The Kingdom of Waalo originated in 1287 CE on Senegal River in northern Senegal. [1] The Kingdom of Waalo was a subgroup of the Wolof people, and the people of Waalo spoke the Wolof language. [2] In the fourteenth century, Waalo became a vassal state within the larger Jolof Empire until its break up in the sixteenth century, when the Waalo became free from Jolof hegemony. [3] Waalo had three capitals throughout its duration starting with Ndiourbel (Jurbel), Ndiangue and its final capital at Nder. [4] [1] [5] The Waalo was a monarchical society, but it was matrilineal in decent as the children of the king’s sister inherited the throne, not the offspring of the ruler. [6] Waalo was a major trade kingdom, particularly in the slave trade, as the kingdom exported many slaves to the French for the Atlantic market, but also to the western Sahara trade routes linking to north Africa. [7] The Kingdom of Waalo collapsed in 1855 CE as the French took control over the region. [8]
[1]: (Himpan Sabatier and Himpan 2019, 125) Himpan Sabatier, Diane and Himpan, Brigitte. 2019. Nomads of Mauritania. Wilmington: Vernon Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/V4D4DFVG/collection
[2]: (McLaughlin 2008, 93) McLaughlin, Fiona. 2008. ‘Senegal: The Emergence of a National Lingua Franca’. In Languages and National Identity in Africa. Edited by Andrew Simpson. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/7VBFQ96V/collection
[3]: (Barry 1999, 263) Barry, Boubacar. 1999. ‘Senegambia from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century: Evolution of the Wolof, Sereer and ‘Tukuloor.’ In General History of Africa. V: Africa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century. Edited by B.A. Ogot. Berkely: University of California Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/24W2293H/collection
[4]: (Barry 2012, 43) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
[5]: (Barry and Amin 1985, 171) Barry, Boubacar and Amin, Samir. 1985. Le Royaume du Waalo: Le Sénégal avant la conquête. Paris: Karthala. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/7FSQKPU9/collection
[6]: (Barry 2012, 33) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
[7]: (Webb Jr 1993, 235) Webb Jr, James L.A. 1993. ‘The Horse and Slave Trade between the Western Sahara and Senegambia.’ Journal of African History. Vol. 34:2. Pp 221-246. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/JDZFX3SC/collection
[8]: (Amin 1972, 517) Amin, Samir. 1972. ‘Underdevelopment and Dependence in Black Africa – Origins and Contemporary Forms.’ The Journal of Modern African Studies. Vol 10:4. Pp 503-524. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/MR883K86/collection
| 28 N |
| Kingdom of Waalo |
| Jurbel | 1287 CE 1710 CE |
| Ndiangue | 1711 CE 1780 CE |
| Nder | 1790 CE 1855 CE |
| Kingdom of Walo |
| inferred present |
| unknown | 1287 CE 1685 CE |
| present | 1686 CE 1855 CE |
| Year Range | Kingdom of Waalo (se_waalo_k) was in: |
|---|
“Until the beginning of the eighteenth century, the brak resided at the right riverbank, in the capital of Jurbel, where he resided over a considerably large court.” [1] “It has initially Ndiourbel as its capital, situated in Mauritania near Rosso, then Ndiangue, in Senegal on the left bank of the river.” [2] “Ce fut le premier brak qui alla s’établir à Nder; il en fit la troisième capitale du Oualo.” [3]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 43) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
[2]: (Himpan Sabatier and Himpan 2019, 125) Himpan Sabatier, Diane and Himpan, Brigitte. 2019. Nomads of Mauritania. Wilmington: Vernon Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/V4D4DFVG/collection
[3]: (Barry and Amin 1985, 171) Barry, Boubacar and Amin, Samir. 1985. Le Royaume du Waalo: Le Sénégal avant la conquête. Paris: Karthala. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/7FSQKPU9/collection
“Until the beginning of the eighteenth century, the brak resided at the right riverbank, in the capital of Jurbel, where he resided over a considerably large court.” [1] “It has initially Ndiourbel as its capital, situated in Mauritania near Rosso, then Ndiangue, in Senegal on the left bank of the river.” [2] “Ce fut le premier brak qui alla s’établir à Nder; il en fit la troisième capitale du Oualo.” [3]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 43) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
[2]: (Himpan Sabatier and Himpan 2019, 125) Himpan Sabatier, Diane and Himpan, Brigitte. 2019. Nomads of Mauritania. Wilmington: Vernon Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/V4D4DFVG/collection
[3]: (Barry and Amin 1985, 171) Barry, Boubacar and Amin, Samir. 1985. Le Royaume du Waalo: Le Sénégal avant la conquête. Paris: Karthala. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/7FSQKPU9/collection
“Until the beginning of the eighteenth century, the brak resided at the right riverbank, in the capital of Jurbel, where he resided over a considerably large court.” [1] “It has initially Ndiourbel as its capital, situated in Mauritania near Rosso, then Ndiangue, in Senegal on the left bank of the river.” [2] “Ce fut le premier brak qui alla s’établir à Nder; il en fit la troisième capitale du Oualo.” [3]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 43) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
[2]: (Himpan Sabatier and Himpan 2019, 125) Himpan Sabatier, Diane and Himpan, Brigitte. 2019. Nomads of Mauritania. Wilmington: Vernon Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/V4D4DFVG/collection
[3]: (Barry and Amin 1985, 171) Barry, Boubacar and Amin, Samir. 1985. Le Royaume du Waalo: Le Sénégal avant la conquête. Paris: Karthala. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/7FSQKPU9/collection
“Since the middle of the 16th century, the Waalo Kingdom, founded in 1287 and located in the estuary of the Senegal River, regains its independence from the Djolof Empire.” [1] The French General, Louis Faidherbe, led the conquest against the Waalo beginning in 1855 CE. “When Faidherbe conquered the Waalo between 1855-9, with the intention of restarting the agricultural settlement, and at last procuring for French industry the cotton it needed, the vanquished aristocracy embraced Islam.” [2]
[1]: (Himpan Sabatier and Himpan 2019, 125) Himpan Sabatier, Diane and Himpan, Brigitte. 2019. Nomads of Mauritania. Wilmington: Vernon Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/V4D4DFVG/collection
[2]: (Amin 1972, 517) Amin, Samir. 1972. ‘Underdevelopment and Dependence in Black Africa – Origins and Contemporary Forms.’ The Journal of Modern African Studies. Vol 10:4. Pp 503-524. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/MR883K86/collection
The French General, Louis Faidherbe, led the conquest against the Waalo beginning in 1855 CE. “When Faidherbe conquered the Waalo between 1855-9, with the intention of restarting the agricultural settlement, and at last procuring for French industry the cotton it needed, the vanquished aristocracy embraced Islam.” [1]
[1]: (Amin 1972, 517) Amin, Samir. 1972. ‘Underdevelopment and Dependence in Black Africa – Origins and Contemporary Forms.’ The Journal of Modern African Studies. Vol 10:4. Pp 503-524. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/MR883K86/collection
“The costal areas of northern Senegal where early sustained contact with Europeans occurred lay within the Wolof Kingdoms of Waalo and Kajoor. It was here that the Atlantic cities of Saint-Louis and Goree were first established, making of Wolof an urban language.” [1]
[1]: (McLaughlin 2008, 93) McLaughlin, Fiona. 2008. ‘Senegal: The Emergence of a National Lingua Franca’. In Languages and National Identity in Africa. Edited by Andrew Simpson. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/7VBFQ96V/collection
“Regarding the traditional religion of the Wolofs, we have very little documentation that would have allowed us to identify an organized institution or precise religious theology. We have only some descriptions that shed light on the practices arising from an indigenous ritual. Chambonneau, in 1675, remarks that each family had a totem representing an animal: ‘…about their surnames, amongst which are the names of several beasts and birds which bear the same name as themselves. They believe that there is such great affinity and connection between them, that they would not eat them or kill them for anything in the world, or even touch them… for example the man or woman who has his surname Guiop, will never dare eat or touch a peacock, because it is also called Guiop, he who is called Boy, a civet cat, he who is Fal, a snake and so of other names.’” [1] “In other words, we are dealing here essentially with an Islam of the royal court. However, insecurity, a consequence of the slave trade, very soon provided another image for the Islam of the royal court; it transformed into a belligerent Islam. During 1673 and 1677 this transformed Islam became the origin of the most extraordinary holy war that Waalo and the nations of northern Senegambia would experience.” [2]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 35-36) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
[2]: (Barry 2012, 39) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
“Regarding the traditional religion of the Wolofs, we have very little documentation that would have allowed us to identify an organized institution or precise religious theology. We have only some descriptions that shed light on the practices arising from an indigenous ritual. Chambonneau, in 1675, remarks that each family had a totem representing an animal: ‘…about their surnames, amongst which are the names of several beasts and birds which bear the same name as themselves. They believe that there is such great affinity and connection between them, that they would not eat them or kill them for anything in the world, or even touch them… for example the man or woman who has his surname Guiop, will never dare eat or touch a peacock, because it is also called Guiop, he who is called Boy, a civet cat, he who is Fal, a snake and so of other names.’” [1] “In other words, we are dealing here essentially with an Islam of the royal court. However, insecurity, a consequence of the slave trade, very soon provided another image for the Islam of the royal court; it transformed into a belligerent Islam. During 1673 and 1677 this transformed Islam became the origin of the most extraordinary holy war that Waalo and the nations of northern Senegambia would experience.” [2]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 35-36) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
[2]: (Barry 2012, 39) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
1.Capital :“Finally, the jogomaay, who had as its own state the village of Tungen in Jurbel, the capital, was personally tied to the brak. All the meetings, and all receptions at the court, were conducted in the home of the jogomaay.” [1] :2. Town ::3. Village :::“The kangam, below the royal family, provided the chiefs for the great territorial units, the districts or the villages.” [2]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 46) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
[2]: (Barry 2012, 34) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
levels. Five levels mentioned within the consulted sources.1.King :2. High ministers ::“The jogomaay was the master of the waters, president of the assembly and governor of kingdom during the interim reigns. The jawdin was, at the same time the master of the land, a type of military chief with executive power, as much as during the life of the brak as during the interim reigns, during which he was guardian of the royal tam-tams (drums). The maalo was the treasurer-general of the kingdom.” [1] ::3. Lesser ministers (inferred) :::4. District heads ::::5. Village heads :::::Kangam- “The kangam, below the royal family, provided the chiefs for the great territorial units, the districts or the villages.” [2] “The doomi-buur were the third-ranking nobility, with the right to certain commanding positions of certain districts or villages. The were generally the tara children, the offspring of the marriage of a prince and a captive.” [3] :::::6. Lesser officials (inferred)
[1]: (Barry 2012, 40) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
[2]: (Barry 2012, 34) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
[3]: (Barry 2012, 34) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
The following quote suggests that official kingdom functions took place in the house of the jogomaay and not in a specialized government building. “Finally, the jogomaay, who had as its own state the village of Tungen in Jurbel, the capital, was personally tied to the brak. All the meetings, and all receptions at the court, were conducted in the home of the jogomaay.” [1]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 46) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
Regarding the trade between the French and the Waalo on the Senegal River in 1686 CE. “The trading was generally conducted in Biert, in Maca, which La Courbe calls: ‘The stopover of the little junket, is a stopover or port on the river at eight leagues from our settlement.’ Trading also occurred at Bouscar, situated at twelved locations in Saint-Louis, forming a cluster of several villages in a great plain on the edge of the water. This commerce took place primarily at the crossroads of the desert which was the major market of Waalo and of which the European voyagers provided numerous descriptions.” [1]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 64) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
Regarding the trade between the French and the Waalo on the Senegal River in 1686 CE. “The trading was generally conducted in Biert, in Maca, which La Courbe calls: ‘The stopover of the little junket, is a stopover or port on the river at eight leagues from our settlement.’ Trading also occurred at Bouscar, situated at twelved locations in Saint-Louis, forming a cluster of several villages in a great plain on the edge of the water. This commerce took place primarily at the crossroads of the desert which was the major market of Waalo and of which the European voyagers provided numerous descriptions.” [1]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 64) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
Mosques. The following quote was made by Le Maire in 1682 regarding the Waalo monarchy and Islam. “’The nobles are more attached to it because they are usually close to one of the Moorish marabouts and thus these scoundrels take full credit for their spirit. They make their Sala, the minor people do not do anything or do it only more of less in a mosque. The king and the nobles have them, they are covered with straw like the other houses.’” [1]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 39) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
Mosques. The following quote was made by Le Maire in 1682 regarding the Waalo monarchy and Islam. “’The nobles are more attached to it because they are usually close to one of the Moorish marabouts and thus these scoundrels take full credit for their spirit. They make their Sala, the minor people do not do anything or do it only more of less in a mosque. The king and the nobles have them, they are covered with straw like the other houses.’” [1]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 39) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
The following quote suggests that roads were likely present due to Waalo’s importance in the slave trade with the Western Sahara Desert. “These estimates of slave exports suggest that in the early years of the French presence at Saint-Louis the number of slaves exported from Senegambia across the Atlantic was a small percentage of the slaves which passed from Senegambia into the desert. Exports from Waalo alone to the Sahara and North Africa may have equalled or surpassed the export of slaves from the entire Senegambia, including the Senegal and Gambia river basins, into the Atlantic sector.” [1]
[1]: (Webb Jr 1993, 235) Webb Jr, James L.A. 1993. ‘The Horse and Slave Trade between the Western Sahara and Senegambia.’ Journal of African History. Vol. 34:2. Pp 221-246. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/JDZFX3SC/collection
Regarding the trade between the French and the Waalo on the Senegal River in 1686 CE. “The trading was generally conducted in Biert, in Maca, which La Courbe calls: ‘The stopover of the little junket, is a stopover or port on the river at eight leagues from our settlement.’ Trading also occurred at Bouscar, situated at twelved locations in Saint-Louis, forming a cluster of several villages in a great plain on the edge of the water. This commerce took place primarily at the crossroads of the desert which was the major market of Waalo and of which the European voyagers provided numerous descriptions.” [1]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 64) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
Regarding the trade between the French and the Waalo on the Senegal River in 1686 CE. “The trading was generally conducted in Biert, in Maca, which La Courbe calls: ‘The stopover of the little junket, is a stopover or port on the river at eight leagues from our settlement.’ Trading also occurred at Bouscar, situated at twelved locations in Saint-Louis, forming a cluster of several villages in a great plain on the edge of the water. This commerce took place primarily at the crossroads of the desert which was the major market of Waalo and of which the European voyagers provided numerous descriptions.” [1]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 64) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
The following quote from 1686 CE suggests that trading emporia were likely present due to the vast trade networks within the Kingdom of Waalo. “The trading was generally conducted in Biert, in Maca, which La Courbe calls: ‘The stopover of the little junket, is a stopover or port on the river at eight leagues from our settlement.’ Trading also occurred at Bouscar, situated at twelved locations in Saint-Louis, forming a cluster of several villages in a great plain on the edge of the water. This commerce took place primarily at the crossroads of the desert which was the major market of Waalo and of which the European voyagers provided numerous descriptions.” [1]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 64) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
The following quote from 1686 CE suggests that trading emporia were likely present due to the vast trade networks within the Kingdom of Waalo. “The trading was generally conducted in Biert, in Maca, which La Courbe calls: ‘The stopover of the little junket, is a stopover or port on the river at eight leagues from our settlement.’ Trading also occurred at Bouscar, situated at twelved locations in Saint-Louis, forming a cluster of several villages in a great plain on the edge of the water. This commerce took place primarily at the crossroads of the desert which was the major market of Waalo and of which the European voyagers provided numerous descriptions.” [1]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 64) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
Ceremonial and burial sites. During the king’s or brak’s enthronement ceremony he visited the tomb of his ancestors. “Once in Jurbel, the brak was led straight to the mound of earth, the jal or tumulus of his family meen, where he was coronated.” [1]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 41) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
During the king’s or brak’s enthronement ceremony he visited the tomb of his ancestors. “Once in Jurbel, the brak was led straight to the mound of earth, the jal or tumulus of his family meen, where he was coronated.” [1]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 41) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
During the king’s or brak’s enthronement ceremony he visited the tomb of his ancestors. “Once in Jurbel, the brak was led straight to the mound of earth, the jal or tumulus of his family meen, where he was coronated.” [1]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 41) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
Quran. The following quote was made by Le Maire in 1682 regarding the Waalo monarchy and Islam. “’The nobles are more attached to it because they are usually close to one of the Moorish marabouts and thus these scoundrels take full credit for their spirit. They make their Sala, the minor people do not do anything or do it only more of less in a mosque. The king and the nobles have them, they are covered with straw like the other houses.’” [1]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 39) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
The following quote was made by Le Maire in 1682 regarding the Waalo monarchy and Islam and suggests that religious literature was likely present. “’The nobles are more attached to it because they are usually close to one of the Moorish marabouts and thus these scoundrels take full credit for their spirit. They make their Sala, the minor people do not do anything or do it only more of less in a mosque. The king and the nobles have them, they are covered with straw like the other houses.’” [1]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 39) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
“The twelve months of the Islamic calendar, in order are as follows (1) Muharram; (2) Safar; (3) Rab’I al-Awwal; (4) Rab’i al-Akhir (or al-Thani); (5) Jumada ‘l-Ula; (6) Jumada ‘l-Akhira; (7) Rajab (8) Sha’ban; (9) Ramadan; (10) Shawwal; (11) Dhu’-Qa’da and (12) Dhu ‘l Hijja.” [1]
[1]: (Hanne 2006, 196) Hanne, Eric. 2006. ‘Dates and Calendars’ In Medieval Islamic Civilizations: A-K, Index. By Josef W. Meri. London: Routledge. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/search/Dates%20and%20Calendars/titleCreatorYear/items/8BDKDQRX/item-list
Cowry shells. “It was not until the beginning of the fourteenth century that cowrie shells were definitely recorded as being used as money in West Africa.” [1] “Cowry shells (mollusks of the species Cypriaea Moneta and annulus) originated in the Indian Ocean and were brought to West Africa in European ships, often after passing through auctions in Amsterdam or London. Jon Hogendorn and M. Johnson (1986) provide a thorough account of this history explaining the large volume of shells brough to West Africa and the cycles of inflation that followed. As they moved to the interior, the shells crossed several linguistic and cultural boundaries. In a vast zone the cowry coexisted not only with gold dust and imported silver coins but also with salt bars, brass in rods or in heavy horseshoe shapes referred to as manillas, locally produced iron and cloth currencies, beads, and other means of payment.” [2]
[1]: (Yang 2019, 165) Yang, Bin. 2019. Cowrie Shells and Cowrie Money: A Global History. London: Routledge. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/search/Yang/titleCreatorYear/items/I5DXF22V/item-list
[2]: (Saul 2004, 73) Saul, Mahir. 2004. ‘Money in Colonial Transition: Cowries and Francs in West Africa’ American Anthropologist. Vol 106:1. Pp 71-84. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/FKJJ3H49/collection
“The anklet, bangle, or torque money of the West African equatorial coast, the manilla applied iron, brass, or copper to a common form of personal adornment that doubled as currency facilitating the slave trade. From prehistoric times, natives of Zaire north to Senegal collected portable wealth in heavy anklets, bracelets, and collars that served as highly visible savings accounts rather than everyday shopping cash.” [1] “The origin of manillas is not well documented. Historical accounts from Western Sudan mention rings as a medium of exchange as early as the eleventh century, and some archaeological discoveries from tropical West Africa, include a few copper rings dating between the ninth and thirteenth centuries.” [2]
[1]: (Snodgrass 2019, 198) Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. Coins and Currency: An Historical Encyclopedia. Second Edition. Jefferson: McFarland Publishers. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/F5SC74DA/library
[2]: (Bisson 2000, 114) Bisson, Michael S. et al. 2000. Ancient African Metallurgy: The Sociocultural Context. Walnut Creek: Alta Mira Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/DKFA9J3I/collection
Within the trans-Saharan trade networks which the Kingdom of Waalo was a part of, the mithqal was a pre-colonial measurement system that was used up until the nineteenth century. “The salt bar was to regional western African exchange what the gold mithqal was to international trade. But the mithqal was a considerably more stable measure across the markets of African and the Middle East, from Timbuktu to Kumasi, Marrakech, Tripoli and Cairo … It was the only precolonial western African measure, besides the ratl used for ostrich feathers, corresponding to an actual weight as opposed to a quantity. Silver was also weighted in mithqals.” [1] “This gave Waalo a place of commerce in Saint-Louis, namely that of millet. Cambonneau writes that from December 1675 to March 10, 1676, he occupied himself with the single aim to resupply the island after the departure of the Biert with ‘millet of which we had great need for the great number of captives which we traded everyday.’ The transport of millet was also ‘made on little boats. They carry a hundred matas of the big moule of millet, which is the measure of the country, which we use at the settlement to accommodate ourselves to them. This comes to seventy barrels or thereabouts.’” [2]
[1]: (Lydon 2009, 250) Lydon, Ghislaine. 2009. On Trans-Saharan Trails: Islamic Law, Trade Networks, and Cross-Cultural Exchange in Nineteenth-Century Western Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/BDKW7A68/collection
[2]: (Barry 2012, 67-68) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
Within the trans-Saharan trade networks which the Kingdom of Waalo was a part of, the mithqal was a pre-colonial measurement system that was used up until the nineteenth century. “The salt bar was to regional western African exchange what the gold mithqal was to international trade. But the mithqal was a considerably more stable measure across the markets of African and the Middle East, from Timbuktu to Kumasi, Marrakech, Tripoli and Cairo … It was the only precolonial western African measure, besides the ratl used for ostrich feathers, corresponding to an actual weight as opposed to a quantity. Silver was also weighted in mithqals.” [1] “This gave Waalo a place of commerce in Saint-Louis, namely that of millet. Cambonneau writes that from December 1675 to March 10, 1676, he occupied himself with the single aim to resupply the island after the departure of the Biert with ‘millet of which we had great need for the great number of captives which we traded everyday.’ The transport of millet was also ‘made on little boats. They carry a hundred matas of the big moule of millet, which is the measure of the country, which we use at the settlement to accommodate ourselves to them. This comes to seventy barrels or thereabouts.’” [2]
[1]: (Lydon 2009, 250) Lydon, Ghislaine. 2009. On Trans-Saharan Trails: Islamic Law, Trade Networks, and Cross-Cultural Exchange in Nineteenth-Century Western Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/BDKW7A68/collection
[2]: (Barry 2012, 67-68) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
“This gave Waalo a place of commerce in Saint-Louis, namely that of millet. Cambonneau writes that from December 1675 to March 10, 1676, he occupied himself with the single aim to resupply the island after the departure of the Biert with ‘millet of which we had great need for the great number of captives which we traded everyday.’ The transport of millet was also ‘made on little boats. They carry a hundred matas of the big moule of millet, which is the measure of the country, which we use at the settlement to accommodate ourselves to them. This comes to seventy barrels or thereabouts.’” [1]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 67-68) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
“This gave Waalo a place of commerce in Saint-Louis, namely that of millet. Cambonneau writes that from December 1675 to March 10, 1676, he occupied himself with the single aim to resupply the island after the departure of the Biert with ‘millet of which we had great need for the great number of captives which we traded everyday.’ The transport of millet was also ‘made on little boats. They carry a hundred matas of the big moule of millet, which is the measure of the country, which we use at the settlement to accommodate ourselves to them. This comes to seventy barrels or thereabouts.’” [1]
[1]: (Barry 2012, 67-68) Barry, Boubacar. 2012. The Kingdom of Waalo: Senegal Before the Conquest. New York: Diasporic Africa Press. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9KV5MEKN/collection
“The twelve months of the Islamic calendar, in order are as follows (1) Muharram; (2) Safar; (3) Rab’I al-Awwal; (4) Rab’i al-Akhir (or al-Thani); (5) Jumada ‘l-Ula; (6) Jumada ‘l-Akhira; (7) Rajab (8) Sha’ban; (9) Ramadan; (10) Shawwal; (11) Dhu’-Qa’da and (12) Dhu ‘l Hijja.” [1]
[1]: (Hanne 2006, 196) Hanne, Eric. 2006. ‘Dates and Calendars’ In Medieval Islamic Civilizations: A-K, Index. By Josef W. Meri. London: Routledge. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/search/Dates%20and%20Calendars/titleCreatorYear/items/8BDKDQRX/item-list