Amar Godomat (''né.'' Ama Kodu Juuf in Serer, also known as Xamakodu Fa Maak (meaning Hamacodou The Elder, in Serer), or Amar Gôdômat, Ama Kodu Joof in Gambian English, or Ama Codou Diouf in Senegalese French)) is the name given in

oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...

to an 11th-century Serer archer. Serer oral tradition relays that, a Serer bowman named Amar Godomat killed the 11th century

Almoravid The Almoravid dynasty () was a Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus, starting in the 1050s and lasting until its fall to the Almo ...

leader

Abu Bakr ibn Umar Abu Bakr ibn Umar ibn Ibrahim ibn Turgut, sometimes suffixed al-Sanhaji or al-Lamtuni (died 1087; ) was a chieftain of the Lamtuna Berber Tribe and Amir of the Almoravids from 1056 until his death. He is credited to have founded the Moroccan c ...

in battle, with his bow near lake Rzik (just north of the Senegal) (Godomat's name apparently originates with this death). The battle is reported to have taken place near ''Khoo Maak'' in Serer country, commonly known as Lake Cayor. One source discussing this oral tradition says that "almoravid Abu Bakar Ben Umar was killed by the arrow of serer warrior Amar Godomat, in the month of shaa'ban 480 (November 1087). This regicide potentially signals his exodus after taking the name "Amar god o maat", "Amar (which) killed (the) king"."Diouf, Marcel Mahawa, ''Lances mâles :

Léopold Sédar Senghor Léopold Sédar Senghor ( , , ; 9 October 1906 – 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese politician, cultural theorist and poet who served as the first president of Senegal from 1960 to 1980. Ideologically an African socialist, Senghor was one ...

et les traditions sérères'', Centre d'études linguistiques et historiques par tradition orale, Niamey, 1996, p. 54 Mauritanian oral tradition claims Abu Bakr was killed in a clash with the "Gangara" (

Soninke Wangara The Wangara (also known as Wakore, Wankori, Ouankri, Wangarawa) are a diaspora community of ethnic Soninke origin who served as specialized long-distance merchants throughout West Africa, particularly in trans-Saharan trade. Originating from the ...

) of the Tagant Region of southern

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

, relating that he was struck down by an arrow from an old, blind Gangara chieftain in the pass of Khma (between the Tagant and Assab mountains, en route to Ghana). Another source for Abu Bakr's death says "In the region of Tagant on his way to Djabal al-Dbahab, the Mountain of Gold, he was wounded, according to the chronicles, by a

poisoned arrow Arrow poisons are used to poison arrow heads or darts for the purposes of hunting and warfare. They have been used by indigenous peoples worldwide and are still in use in areas of South America, Africa and Asia. Notable examples are the poisons se ...

, shot by an old black bowman who could not see unless his eye-lids were raised up to uncover his eyeballs. The black bowman asked his daughter to hold open his eyes so that he could aim his arrow. It struck the Amir in the knee. Abu Bakr turned his horse around and rode off..." dying when he arrived in Tagant.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ama Godo Maat Archers Military history of Africa Serer royalty Maad Serer patriarchs Joof family

See also

Notes