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73-554: Tivaouane was part of the Wolof kingdom of Cayor , and was at one time its capital. It was first described to Europeans in the 15th century by Venetian explorer Luigi Cada-Mosto . In 1904, it was the fifth largest city in Sénégal after Saint-Louis , Dakar, Rufisque and Gorée . It is also one of the sacred places of the Tijaniyya Sufi brotherhood. Each week, followers come to visit

146-451: A qadi . Marriages are endogamous. The preferred and common form of marriage is the bilateral cross-cousin type, with most preferred marriages are those between a man and the daughter of his mother's brother. Multiple marriages have been common, with many Wolof households featuring two wives. Dowery among the Wolof people is paid in the form of a brideprice . The dower is the property of

219-582: A Portuguese commander to put the prince back on the throne of Jolof. The objective was to put him on the throne and a fort at the mouth of the Senegal River. Neither goal was achieved. A dispute between the commander and the prince resulted in the former accusing the bumi of treachery and killing him. In the early 16th century, the Jolof Empire was still very powerful, and capable of fielding 100,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry. But succession disputes were not

292-410: A free category called geer , a castes category called nyeenyo or neeno , and a servile category of slaves called jaam . Caste status has been hereditary, and endogamy among the men and women of a particular caste status has been an enduring feature among the Wolof people, according to Leonardo Villalón, a professor of Political Science and African Studies. The Wolof's caste status, states Villalón,

365-489: A great role in the economy. Wolof Empire The Jolof Empire ( Arabic : امبراطورية جولوف ), also known as Great Jolof , or the Wolof Empire , was a Wolof state that ruled parts of West Africa situated in modern-day Senegal , Mali , Gambia and Mauritania from around the 12th century to 1549. Following the 1549 battle of Danki , its vassal states were fully or de facto independent; in this period it

438-513: A matrilineal one (uncle-nephew), as Biram Eler and Tase Daagulen were both members of the Jonai matrilineage. Between roughly 1455 and 1489, five buurba s would claim the throne, sowing chaos and civil war. In the 1480s, Jelen , the buumi or prince, was ruling the empire in the name of his brother Birayma Kuran Kan , known in Portuguese sources as Bur Birao. Tempted by the Portuguese trade, he moved

511-561: A minority. However, Wolof language and culture have a disproportionate influence because of their prevalence in Banjul , the Gambian capital, where a majority of the population is Wolof. In Mauritania, about 8% of the population are Wolof. Their total population exceeds 6 million in the three countries. The vast majority of Wolof people are Sunni Muslims . However, religious practice often contains local elements. The complicated relationship had led to

584-445: A part of a ceremonial feast. Some villages in contemporary times share agricultural machinery and sell the peanut harvest as a cooperative. Those Wolof people who are of artisan castes work on metal, weave and dye textiles, produce leather goods, make pottery and baskets, tailor clothes, produce thatch and perform such economic activity. Wolof smiths produce tools for agriculture, while another group works on gold jewelry. Occupation

657-420: A patrilocal male as its head, with a different wife and her children in each hut in polygynous households. A compound traditionally operates a joint kitchen, but if there are internal disputes then each family unit cooks separately. A village is headed by a chief, called the borom dekk . This role belongs to a caste and has been hereditary. The chief has been the tribute (tax) collector and the interface between

730-581: A rigid, endogamous social stratification that included nobility, clerics, castes, and slaves. The Wolof were close to the French colonial rulers, became integrated into the colonial administration, and have dominated the culture and economy of Senegal since the country's independence from France on 4 April 1960. They are also referred to as the Wollof , Jolof , Iolof , Whalof , Ialof , Olof , and Volof , among other spellings. The term Wolof also refers to

803-522: A short circuit. The neonatal department burned down to the ground, with 11 newborn babies dead. Tivaouane is the capital of the Tivaouane Department in the région de Thiès . Tivaouane is a regional transport hub, where the route nationale n° 2 connecting Dakar and Saint-Louis passes near Thiès . The nearest small towns are Yendam, Keur Massamba Daguene, Selko, Ndiagane, Keur Assane, Ndiassane  [ fr ] et Sintiou Pir. Between

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876-467: A slave. This match so enfuriated Ndiaye that he jumped into the Senegal River and began an aquatic life. He made his way downstream to Waalo . At this time, the area was divided into villages ruled by separate Lamanes , some of whom were engaged in a dispute over a wood near a prominent lake (in some versions, it is a dispute over a catch of fish). This almost led to bloodshed, but it was stopped by

949-424: A very autocratic government where personal armies and wealth often superseded constitutional values. The Jolof Empire included five coastal kingdoms from north to south: Waalo , Kayor , Baol , Sine and Saloum . All of these states were tributary to the land-locked state of Jolof. Each was governed by a ruler were chosen by their respective nobles. Each had practical autonomy but was expected to cooperate with

1022-471: Is a greater barrier to inter-marriage than is either ethnicity or religion in Senegal. The castes have also been hierarchal, with lowest level being those of griots . Their inherited inferiority has been culturally stated to be close to those of slaves ( jaams or kaals ). The castes, states David Gamble, were associated with ideas of relative purity/impurity. The leatherworkers, for example, were considered

1095-550: Is known as the Jolof Kingdom . Wolof oral traditions relate that the Wolof were the earliest inhabitants of the region that became Jolof, which was named after a local chief Jolof Mbengue. The empire consisted mostly of Wolof, Serer and Fula from north of the Senegal River . The region was ruled by Lamanes of the Mbengue, Diaw and Ngom families. They were related to early rulers of neighboring kingdoms such as Baol . Jolof

1168-399: Is traditionally based on gender and inherited caste. Men of certain caste are smiths, leatherworkers, weavers (now the profession of former slave descendants). Religious and political functions have been the domain of men, while women typically keep the household, bring water from their sources such as wells or nearby rivers. Women also plant, weed, harvest crops and collect firewood. Women of

1241-535: The baadoolo or "lacking power". The chronological origin of social stratification based on castes and slavery is unclear, likely linked. Tal Tamari, an anthropological researcher at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) in Paris, suggests that a corollary of the rising slavery system was the development and growth of a caste system among Wolofs by the 15th century, and other ethnic groups of Africa by about

1314-460: The Bour on important matters, and send regular tribute to Jolof. This did not always happen, however, and wars between the constituent kingdoms were common; provinces could gain or lose degrees of independence, or move from one king's control to another. Wolof people The Wolof people ( UK : / ˈ w oʊ l ɒ f / ) are a West African ethnic group found in northwestern Senegal ,

1387-571: The Muridiyya also called the Mouride brotherhood. In the 20th century, Ahmadiyya and Methodist missionaries opened offices in contemporary Senegambia, but very few Wolof have become members of these. The Wolof people's traditional culture and practices have survived the colonial era and are a strong element of the Senegalese culture . Wolof ( / ˈ w ɒ l ɒ f / ) is a language of Senegal ,

1460-464: The Sahel , West Africa, and North Africa was an established institution by then, and slavery created a template for servile relationships and social stratification. According to Victoria B. Coifman, a professor of Afro-American and African studies, historical evidence suggests that the Wolof people were a matrilineal society before the 14th-century. Later politico-religious changes, such as those brought during

1533-470: The Senegal River and the Gambia River voluntarily submit to this man, which they did. Attempting to date Ndiadiane Ndiaye and the establishment of the Jolof Empire, John Donnelly Fage suggests, "the rise of the empire was associated with the growth of Wolof power at the expense of the ancient Sudanese state of Takrur, and that this was essentially a fourteenth-century development." Ogot proposes that

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1606-582: The Wolof Empire era, introduced major changes in the social structure among the Wolofs and many other ethnic groups, including a shift to a patrilineal system. The divisions, the endogamy among Wolof castes, social and political groups have persisted into the post-colonial independent Senegal. The Wolof are primarily rural (~75%), living in small villages. According to David Gamble, the historical evidence suggests Wolofs used to live in large settlements priors to

1679-486: The Wolof language and to their states, cultures, and traditions. Older French publications frequently employ the spelling Ouolof ; up to the 19th century, the spellings Wolluf , Volof , and Olof are also encountered, among rarer variants like Yolof , Dylof , Chelof , Galof , Lolof , and others. In English, Wollof and Woloff are found, particularly in reference to the Gambian Wolof; for English-speakers,

1752-532: The 13th century. However, according to Susan McIntosh, a professor of anthropology specializing in African societies, the emergence of caste systems in West African societies such as the Wolof, Mande, Malinke, Serer, and Soninke was likely older. She places the development and spread of castes in these societies to about the 10th century, because slave capture , slave trade, and slave holding by elite families across

1825-645: The 1450s, then extended extended his authority over Takrur . Eler moved the capital from Njiayeen Sabur to Thieung. He was also likely responsible for subduing the Mandinka states on the northern bank of the Gambia, including Niumi , Badibu, Nyani , and Wuli , as the Mali Empire declined. Jolof would also expand its control over the gold trade, conquering Gajaaga and subsequently Bambuk , although Jean Boulègue argues of such conquest being very unlikely. Control over

1898-478: The 15th century. The assaults of the 18th and 19th century jihads, states Lapidus, paved the way for massive conversions to Islam, yet not a nearly universal conversion. In the late 19th century, as the French colonial forces launched a war against the Wolof kingdoms, the Wolof people resisted the French and triggered the start of near-universal conversion of the Wolof people in Senegambia to Islam. Wolofs joined

1971-466: The 16th century, Portuguese slave traders started to purchase slaves from Senegambian ports to transport to their American colonies ; these slaves frequently passed through Wolof lands before arriving at the coast. As the European demand for slaves increased during the 17th and 18th centuries, the era saw a corresponding increase in Wolof slave raids with the purpose of acquiring captives to transport to

2044-561: The 18th century, the Wolof were impacted by the violent jihads in West Africa, which triggered internal disagreements about Islam among the Wolof. In the 19th century, as the colonial French forces launched a war against the Wolof kingdoms, the Wolof people resisted the French and converted to Islam. Contemporary Wolofs are predominantly Sufi Muslims belonging to Mouride and Tijaniyyah Islamic brotherhoods. The Wolof people, like other West African ethnic groups, historically maintained

2117-570: The Gambia , and Mauritania , and the native language of the Wolof people. Like the neighbouring languages Serer and Fula , it belongs to the Senegambian branch of the Niger–Congo language family . Unlike most other languages of Sub-Saharan Africa , Wolof is not a tonal language . Wolof originated as the language of the Lebu people . It is the most widely spoken language in Senegal, spoken natively by

2190-630: The Gambia , and southwestern coastal Mauritania . In Senegal, the Wolof are the largest ethnic group (~39.7%), while elsewhere they are a minority. They refer to themselves as Wolof and speak the Wolof language , in the West Atlantic branch of the Niger–Congo family of languages. Their early history is unclear. The earliest documented mention of the Wolof is found in the records of 15th-century, Portuguese-financed Italian traveller Alvise Cadamosto , who mentioned well-established Islamic Wolof chiefs advised by Muslim counselors. The Wolof belonged to

2263-629: The Gambia, such as pre-historic pottery, the 8th-century stones, and 14th-century burial mounds, but, states Gamble, these provide no evidence that links them exclusively to the Wolof ethnic group. Their name as the Wolof first appears in the records of 15th-century Portuguese travelers. With the Arab conquests of West Africa in last centuries of the 1st millennium CE, one theory states that the Wolof people were forced to move into north and east Senegal where over time villages and towns developed into autonomous states such as Baol, Kayor, Saloum, Dimar, Walo, and Sine

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2336-471: The Jolof became permanently independent during a succession dispute in 1360 between two rival lineages within the Mali Empire . There is no consensus among scholars, however. The earliest centuries of Jolof's history are known only through oral histories, but few details have survived. During the relatively dry period (c. 1100–1500) the Jolof empire expanded soutwards and westwards, progressively 'Wolofizing'

2409-525: The Jolof confederacy: Cayor , Baol and Waalo , and the Serer states of Sine and Saloum . Beginning in the 1440s, Portuguese ships began to visit the coast, initially looking to capture slaves but soon shifting to trade. The Jolof expansion may have been assisted by the purchase of horses from these traders. At this time, Jolof was at the height of its power. Buurba Biram Njeme Eler , or possibly Cukli Njiklaan , conquered Namandirou in approximately

2482-595: The Portuguese merchants on the coast, they had a long tradition of established trading of goods and slaves with the Western Sudanese empires and with Imamate of Futa Toro and other ethnic groups in North Africa. Slavery had been a part of the Wolof culture since their earliest recorded history. Prior to the arrival of Europeans to regions inhabited by the Wolof, slaves there were either born into slavery or enslaved via purchase or capture in warfare. Beginning in

2555-458: The Wolof on Islam. Ira Lapidus , a professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic History, states that the early-19th-century Senegambian fighters "swept through Senegambia burning villages, killing pagans and enslaving their enemies," and were responsible for the conversion of substantial numbers of Wolof to Islam. The West African jihads that involved the Wolof and other ethnic groups started early and often inspired by militant reformers such as those of

2628-413: The Wolof people (40% of the population) but also by most other Senegalese as a second language. Wolof dialects vary geographically and between rural and urban areas. "Dakar-Wolof," for instance, is an urban mixture of Wolof, French , and Arabic . The Wolof people have had a rigid, patriarchal, endogamous social stratified society at least since the 15th-century. The social strata have included

2701-493: The beginning and for many centuries while accepting and relying on Muslim clerics as counselors and administrators. According to David Gamble, the pre-Islamic beliefs of Wolof may be reflected and absorbed in the Sufi beliefs about good and bad spirits ( jinn ), amulets, dances, and other rituals. In and after the 18th century, the Wolofs were impacted by the violent jihads in West Africa, which triggered internal disagreements among

2774-481: The beginning of the formation of Senegal as a unified state. By the end of the 15th century, the Wolof states of Jolof, Kayor, Baol, and Walo had become united in a federation with Jolof as the metropolitan power. The position of king was held by the Burba Wolof, and the rulers of the other component states owed loyalty and tribute payments to him. Before the Wolof people became involved in goods and slave trading with

2847-481: The breakup of the Mali Empire . Mali's slipping grip on its far-flung empire had allowed Jolof to become an empire in the first place. But now conflict was spreading to Jolof's northern territories. In 1513, Koli Tenguella led a strong force of Fulani and Mandinka into Futa Toro , seizing it from the Jolof and setting up his dynasty , and also destroying Namandirou . In 1520 the Serer kingdoms of Sine and Saloum in

2920-451: The censuses of 1988 and 2002, Tivaouane grew from 27,117 to 38,213 inhabitants. In 2007, according to official estimates, the population has grown to 39,766, which makes it the 15th largest city in Senegal. Wolofs are the largest ethnic group in the area. Tivaouane is in an agricultural region, at the heart of the bassin arachidier of Arachide oil (Peanut oil) production. Catering to religious gatherings and celebrations also plays

2993-497: The coast. The transatlantic slave trade also led to the Wolof acquiring European firearms , which were commonly bartered for slaves at the West African coast. With these firearms, the intensity and violence of Wolof slave raids (and conflicts with other ethnic groups in general) increased. However, these slave raids eventually began to subside as European and American governments progressively outlawed their nations' involvement in

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3066-484: The dispute. The villagers detained him; he settled among them and became the one who settled disputes and sovereign authority. He was called Ndyadyane Ndyaye , and his descendants were called Ndiayes or Njie , and these led to ruling families of Wolof, Mali according to this mythical legend. The documented history, from 15th-century onwards, is a complex story of the rivalry between powerful families, wars, coups and conquests in Wolof society. The Jolof or Wolof Empire

3139-484: The dramatic demographic growth of the city, which had a population of less than 7900 in 1960. In 2003, the mosque and zawia (Muslim school) of El-Hadji Malick Sy , the mosque of Serigne Babacar Sy  [ fr ] and the railway station were added to the list of Senegalese historic monuments. In 2022, the recently inaugurated Mame Abdou Aziz Sy Dabakh  [ fr ] Hospital in Tivaouane caught fire due to

3212-492: The early 18th-century, all sorts of charges and petty crimes resulted in the accused being punished for the slave strata. Slaves acquired by kidnapping, purchase or as captives of war were called jaam say in the Wolof society. The geer or "freeborn" too had a hierarchical structure. At the top were the royal rulers, below them were the regionally or locally dominant noble lineages who controlled territories and collected tribute, and below them were commoner freeborn called

3285-524: The emergence of Sufi traditions from a historic and dominant Sunni Islam environment. The pre-Islamic religious traditions of Wolof are unknown, and neither written nor oral traditions about their traditional religion are available. The oral traditions of the Wolof have legends that state them to have been adherents of Islam since the founding of their Kingdom of Jolof . However, historical evidence left by Islamic scholars and European travelers suggest that Wolof kings and warriors did not convert to Islam in

3358-577: The empire had long been reduced to a rump state in the form of the Kingdom of Jolof . Throughout the different classes, intermarriage was rarely allowed. Women could not marry upwards, and their children did not inherit the father's superior status. However, women had some influence and role in government. The Lingeer was head of all women and very influential in state politics. She owned several villages that cultivated farms and paid tribute directly to her. There were also other female chiefs whose main task

3431-460: The jihad wars and slave raids. Wolof villages consist of a cluster of compounds . Some clusters are random with no central plaza, and many are clustered around a plaza with a mosque in the center. Each compound has either round or square huts made from adobe-like mud-millet stalk walls and thatched roofs with a conical shape. A compound is sometimes fenced with a hedge made from reeds or millet-stalk. A single compound may have multiple huts, with

3504-456: The kingdom officials and the villagers. Typically, the chief is also a Muslim religious leader, called seriñ ( marabout ). Larger villages have an imam, called the yélimaan , and a hunting or warriors leader called the saltigé . Both have traditionally been hereditary castes. Social relationships within a village are based on hierarchy, while disputes are typically settled with intermediaries and Muslim tribunals headed by an Islamic judge called

3577-457: The kingdoms of the Gambia also gave the Buurba some access to the growing commerce there. Upon Buurba Biram Njeme Eler 's death, the succession was disputed between his son, Bokar Bige, and his nephew Tase Daagulen . The latter was eventually victorious, with the help of Brak Cukuli Mbooj of Waalo . This conflict was, in a way, a contest between a patrilineal inheritance system (father-son) and

3650-424: The lowest of the nyenyo because their occupation involving animal skins was considered dirty. Slaves have historically been a separate, endogamous group in the Wolof society. Slaves were either inherited by birth in the Wolof society, or were kidnapped, purchased as children from desperate parents during difficult times such as famine, or slavery was imposed by the village elders as a punishment for offenses. By

3723-425: The marriage of or among his slaves. The slave owner and his descendants also had a right to have sex with slave women owned by the household. The Wolof people are traditionally settled farmers and artisans. Millet has been the typical staple, while rice a secondary staple when rains are plenty. Cassava is also grown, but it has been a source of income for the Wolof farmers. Since the colonial era, peanuts have been

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3796-542: The medieval-era Wolof Empire of the Senegambia region. Details of the pre-Islamic religious traditions of the Wolof are unknown, and their oral traditions state them to have been adherents of Islam since the founding king of Jolof . However, historical evidence left by Islamic scholars and European travelers suggest that Wolof warriors and rulers did not initially convert to Islam, although accepting and relying on Muslim clerics as counselors and administrators. In and after

3869-528: The mysterious appearance of a stranger from the lake. The stranger divided the wood fairly and disappeared, leaving the people in awe. The people then feigned a second dispute and kidnapped the stranger when he returned. They offered him the kingship of their land. When these events were reported to the ruler of the Kingdom of Sine , Maad a Sinig Maysa Wali , also a great magician, he is reported to have exclaimed "Ndiadiane Ndiaye" in his native Serer language in amazement. He then suggested that all rulers between

3942-429: The only thing tearing it apart. The Atlantic Trade trade, for instance, had brought extra wealth to the empire, but with Jelen's failure the rulers of the vassal states on the coast got the lion's share of the benefits, which eventually allowed them to eclipse and undermine the emperor. Jolof was located far from the coast, and had no direct access to maritime trade. There was also the matter of external forces, such as

4015-553: The overall ruling state being that of Jolof who came together voluntarily to form the Jolof Empire. According to Gamble, this migration likely occurred at the end of 11th century when the Ghana Empire fell to the Muslim armies from Sudan. Another oral tradition tells of a legend in Walo, which starts with two villages near a lake in a dispute. A mysterious person arose from the lake to settle

4088-417: The period of colonial rule, continuing even after the decolonization of Africa in the mid-20th century, which saw the Wolof become independent from European colonial rule. The Wolof people are the largest ethnic group in Senegal, particularly concentrated in its northwestern region near the Senegal River and the Gambia River . In the Gambia, about 16% of the population are Wolof. In the Gambia, they are

4161-464: The primary cash crop. Wolof society is patrilineal, and agricultural land is inherited by the landowning caste. The typical farmers in a village pay rent ( waref ) to the landowner for the right to crop his land. Wolof farmers raise chickens and goats, and dried or smoked fish purchased, both a part of their diet. Cattle are also raised, not for food, but milk, tilling the land, and as a reserve of wealth. Rural Wolof people eat beef rarely, typically as

4234-399: The royal family became more consumed by succession disputes. Once appointed, officeholders went through elaborate rituals to both familiarize themselves with their new duties and elevate them to a divine status. From then on, they were expected to lead their states to greatness or risk being declared unfavored by the gods and being deposed. The stresses of this political structure resulted in

4307-428: The ruling classes. The smaller states thus incorporated into the empire. The states of Cayor and Baol , which were founded around the same time as Jolof, were absorbed early on. Many of the earliest buurbas came from maternal lineages native to Baol. The Kingdom of Sine and an early form of the Kingdom of Saloum were absorbed in the late 14th century at the earliest. This completed the core constituent states of

4380-422: The seat of government to the coast to take advantage of the new economic opportunities. Other princes, opposed to this policy, deposed and murdered the buurba in 1489. Jelen escaped and sought refuge with the Portuguese, who took him to Lisbon . There he exchanged gifts with King John II and was baptized. Faced with the opportunity to put a Christian ally on the throne, John II sent an expeditionary force under

4453-589: The slave trade. During the New Imperialism era, the Scramble for Africa saw the majority of African territory, including lands inhabited by the Wolof, fall under European colonial rule . These new colonial regimes moved to outlaw slavery, and by the 1890s the French authorities in West Africa had largely abolished the institution. However, the social distinctions between free-born Wolof and slaves remained present during

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4526-420: The society for their ability to make weapons of war as well as their trusted status for mediating disputes fairly. Griots were employed by every important family as chroniclers and advisors, without whom much of early Jolof history would be unknown. Jolof's nobility were nominally animists , but some combined this with Islam . However, Islam had not dominated Wolof society until about the 19th century, when

4599-523: The south broke away. In 1549, Kayor successfully broke from the Jolof Empire under the leadership of the crown prince Amari Ngoone Sobel Fall by defeating Jolof at the Battle of Danki . The battle caused a ripple effect resulting in Waalo and Baol also leaving the empire. By 1600, the Jolof Empire was effectively over. Kayor invaded its southern neighbor, Bawol, and began forming a personal union of its own. Jolof

4672-640: The spelling Wollof is closer to the native pronunciation of the name. ) The spelling Jolof is also often used, but in particular reference to the Jolof Empire and Jolof Kingdom that existed in central Senegal from the 14th to the 19th centuries. Similarly, a West African rice dish is known in English as Jollof rice . The origins of the Wolof people are obscure, states David Gamble, a professor of anthropology and African studies specializing in Senegambia . Archeological artifacts have been discovered in Senegal and

4745-523: The tombs of religious leaders, especially that of El-Hadji Malick Sy . Visitors flock each year to celebrate the birth of Muhammad in a festival called the Maouloud (or Gamou , in Wolof , a word borrowed from the Serer word Gamahou or Gamohou - meaning "to find the lost heart", which is one of the ancient Serer religious festivals). The influence of the Muslim brotherhoods of Senegal helps to explain

4818-407: The various competing Sufi Muslim movements in the 20th century, particularly those belonging to the Mouride and Tijaniyyah Islamic brotherhoods. The Senegalese Sufi Muslim brotherhoods appeared in the Wolof communities in the 19th century and grew in the 20th. The Sufi leaders and marabouts exercise cultural and political influence amongst most Muslim communities, most notably the leader of

4891-451: The woman upon the consummation of the marriage. Divorce is quite common in the Wolof society and according to the Islamic tenets. While slavery is illegal in contemporary African societies, it was common in the history of Wolof people and among the elite castes. The slaves could not marry without the permission of their owner, and it was usually the responsibility of the slave owner to arrange

4964-416: Was a medieval West African state that ruled parts of Senegal and the Gambia from approximately 1350 to 1890. While only ever consolidated into a single state structure for part of this time, the tradition of governance, caste, and culture of the Wolof dominate the history of north-central Senegal for much of the last 800 years. Its final demise at the hands of French colonial forces in the 1870s–1890s also marks

5037-613: Was a mysterious person of Fulani origin. Others say he was a Serer prince." In general, Ndiaye is given an Almoravid Islamic lineage and a link on his mother's side to the state of Takrur . James Searing adds that "In all versions of the myth, Njaajaan Njaay speaks his first words in Pulaar rather than Wolof , emphasizing once again his character as a stranger of noble origins." The legend of Ndiadiane Ndiaye has many variations in detail, but these share some important commonalities. It begins when his father dies and his mother remarries with

5110-553: Was a vassal of the Mali Empire for much of its early history. It remained within that empire's sphere of influence until the latter half of the 14th century. Traditional accounts among the Wolof agree that the founder of the state was the possibly mythical Ndiadiane Ndiaye (also spelled Njaajaan Njaay or Njai). Sallah writes: "Some say that Njajan was the son of Abu Darday, an Almoravid conqueror who came from Mecca to preach Islam in Senegal ;... Some say that Ndiadiane Ndiaye

5183-441: Was judging cases involving women. In the empire's most northern state of Walo, women could aspire to the office of Bur and rule the state. Isolated from the main maritime and trans-Saharan trade routes, the economy of Jolof proper was relatively simple. Moor or Jula merchants were the main carriers of trade, which was organized around weekly markets and consisted mostly of millet, salt, beans, cattle and other essentials. Coinage

5256-489: Was not used, but iron bars and cloth served as universal means of exchange. The ruler of Jolof was known as the Bour ba or Buurba , who was selected by a college of electors that included the rulers of the five main constituent kingdoms. Although nominally the head of the entire empire, the Buurba directly controlled a relatively small portion of Jolof; Lamanes held a lot of power, and became progressively more independent as

5329-438: Was reduced to a kingdom; nevertheless, the title of Burba remained associated with imperial prestige and commanded nominal respect from its ancient vassals. Jolof society harbored a developed hierarchical system involving different classes of royal and non-royal nobles, free men, occupational castes, and slaves. Occupational castes included blacksmiths, jewelers, tanners, tailors, musicians, and griots . Smiths were important to

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