Saloum
Encyclopedia
The Kingdom of Saloum in Senegal
is a traditional kingdom
which was renamed Saloum in the late 15th century by the son of a Serer
and a Guelowar
from the kingdom of Kaabu
to the south. The ancient and present capital of the Kingdom of Saloum is the city of Kahone
. Previous to that, it was known as Mbey. The Kingdom of Saloum is a sister kingdom of the Kingdom of Sine
both ruled and inhabitted by the Serer people
. Their history, geography and culture went hand-in-hand, hence the name Sine-Saloum
.
Saloum includes flat, swampy tideland areas inland from the Saloum River
delta
. In recent years large areas of mangrove
growth have been destroyed. There was a flourishing industry of salt
-manufacture at the salt flats along the delta. Originally, Saloum extended south to the north banks of the Gambia River
.
The population is overrun by the Serer people
. During the Serer paternal and Guelowar
maternal dynasties from the 15th century to 1969, over 100 kings have been enthroned
. Saloum had control, for a time, of the Kingdom of Baol. Although the Kingdom won some major battles against the French
, the French also won battles against the Kingdom. The kings continued to hold their traditional court in Kahone
, but the city was eclipsed commercially by neighboring Kaolack
.
Its economic base was groundnut
trade, exporting large quantities of nuts to Europe.
Saloum, just like its sister Serer kingdom Sine
, is known for its many ancient burial mounds or "tumuli" containing the graves of kings and others. The kingdom has numerous mysterious stone circles whose functions and history were unknown until recently.
Ethnically, the Saloum kingdom has always been inhabited by Serer people
, but gradually the Wolof
immigrants have settled in. Both Serer and Wolof
languages are both widely spoken in Saloum.
Portuguese explorers in the 15th century referred to Saloum as the kingdom of Borçalo, after 'Bor-ba-Saloum' (Wolof corruption for "King of Saloum").
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
is a traditional kingdom
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
which was renamed Saloum in the late 15th century by the son of a Serer
Serer people
The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....
and a Guelowar
Guelowar
The Guelowar was a Serer and Mandinka dynasty between 1350 to 1969. The dynasty was formed through marriage between the Serer paternal dynasties such as Joof or Diouf, Faye and Ndiaye and the Mandinka maternal Guelowar dynasty of Kaabu in modern day Guinea Bissau who escaped the Battle of...
from the kingdom of Kaabu
Kaabu
The Kaabu Empire was a Mandinka Kingdom of Senegambia that rose to prominence in the region thanks to its origins as a former province of the Mali Empire...
to the south. The ancient and present capital of the Kingdom of Saloum is the city of Kahone
Kahone
Kahone is a town and commune near Kaolack, Senegal. It is primarily agricultural, but it is participating in industrial development plans. Also, the town is pursuing increased tourism based on its ancient Serer culture....
. Previous to that, it was known as Mbey. The Kingdom of Saloum is a sister kingdom of the Kingdom of Sine
Kingdom of Sine
The Kingdom of Sine was a pre-colonial Serer kingdom along the north bank of the Saloum River delta in modern Senegal. Much of the kingdom's population was and still is Serer.-History:...
both ruled and inhabitted by the Serer people
Serer people
The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....
. Their history, geography and culture went hand-in-hand, hence the name Sine-Saloum
Sine-Saloum
Sine-Saloum is a region in Senegal located north of The Gambia and south of the Petite Côte. It encompasses an area of 24,000 square kilometers, about 12% of Senegal, with a population in the 1990s of 1,060,000....
.
Overview
Saloum River
The Saloum River rises about 105 kilometers east of Kaolack, Senegal, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The significant Saloum Delta is located at its mouth, which is protected as Saloum Delta National Park. The river basin lies within the Kingdom of Saloum....
delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
. In recent years large areas of mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
growth have been destroyed. There was a flourishing industry of salt
Sodium chloride
Sodium chloride, also known as salt, common salt, table salt or halite, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaCl. Sodium chloride is the salt most responsible for the salinity of the ocean and of the extracellular fluid of many multicellular organisms...
-manufacture at the salt flats along the delta. Originally, Saloum extended south to the north banks of the Gambia River
Gambia River
The Gambia River is a major river in West Africa, running from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward through Senegal and The Gambia to the Atlantic Ocean at the city of Banjul...
.
The population is overrun by the Serer people
Serer people
The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....
. During the Serer paternal and Guelowar
Guelowar
The Guelowar was a Serer and Mandinka dynasty between 1350 to 1969. The dynasty was formed through marriage between the Serer paternal dynasties such as Joof or Diouf, Faye and Ndiaye and the Mandinka maternal Guelowar dynasty of Kaabu in modern day Guinea Bissau who escaped the Battle of...
maternal dynasties from the 15th century to 1969, over 100 kings have been enthroned
Enthroned
Enthroned is a black metal band formed in Charleroi in 1993 by Cernunnos. He soon recruited guitarist Tsebaoth and a vocalist from grindcore/black metal band Hecate who stayed until the end of December 1993. Then bassist/vocalist Sabathan joined. The band released a 5-track demo tape in mid-1994...
. Saloum had control, for a time, of the Kingdom of Baol. Although the Kingdom won some major battles against the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the French also won battles against the Kingdom. The kings continued to hold their traditional court in Kahone
Kahone
Kahone is a town and commune near Kaolack, Senegal. It is primarily agricultural, but it is participating in industrial development plans. Also, the town is pursuing increased tourism based on its ancient Serer culture....
, but the city was eclipsed commercially by neighboring Kaolack
Kaolack
Kaolack is a town of 172,305 people on the north bank of the Saloum River and the N1 road in Senegal. It is the capital of the Kaolack Region, which borders The Gambia to the south. Kaolack is an important regional market town and is Senegal's main peanut trading and processing center...
.
Its economic base was groundnut
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
trade, exporting large quantities of nuts to Europe.
Saloum, just like its sister Serer kingdom Sine
Kingdom of Sine
The Kingdom of Sine was a pre-colonial Serer kingdom along the north bank of the Saloum River delta in modern Senegal. Much of the kingdom's population was and still is Serer.-History:...
, is known for its many ancient burial mounds or "tumuli" containing the graves of kings and others. The kingdom has numerous mysterious stone circles whose functions and history were unknown until recently.
Ethnically, the Saloum kingdom has always been inhabited by Serer people
Serer people
The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....
, but gradually the Wolof
Wolof people
The Wolof are an ethnic group found in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania.In Senegal, the Wolof form an ethnic plurality with about 43.3% of the population are Wolofs...
immigrants have settled in. Both Serer and Wolof
Wolof language
Wolof is a language spoken in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania, and is the native language of the Wolof people. Like the neighbouring languages Serer and Fula, it belongs to the Atlantic branch of the Niger–Congo language family...
languages are both widely spoken in Saloum.
Portuguese explorers in the 15th century referred to Saloum as the kingdom of Borçalo, after 'Bor-ba-Saloum' (Wolof corruption for "King of Saloum").