Namandirou | |
|---|---|
 Namandirou (Njarmeew), within the Jolof Empire | |
| Capital | Sare |
| Religion | Traditional African religion, Islam |
| Government | Monarchy |
| Bëlëp | |
• early 16th century | Wali Mberu Mbacke |
| Today part of | Senegal |
| History of Senegal |
|---|
 |
 Senegalportal |
Namandirou (also spelled Nammandiru), also known as Njarmeew or Geremeo, was a kingdom in what is now eastern Senegal.
The name 'Namandirou' means 'country of abundance'. [1] It is the more ancient name, while 'Njarmeew' or 'Geremeo' was the name commonly used in the 15-16th centuries. [2]
The early history of Namandirou is murky. Oumar Kane, citing oral histories, proposes that the Jaaogo dynasty of Takrur originated there, ruling until roughly 1000CE. [3] After the conquest of Takrur by the Soninke Manna dynasty, Namandirou became their vassal, and was devastated by the Almoravids between 1072 and 1087. [2] Rokhaya Fall argues that it was likely a part of the Kingdom of Wuli during a period when Wuli controlled the entire area between the Ferlo desert and the Faleme river. [1]
In the 13th century, Namandirou reappeared under the name Njarmeew, ruled by the wolof Ndaw family who had originated north of the Senegal river. [2]
In approximately 1460 (according to Portuguese writer Andre Donelha), Namandirou was invaded by the Jolof Buurba Cukli Njiklaan, although some scholars argue that another Buurba was responsible. After a long war, the Bëlëp (also Ber-lab, or king) of Namandirou was killed in a pitched battle, and the kingdom was conquered and given to a member of the royal family as a fief. [4] [2] [5] Yoro Dyao records that, in the early 16th century, Koli Tengella defeated Ber-lab Wali Mberu Mbacke and drove the remaining population out, but he may be conflating Koli's attack on the eastern Jolof Empire with the destruction of the independent kingdom half a century earlier. [6] This attack, among other things, helped weaken Jolof and set the stage for its disintegration at the Battle of Danki. [7]
The history of Senegal is commonly divided into a number of periods, encompassing the prehistoric era, the precolonial period, colonialism, and the contemporary era.
Baol or Bawol was a kingdom in what is now central Senegal. Founded in the 11th century, it was a vassal of the Jolof Empire before becoming independent in the mid-16th century. The ruler bore the title of Teigne and reigned from the capital in Lambaye. The kingdom encompassed a strip of land extending east from the ocean and included the towns of Touba, Diourbel, and Mbacke. It was directly south of the Kingdom of Cayor and north of the Kingdom of Sine.
Waalo was a kingdom on the lower Senegal River in West Africa, in what is now Senegal and Mauritania. It included parts of the valley proper and areas north and south, extending to the Atlantic Ocean. To the north were Moorish emirates; to the south was the kingdom of Cayor; to the east was Jolof.
Takrur, Tekrur or Tekrour was a state based in the Senegal River valley in modern day Mauritania and Northern Senegal, Northwestern Africa, which was at its height in the 10th and 11th centuries, roughly parallel to the Ghana Empire. It lasted in some form into the 18th century.
The Jolof Empire, also known as Great Jolof, or the WolofEmpire, 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 is known as the Jolof Kingdom.
The Empire of Great Fulo, also known as the Denanke Kingdom or Denianke Kingdom, was a Pulaar kingdom of Senegal, which dominated the Futa Toro region from the early 16th century to 1776.
The Kingdom of Sine was a post-classical Serer kingdom along the north bank of the Saloum River delta in modern Senegal. The inhabitants are called Siin-Siin or Sine-Sine.
The Kingdom of Jolof, also known as Wolof and Wollof, was a West African rump state located in what is today the nation of Senegal. For nearly two hundred years, the Wolof rulers of the Jolof Empire collected tribute from vassal kings' states who voluntarily agreed to the confederacy. At the 1549 Battle of Danki, however, the Buurba Jolof was defeated by the lord of Kayor, resulting in the rapid disintegration of the empire. Jolof survived as a rump state, unable to access the Atlantic trade between its former vassal territories and the Portuguese.
The Saltigue, are Serer high priests and priestesses who preside over the religious ceremonies and affairs of the Serer people, such as the Xooy ceremony, the biggest event in the Serer religious calendar. They usually come from ancient Serer paternal families, and the title is inherited by birthright. In Serer country, Saltigue are always diviners.
Lamane or laman (Serer: Laamaan or Lamaan, mean "master of the land" in Serer. The name was also sometimes the title of chiefs or kings of the Serer people of the Senegambia region which includes modern day Senegal and the Gambia. This title was also used by some kings of the Wolof kingdoms. The title is sometimes used interchangeably with the old title Maad. After the Guelowars' migration to the Sine and the foundation of the Kingdom of Sine, "lamane" denotes a provincial chief answerable to the King of Sine and Saloum.
Buumi was a royal title in the pre-colonial Serer Kingdoms of Sine, Saloum and Baol, as well as in the Jolof Empire.
Koli Tenguella was a Fulani warrior and leader who was pivotal in establishing the Empire of Great Fulo.
Tenguella was a Fula silatigi or chief who founded a short-lived state in the upper Senegal river valley, a precursor of the Empire of Great Fulo. He was referred to as the Great Fulo or Great king of the Fulos in Portuguese documents of the time.
Tyukuli N'Diklam, also spelled Cukuli Njiklaan, was the fourth ruler, or Burba, of the Jolof Empire. Stewart places his rule between c.1420 and c.1440. Senegalese scholar Oumar Kane, however, proposes that he was born in 1433 and identifies him as the 'Zucholin' who appears in Alvise Cadamosto's account of his visit to Senegambia. This timeline would place him on the throne as late at 1460, when he conquered Takrur and Namandirou and attacked the Kingdom of Sine. This identification is disputed, however, with Rokhaya Fall and Jean Boulegue believing that Birayma N'dyeme Eler was responsible.
Birayma N'dyeme Eler, also spelled Biram Njeme Eler was the seventh ruler, or Burba, of the Jolof Empire. He was a member of the Jonaï maternal lineage, which originated in Baol.
Ndiadiane Ndiaye, frequently spelled Njaajan Njaay or Njai in English, is the legendary founder of the Jolof Empire. The story of Ndiadiaye Ndiaye is recorded in the oral histories of the Wolof and Serer peoples. Although the exact dates of his reign are unknown, he founded the Ndiaye dynasty that ruled Jolof until the 19th century. His epic says he grew up In what is now the Bakel Department of Senegal, as the son of Fatumata Sall, the daughter of a local chief. His father is variously named Abu Darday, Bubakar Omar and Boukar Ndiaye. According to the legend, when his mother remarried following her husband's death, Ndiadiane left his home and travelled, via the Senegal River, to Waalo, where his ability to make good judgements led to the people appointing him their leader. After ruling the Waalo for 16 years, he founded the Jolof Empire by peaceful means. On his death, the empire passed to his son, Sare Ndiadiane. He is called the ancestor of the peoples of Senegal and the term Ndiadiane Ndiaye is used as a colloquial term for the country.
Jeleen Yatta Ntanye, more commonly known as Jelen, Jeléen, or Bemoim, was a buumi of the Jolof Empire who attempted to take control of the state with help from the Portuguese in the late 15th century.
Wuli was a Mandinka kingdom located on the north bank of the Gambia River in what is now the eastern portion of The Gambia and the Tambacounda region of Senegal. Ruled as an independent polity by the Wali family from the early 16th century until European colonialism in the late 19th, it controlled an important crossroads for trading routes linking the upper Niger river valley with the coast.
Niani was a Mandinka kingdom located on the north bank of the Gambia River from approximately the 14th to the late 19th century in what is now The Gambia and Senegal.