Did you know that among the Avatimes, were people, who were determined and acted decisively?
Did you also know that it was based on the traits of these people, that they got the community name Avatime, as is known now?
Well GBCnews, through its programme, What’s in a name series, has learnt that Avatime Vane is a corrupted name for the word, OWUANE, which literary means determined people, who act decisively.
This was made known when GBCnews visited Avatime Vane located in the Ho west district of the Volta region.
The people of Avatime are Guans living among the Ewes in the Ho West district of the Volta Region.
The Avatime traditional area is made up of seven communities, namely, Avatime Amedzofe, Avatime Vane, Avatime Gbadzeme and Avatime Biakpa.
The rest are Avatime Fume, Avatime Dzokpe and Avatime Dzogbefeme.
These people live on mountain tops, considered the highest human settlement points in the country.
Avatime Vane is the capital of the traditional area.
The community is located on the main Ho-fume road, which lies on the Eastern side of the Akuapem-Togo ranges, an ancient volcanic mountain formation that stretches from the lower Volta basin to the Republic of Togo.
Avatime Vane’s population is an approximate 3,500, consisting mostly of the indigenes and some non-Guan settlers.
Most of the people engage in subsistence farming and petty trading.
They cultivate Brown Rice, which is their staple food. Every year, the people of Avatime Vane celebrate the Amu festival or rice festival.
The Avatime people say they migrated from Eastern Africa through to Nigeria, the western part of the country, to the south, and finally to their current location.
The Osie of Avatime, or the Overlord, Osie Adza Tekpor tells us more about their migration.
He explains that the name Avatime Vane is a corrupt form of Avatime Owuane. Owuane, in Avatime, literally means determined people who act decisively.
It is the hope of the people of Avatime Vane that government will provide them with adequate infrastructure and develop the vast untapped tourism potential in the area.
