in the sixteenth century,
the ruling Dan-Homey King
combed the countryside for men
to be traded off in exchange
for the goods that the Europeans
brought with them; especially guns.

Initially, the weaker communities seeking refuge from the king's army were safe on the lake, as the Abomey religion prohibited warriors from attacking over water.

Then, at the end of the Seventeenth Century, other feuds occurred, and there was a migration from over-farmed Tado to the swampy forest around Lake Nokoue.

The Tofinu people work their lake efficiently, planting branches in the shallow waters to produce artificial thickets that trap the fish for extraction or breeding.