Portal:Serer people
Symbol of the Ndut initiation rite
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Welcome to the Serer people portal!
Ndalin poortal Seereer Bienvenue sur le portail Sérères |
The Serer people are an ethnic group found in Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania. They make up the third largest ethnic group in Senegal and can also be found in the West. Their current population is over 1.8 million (2011). According to some scholars, they are among the oldest inhabitants of the Senegambia Region. The Serer group comprises the Sereer (the Serer people or Seex), Niominka, Ndut, Saafi, Noon, Laalaa and Palor. The Sereers are the most numerous among the Serer group. Although all the Serer group are ethnically Serers, some of this group do not speak the Serer language but speak Cangin languages. The Sereers speak the Serer language, and the Niominkas speak one of the dialects of the Serer language. The Serer precolonial Kingdoms included the : Kingdom of Sine, Kingdom of Saloum and Kingdom of Baol. The Kingdom of Baol was previously ruled by the Serer paternal dynasties such as the Joof family and the Wagadou maternal dynasty (Bagadou in Serer) at the time of the Ghana Empire. The Wagadou's were princesses from the Ghana Empire who married into the Serer noble families. These old Serer paternal noble clans descended from the ancient Lamanes (the old kings and landed gentry among the Serer noble classes). Traditionally, the Serers are landowners, mixed-farmers, fishermen and boat builders. Many of Senegal and Gambia's notable people come from this ethnic group. The famous Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour and the Gambian historian Alhaji Alieu Ebrima Cham Joof are from this group. Although there are some Serers who are Christians or Muslims, many Serers adhere to Serer religion especially in the Sine area of Senegal. The Serers (and the Jolas) are the last to embrace Islam among the Senegambian ethnic groups and spent nearly a thousand years resisting Islamization. Serer medieval to 19th century history is characterized by resisting Islamization. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Box-header/colours' not found. Serer medieval history to the 19th century is partly characterised by resisting Islamization and later Wolofization from the 11th century during the Almoravid movement (particularly the Serers of Takrur) to the 19th century Marabout movement of Senegambia. Although the old Serer paternal dynasties (descendants of the old Lamanes such as the Joof family, etc.) continued, the Wagadou maternal dynasty was replaced by the Guelowar maternal dynasty in the 14th century. After the Ghana Empire was sacked as certain kingdoms gained their independence, Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar, leader of the Almoravids launched a jihad into the region. In November 1087 (C.E), the Serer King Ama Gôdô Maat, according to oral tradition defeated Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar and he was killed by a poisoned arrow. In 1446, a Portuguese caravel carrying the Portuguese slave trader - Nuno Tristão and his party attempted to enter Serer territory in order to carry out slave raiding. None of the adult passengers of that caravel survived. They all succumbed to Serer poisoned arrows except five young Portuguese (or less). One of them was left with the task to charter the caravel back to Portugal. Nuno was amongst those killed. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Box-header/colours' not found. Yandé Codou Sène (also Yande Codou Sene) was a Senegalese singer of Serer heritage. She was born in 1932 at Somb in the Sine-Saloum delta and died on 15 July 2010 at Gandiaye in Sénégal. She was the official griot of president Léopold Sédar Senghor. Most of her music is sung in the Serer language. Yandé Codou sings in the old Serer tradition and have had a significant impact on Senegambian music as well as artists including Youssou N'Dour whom she has inspired immensely. Although she has been singing since she was a child and have had a profound effect on Senegambia's music scene, she did not record her first album (Night Sky in Sine Saloum) until she was aged 65. Her first recording debut on an album "Gainde" was in 1995 that she shared with Youssou N'Dour (another Serer but who tends to sing in Wolof) in which she received rave reviews. 
The Star of Yoonir, symbol of the Universe in Serer cosmology. Commonly known as the Star of Sirius.
The Serer religion, a ƭat Roog (the way of the Divine) is the original religious beliefs, practices and teachings of the Serer people. The Serers believe in a universal Supreme Deity called Rog (variation : Roog) also known as Rog Sene. Serer religious beliefs encompasses ancient chants and poems; veneration and offerings to the Serer Gods, Goddesses, Serer Saints and ancestral spirits (Pangool), astronomy, initiation rites, medicine cosmology and history of the Serer people. Rog is both everywhere and nowhere. That is why there is no house of Rog. The Serers pray to Rog (through intercessors), but do not make direct animal sacrifices to Rog. There is no heaven or hell in Serer religion. The immortality of the soul and reincarnation (ciiɗ in Serer language) is a strongly held belief in Serer religion. The Pangool - ancestral spirits of those who lived pure lives after they have passed on to the spirit world (Jaaniiw) are canonised as Holy Saints, and will be called upon and venerated, and have the power to intercede between the living and the Divine. Acceptance by the ancestors who have long departed and the ability to intercede with the Divine is as close to heaven after one passes over. Rejection by the ancestors and becoming a lost and wondering soul is as close to hell in Serer religion. Template:/box-footer Template:/box-header 2012 Calendar
Template:/box-header Portal:Serer people/News Template:/box-footer Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Box-header/colours' not found.  A representation of the universe. The three worlds : the invisible world, the terrestrial world and the nocturnal world.
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