Baol
| Kingdom of Baol Bawol |
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| Capital | Diourbel | |||
| Language(s) | Serer; later Wolof with Wolof immigrants | |||
| Religion | Serer religion; Islam starting in 19th century | |||
| Government | Monarchy | |||
| Serer Rulers of Baol | ||||
| - 11th century | Boury Joof (Wagadou period) | |||
| - 1549 | Ngoneh Sobell Njie (Wagadou period) | |||
| Historical era | Medieval | |||
| - c 8th century, Serer paternal dynastic period: ruled by Joof (later Ndiaye) and Wagadou maternal dynasty. Last Serer paternal dynasty was Ndiaye 1549 before the Battle of Danki. The Wagadou dynasty also fell just later. Serer paternal dynasties succeeded by the Faal paternal dynasty. Wagadous succeeded by several maternal clans last one being Geej of Serer heritage from the Kingdom of Saloum. | 750 | |||
| - 1549 (The Battle of Danki) - against the Emperor of Jolof | ||||
| - Disestablished | 1896 | |||
The Kingdom of Baol or Bawol in central Senegal was one of the ancient kingdoms of the Serer people pre-the Jolof Empire, an Empire it would later join voluntarily just like the other States. However it gained prominence after the split-up of the Empire in 1555. The ruler ("Teigne" or "Teen") reigned from a capital in Diourbel.
The Kingdom encompassed a strip of land extending east from the ocean to the capital city and included the cities of Touba and MBacke. It was directly south of the Kingdom of Cayor and north of the Kingdom of Sine.
Baol was famous for its horses. It has special breeds, which were faster and stronger than most of the horses on the plain. Baol citizens are good riders.
Baol was ethnically a Serer Kingdom ruled by the Joof (or Diouf or "Juuf") and other paternal dynasties of the Serer people over a thousand years ago, who married the royal princesses from the Ghana Empire whose maternal lineage is referred to as "Wagadou". [1] A King called "Boury Joof" of the Serer ethnic group is one of the earliest recorded Kings of Baol who ruled around the 11th century.[2] He was of the same family of Buur Ndaah Njemeh Joof (a king of Lâ in Baol in the 12 - 13th cenutry who also ruled as Teign following his victory over the reigning Teign in battle. He is the ancestor of the Joof paternal dynasties that ruled the Kingdom of Sine and the Kingdom of Saloum.[3] The Njie (or Ndiaye) family also (originally members of the Serer ethnic group before they became Wolofized due to the fact that they were ruling over the Wolof people and assimilated) ruled centuries later. It was not until the mid 16th century when the Faal (or Fall) paternal dynasty came to the throne following the Battle of Danki 1549 against the King of Jolof Lele Fuli Fak Njie.[4] Although the Wolof people were present also in Baol, they have never ruled it. Baol was a Serer Kingdom ruled by the Serers and after the fall of the Serer paternal dynasties e.g. Joof (or Diouf) and Njie (or Ndiaye), etc., it was ruled by the Faal who were originally Black Moors but they had Wagadou and some Serer ancestry hence the reason why they were able to succeed the Serer paternal dynasties. Nevertheless the Serer paternal clans became members of the royal family and held the prominent positions such as Prime Ministers. Lat Dior Diop was one of the last Kings of Baol. He was not a Wolof either, he was Lebou. The surname "Diop" or "Jobe" is Lebou in origin not Wolof. The Lebou people were Wolofized but they are a totally distinct from the Wolof. Both the Wolof and Lebou people trace their descent to Serer people and are all related.[5][6]
Baol's social and political systems were basically the same as those of Cayor. In fact, the kingdoms merged from time to time for mutual defense.
The French conquest of Baol began in 1859. Most of Baol was conquered by the French in 1874, however complete control of the former kingdom was not gained by France until 1895. It was one of many campaigns of Governor Louis Faidherbe who oversaw the conquest of Cayor in 1886.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Lucie Gallistel Colvin. Historical Dictionary of Senegal. Scarecrow Press/ Metuchen. NJ - London (1981) ISBN 081081885x
- ^ ( Ning and Sain 1972):Lucie Gallistel Colvin. Historical Dictionary of Senegal. Scarecrow Press/ Metuchen. NJ - London (1981) ISBN 081081885x
- ^ L’EPOPEE DE SANMOON FAY. La Famille Juuf. Ethiopiques n°54 revue semestrielle de culture négro-africaine Nouvelle série volume 7 2e semestre 1991
- ^ Oumar Ndiaye Leyti. “Le Djoloff et ses Bourba.” Nouvelles Editions Africaines, 1981. ISBN 2723608174
- ^ Ebou Momar Taal. Senegambian Ethnic Groups: Common Origins and Cultural Affinities Factors and Forces of National Unity, Peace and Stability. 2010
- ^ Cheikh Anta Diop. Nations nègres et culture: de l'antiquité nègre égyptienne aux problèmes culturels de l'Afrique noire d'aujourd'hui. 1954
[edit] References
- http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Senegal_native.html
- Clark, Andrew F. and Lucie Colvin Phillips, Historical Dictionary of Senegal, Second Edition Published as No. 65 of African Historical Dictionaries, (Metuchen, New Jersey: The Scarecrow Press, 1994) p. 74-75
