Tado

Tado stands on the eastern bank of the Mono and holds a special place in the traditions of the Aja and other Gbe-speaking peoples. From this royal centre, communities traced journeys that carried them west, east and south. The dynasties of Allada and Notsie both looked back to Tado, and the town's reputation reached the coast long before European writers heard its name in the seventeenth century.

Traditions differ over why groups left Tado. Some recall disputes over succession or the harsh rule of Aja-Kpondjin; others tell of a desire to establish independent settlements. One account describes a westward journey through the forest under the hunter Afofse, across the Mono and Yoto rivers to the site of Notsie. From Notsie, later Ewe migrations carried memories of Tado still farther across the region.

The later city of Aplahoué lies here.