any case, there is no doubt that Ketu and Oyo maintained friendly relations largely due to their historical, linguistic, cultural and ethnic ties.
The kingdom was one of the main enemies of the ascendant kingdom of Dahomey
Dahomey
Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
, often fighting against Dahomeans as part of Oyo's imperial forces, but ultimately succumbing to the Fon
Fon people
The Fon people, or Fon nu, are a major West African ethnic and linguistic group in the country of Benin, and southwest Nigeria, made up of more than 3,500,000 people. The Fon language is the main language spoken in Southern Benin, and is a member of the Gbe language group...
in the 1880s as the kingdom was ravaged. A large number of Ketu's citizens were sold into slavery during these raids, which accounts for the kingdom's importance in Brazilian Candomblé
Candomblé
Candomblé is an African-originated or Afro-Brazilian religion, practised chiefly in Brazil by the "povo de santo" . It originated in the cities of Salvador, the capital of Bahia and Cachoeira, at the time one of the main commercial crossroads for the distribution of products and slave trade to...
. Ketu is often known as Queto in Portuguese orthography.
Ewe connection
EweEwe people
The Ewe are a people located in the southeast corner of Ghana, east of the Volta River, in an area now described as the Volta Region, in southern Togo and western Benin...
traditions refer to Ketu as Amedzofe
Amedzofe (history)
In Ewe oral history, Amedzofe , literally 'origin/home of humanity', is one of the names for Ketu. Ketu, in present-day Benin, was a central place in the history of the Gbe peoples. The Gbe peoples originally were part of the Yoruba Oyo people of Nigeria, but they were pressed westward by a series...
("origin of humanity") or Mawufe ("home of the Supreme Being"). It is believed that the inhabitants of Ketu originally belonged to the Oyo
Oyo Empire
The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba empire of what is today southwestern Nigeria. The empire was established before the 14th century and grew to become one of the largest West African states encountered by European explorers. It rose to preeminence through its possession of a powerful cavalry and wealth...
people of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and were pressed westward by a series of wars between the 10th and the 13th centuries. In Ketu, the ancestors of the Gbe
Gbe languages
The Gbe languages form a cluster of about twenty related languages stretching across the area between eastern Ghana and western Nigeria. The total number of speakers of Gbe languages is between four and eight million. The most widely spoken Gbe language is Ewe , followed by Fon...
speaking peoples (Fon
Fon people
The Fon people, or Fon nu, are a major West African ethnic and linguistic group in the country of Benin, and southwest Nigeria, made up of more than 3,500,000 people. The Fon language is the main language spoken in Southern Benin, and is a member of the Gbe language group...
, Aja
Aja people
The Aja are a group of people native to south-western Benin and south-eastern Togo.According to tradition, the Aja migrated to southern Benin in the 12th or 13th centuries from Tado on the Mono River and in the early 17th century, three brothers, Kokpon, Do-Aklin, and Te-Agdanlin, fought for the...
, etc.) separated themselves from other refugees and began to establish their own identity, but were pressed even further westward by the Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
during the 14th and 15th centuries.
- c.1500 - Yoruba state moved its capital to Ketu.
- 1886 - Conquered by DahomeyDahomeyDahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
. - 1893 - Restored by France under protectorate.