This is the first of three articles I am writing to show the connection between the Ewes and how their religious practice known as fiashidi or trokosi helps identify them as part of the twelve tribe kingdom of ancient Israel.
In the first part, I would help you understand what is trokosi, it's origins and how it links the Ewes with the ancient Israelites.
In Part Two, I would talk about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt to the promised land. In fact, I would do more than that. I would reveal a Biblical bombshell recounting how the Israelites after taking possession and settling in the promised land, promptly packed up and returned back to Africa and have remained there since. In Part Two, we would clearly see the Ewes as part of the Israelites who returned to settle in Africa hundreds of years after the exodus from Egypt. This has nothing to do with the story of the Queen of Sheba in the Bible. No, this Biblical account is in fact the story of the second exodus, this time back to Africa for good.
Finally in Part Three I would show how trokosi and other traditions of the Ewes is definitive proof and clearly mark them out as a section of the lost ten tribe kingdom of Israel.
This article is not about holding brief on the rights and wrongs of what goes on in trokosi or fiashidi religious practice. This article is mainly to show the importance of some of our African customs and traditions and why it is important to preserve them if necessary. As you read on, I hope you would come to agree, it is not very clever of some Africans to rubbish our cultures and traditions after listening to self-serving racist foreigners who come to our shores and downplay our beliefs.
There is the need for African sons and daughters to tell our own unique stories. I strongly believe that people who lose their roots, lose their sense of direction as well as their spiritual strength and power. As you read on, I hope you would begin to see the uniqueness and importance of hearing the story from an African son or daughter, instead of listening to strangers who visit our shores to belittle or rubbish our customs and beliefs.
The best way forward is for us to focus on preservation, and the way to do this is to examine the culture or tradition and if it does not serve our modern needs then it can be improved upon or modernized. Calling for the complete abolition of a tradition or culture like trokosi without knowing the full facts behind it's origin and history is nothing short of criminal vandalism.
TROKOSI OR FIASHIDI
Trokosi also known as Fiashidi has been bandied about on GhanaWeb for some years now and generally used to demonize Ewes. I feel it is time someone did a proper investigation to start an intellectual analysis and informed debate on the subject.
I must admit the first time I heard about Trokosi was on GhanaWeb when the resident tribal hate mongers were using it to castigate Ewes and whip up a hate campaign against them like the Nazis did to the Jews before massacring them.
Ewes at the receiving end of this barrage and hate campaign seemed at a loss as how to defend themselves. This was very surprising to me until I realized one fundamental truth.
Most Ewes have no clue or knowledge of what is trokosi or fiashidi. They have never heard of it let alone seen it in practice.
This is because many modern day Ewes were not born in Eweland, but rather many have been born and brought up in other parts of Ghana and everywhere else but Eweland. Because of this, the word Trokosi is completely foreign and alien to them, as it would be to any other Ghanaian who is not familiar with trokosi.
Another reason why many Ewes have never heard of Trokosi or Fiashidi is because it is a religion - a very rare religion. If you do not belong to a particular religion, how would you know what they believe or practice let alone defend it?
The Ewe silence on fiashidi or trokosi was quite understandable because contrary to what we have been led to believe, trokosi is a religious practice and rare. It is not prevalent among Ewes as the hate mongers would have us believe. It is hard to come across trokosi in the Volta region, it is there but one has to search for it in other to find it. It is not something you stumble upon immediately one enters Eweland.
Based upon my research I found these were the reasons why most Ewes here on GhanaWeb were at a loss as to how to respond and defend trokosi.
Bearing in mind this is a religious practice and the rarity of it, my suspicions were aroused because of the degree of noise about it's practice. It was not hard to see that there was something more than met the eye behind the hullabaloo. It was clear that the tribal hate mongers had an agenda and Ewes were the target of their mischief. Reading between the lines, the agenda was simple - to demonize Ewes for Political gain and damn the consequences.
It was pure unadulterated evil behavior and one has to say Rwanda comes to mind when you watch the tribal hate mongers at work on the Ewes. The same tactics of demonizing neighbors for political gain, was used by the Hutu Interahamwe militia to start the civil war and massacre in Rwanda.
As I said earlier, the first time I came across the word Trokosi, was on GhanaWeb and since then I set about to find out what the noise was all about. What I found out was a revelation.
The difference between me and the hapless Ewes under attack was that, upon my understanding of trokosi, I recognized it immediately for what it was because I had read about it many times in the Bible. I was like the movie character archeologist Indiana Jones, who upon seeing an artifact recognized the significance of it, while all around had no clue as to the importance of what they held in their hands. When I read about trokosi, I immediately recognized the overwhelming significance of it and and how it can help a section of black Africans trace their roots and ancestry to way back.
The rest of the modern world likes to paint black people as primitive, backward and not contributed much to world history but here I was looking at trokosi and I realized the historical significance of fiashidi was going to change this erroneous perception of black people to some extent and forever.
Before we delve into the origin and history of trokosi lets pause for a second and separate some of the fact from the fiction.
Fact - Ewe women who can not conceive and have their own children but believe in this religion consult deities in order to have children. These children are later pledged to the divinity or what is described as the deity.
Myth - Trokosi is a atonement for crimes by family members.
This is not true. It is a lie that girls are sent to the shrines to atone for crimes committed by other relations.
Fact - Trokosi or Fiashidi tradition does not allow the keeper of the shrine to play around with the girls sexually. When one goes against any of the regulations, the belief is it is not human beings that will punish you. The deity will punish you because all the girls who go in there for training are the daughters and princesses of the divinity. So if one take liberties with them one would be punished by the deity
Myth - Fiashidi or Trokosi girls are raped.
This is not true. It is a lie.
Fact - Trokosi or Fiashidi is a religious practice. Only followers of this religion practice fiashidi or trokosi
Myth - Trokosi or Fiashidi is slavery in the Volta Region and the rest of Eweland.
This is false and a very wicked lie. Slavery does not exist anywhere in modern day Ghana. It is against the law to engage in slavery, it is a criminal offense. If such allegations were true, Ghana's judicial system would be awash with court cases to do with slavery
ORIGIN OF TROKOSI OR FIASHIDI
Hardly anyone you would speak to knows the origin of trokosi. However upon researching the subject, I recognized and knew of it's origins and where it started because I had read about it many times in the Bible. Without any preamble, the following is the Biblical account of the beginning of trokosi or fiashidi.
Judges 11: 30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Jehovah, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand, 31 then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be Jehovah’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering. 32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and Jehovah delivered them into his hand. 33 And he smote them from Aroer until thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto Abelcheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. 34 And Jephthah came to Mizpah unto his house; and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me; for I have opened my mouth unto Jehovah, and I cannot go back. 36 And she said unto him, My father, thou hast opened thy mouth unto Jehovah; do unto me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth, forasmuch as Jehovah hath taken vengeance for thee on thine enemies, even on the children of Ammon. 37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may depart and go down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions. 38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. 39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew not man. And it was a custom in Israel.
The above is basically what is Fiashidi or Trokosi and it started with the Israelites.
Japheth's daughter was hereby obeying the Biblical command in Eph. 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honor thy father and mother (which is the first commandment with promise), or Col 3: 20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing in the Lord.
Japheth's vow and her daughter's response by allowing herself to become the property or slave of the shrine of God is what is known as fiashidi
Notice in Judges 11:39 it said this became a custom in Israel. This was the beginning or origin of Trokosi or Fiasidi.
Later in the Bible we see the confirmation of this custom in Israel because one of the most famous prophets in the Bible called Samuel was raised in the fiashidi tradition.
The account about the prophet Samuel is in the Bible book of Samuel reading from chapter 1 verse 10. ...... 10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto Jehovah, and wept sore. 11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O Jehovah of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thy handmaid, but wilt give unto thy handmaid a man-child, then I will give him unto Jehovah all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head .............
.....21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto Jehovah the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. 22 But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned; and then I will bring him, that he may appear before Jehovah, and there abide for ever. 23 And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only Jehovah establish his word. So the woman tarried and gave her son suck, until she weaned him. 24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of meal, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of Jehovah in Shiloh: and the child was young. 25 And they slew the bullock, and brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, Oh, my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto Jehovah. 27 For this child I prayed; and Jehovah hath given me my petition which I asked of him: 28 therefore also I have granted him to Jehovah; as long as he liveth he is granted to Jehovah. And he worshipped Jehovah there.....
The story continues in 1 Sam. 2: 11 And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto Jehovah before Eli the priest. .........
......18 But Samuel ministered before Jehovah, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. 19 Moreover his mother made him a little robe, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, Jehovah give thee seed of this woman for the petition which was asked of Jehovah. And they went unto their own home. 21 And Jehovah visited Hannah, and she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before Jehovah.
There is absolutely no difference between what is fiashidi and the Biblical account you have just read. In fact looking at fiashidi is like going on a time travel back to the days of the ancient Israelites.
The Lord saviour Jesus Christ made reference to trokosi and fiashidi when he said the following in Matthew chapter 5: 33 Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34 but I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is the throne of God; 35 nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: and whatsoever is more than these is of the evil one.
All the verses used in this article are taken from the texts of the American Standard version of the Bible.
As you can see trokosi and fiashidi was a very important custom in Israel and the Lord saviour Jesus Christ rubber stamped his approval of it with his response in Matthew chapter 5.
Of course common sense dictates that abuse and deviation from best practice may have set in with time because it is common for this to happen with any human institution. Therefore it would not be surprising to hear of abuses within trokosi or fiashidi religious practice. Such abuse or deviation from true worship can be found in any religion in the world today. Giving that Fiashidi or trokosi has existed for thousands of years one can say with confidence that fiashidi or trokosi is no exception to this rule of deviation or degradation with time. But just as we don't call for the abolition of other religions like Islam or Christianity because of abuse or deviation from it's original principles, it would be wrong to call for the abolition of trokosi religious practice because of abuse.
In my view, it is easy to police trokosi or fiashidi and make sure no such abuse takes place. However this is not the aim of my research. My work is to show how trokosi or fiashidi helps identify the Ewes as a section of the twelve tribe kingdom of Israel that is usually referred to as - the lost ten tribes of Israel. Thanks to trokosi and other traditions of Ewes it is now possible to find some of the missing links and put the jigsaw puzzle together for a section of the lost tribes
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