Aja (people) - Definition

The Aja are a group of people now living in what is now Benin and what used to be Dahomey.

One source (www.encyclopedia.com) reports that the Aja migrated to what is now southern Benin in the 12th or 13th centuries from Tado on the Mono River and that, in the early 17th century, three brothers, Kokpon, Do-Aklin, and Te-Agdanlin, fought for the kingdom and so divided amongst themselves. Kokpon took the thriving capital city of Great Ardra, Alada. Do-Aklin founded Abomey and Te-Agdanlin founded Little Ardra, also known as Ajatche and Porto Novo by Portuguese traders. Those Aja living in Abomey mingled with the local tribe, thus creating a new people known as the Fon or Dahomey ethnic group. This group is now the largest in Benin. Another source (www.xfer.com) claims the Ajas were the rulers of Dahomey until 1893 until the French conquered them. Currently, there are approximately 500,000 Ajas who straddle the border between Benin and Togo in an area thirty miles long and twenty miles wide. The Ajas speak a language known as Aja-Gbe or simply Aja; only 1 - 5% are literate in their native tongue. According to one source, voodoo originated with the Ajans. There are three dialects: Tàgóbé in Togo only, Dògóbè in Benin only, and Hwègbè in both countries. They are bilingual in Éwé and French.