The Mawu and the mountains: some historical and cartographical notes

The Mawu of present-day Akpafu relate in their oral histories that their ancestors lived in the mountains between their current location and the Volta river, in an area currently known as the Togo Plateau. Names they use for this area include Mawu kùbe (‘Mawu mountain’) and Àwubeame (‘in the Mawu mountains’). Hunters who frequented the area told me they were familiar with several ìkpakpi (historical settlements). Here I synthesize information from historical maps, scientific literature, oral traditions, and my own trips with Mawu community members. First some context. The Togo Plateau area was mapped in 1913 by German colonial official Grüner and was declared a forest reserve in 1931. In the notes accompanying his map Grüner provides interesting historical and geographical details that allow us to match to some still-transmitted oral traditions. On Grüner’s map, Akpafu is one of the six communities linked to the area. The map is titled “Karte des Sechsherrenstockes” or “map of the…