Serer-Noon
Encyclopedia
The Serer-Noon are an ethnic people who occupy western Senegal
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...

. They are part of the Serer people
Serer people
The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....

.

Territory

They are found primarily in Senegal in the region of Thies
Thiès
Thiès is the third largest city in Senegal with a population officially estimated at 320,000 in 2005. It lies 60 km east of Dakar on the N2 road and at the junction of railway lines to Dakar, Bamako and St-Louis...

 in areas like Fandène
Fandène
Fandène is a small village in Sénégal about 7 km from Thiès. It is inhabited by the Serer people.- History :It was one of the villages of the old Serer Kingdom of Sine...

, Peykouk, Silman, Diankhène and Dioung. As well as being present in Sengal, they are also found in The Gambia
The Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....

.

The Serer-Noon are mostly farmers who grow millet, peanuts, cotton etc.

Population

In the Thies area alone, their population 32,900. However, the Serer people
Serer people
The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....

 as a whole represent the third largest ethnic group in Senegal.

In his Sketches of Senegal (1853), Abbé Boilat described them as "the most beautiful black people... tall and beautiful posture... who are always well dressed, very strong and independent"

History

See main article Serer people
Serer people
The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....



The Serer people
Serer people
The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....

 to which they belong the are the oldest inhabitants of Senegambia along with the Jola people
Jola people
The Jola are an ethnic group found in Senegal , The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. There are great numbers on the Atlantic coast between the southern banks of the Gambia River, the Casamance region of Senegal and the northern part of Guinea-Bissau...

. Their ancestors were dispersed throughout the Senegambian Region and it was them who built the megaliths of Senegambia
Senegambian stone circles
The Senegambian stone circles lie in Gambia north of Janjanbureh and in central Senegal. Coordinates: 13° 41 N – 15° 31 W.Approximate area: 15,000 square miles . They are sometimes divided into the Wassu and Sine-Saloum circles, but this is purely a national division.The stones were erected...

.

Language

They speak Serer-Noon which is one of the Cangin languages (one of the dialects of the Proper Serer-Sine Languge). Their language is closely related to the Serer-Safene and Serer-Lehar
Serer-Laalaa
The Serer-Laalaa are an ethnic group belonging to the Serer people of Senegambia. They speak the Laalaa dialect of the proper Serer-Sine language. Their dialect is part of the Cangin languages which is referred to as Laalaa in their language...

 than to the standard Serer-Sine. In fact, the Serer-Noon are "Serer-Safene" themselves who speaks the Serer-Safene dialect.

Religion

See Serer religion
Serer religion
The Serer religion, Fat Rog is the original religious beliefs, practices and teachings of the Serer people. The Serer people believe in a universal Supreme Deity called "Rog. "The Serer people are found throughout the Senegambia Region...


They practice the Serer Religion
Serer religion
The Serer religion, Fat Rog is the original religious beliefs, practices and teachings of the Serer people. The Serer people believe in a universal Supreme Deity called "Rog. "The Serer people are found throughout the Senegambia Region...

 which involves honouring the ancestors covering all dimensions of life, death, cosmology etc.

Related Ethnic Groups and Dialect

  • Serer people
    Serer people
    The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....

  • Serer-Safene
  • Serer-Niominka
  • Serer-Laalaa
    Serer-Laalaa
    The Serer-Laalaa are an ethnic group belonging to the Serer people of Senegambia. They speak the Laalaa dialect of the proper Serer-Sine language. Their dialect is part of the Cangin languages which is referred to as Laalaa in their language...

  • Serer-Sine
  • Serer-Ndut
    Serer-Ndut
    The Serer-Ndut also spelt are an ethnic group in Senegal numbering 38600They are part of the Serer people who collectively make up the third largest ethnic group in Senegal...

  • Serer-Palor

Serer Kingdoms

  • 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:...

  • Kingdom of Saloum
  • Kingdom of Baol
  • Biffeche
    Biffeche
    Biffeche or Bifeche is an area of Senegal centred on the town of Savoigne, some 20 miles north-east of the major coastal city of Saint-Louis....


English Language Bibliography

Senegambian Ethnic Groups: Common Origins and Cultural Affinities Factors and Forces of National Unity, Peace and Stability. By Alhaji Ebou Momar Taal. 2010 Gambian Studies No. 17. “People of The Gambia. I. The Wolof.” By David P. Gamble & Linda K. Salmon with Alhaji Hassan Njie. San Francisco 1985Elisa Daggs. All Africa: All its political entities of independent or other status. Hasting House, 1970. ISBN: 0803803362, 9780803803367
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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