Damel was the title of the ruler (or king) of the

Wolof Wolof or Wollof may refer to: * Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...

kingdom of

Cayor The Cayor Kingdom (; ) was from 1549 to 1876 the largest and most powerful kingdom that split off from the Jolof Empire in what is now Senegal. The Cayor Kingdom was located in northern and central Senegal, southeast of Waalo, west of the kingdom ...

in what is now northwest

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

. The most well-known ''damel'' is probably Lat Dior Diop (1842–1886) who was killed by the French after decades of resisting their encroachment on Wolof territory. Lat Dior is a Senegalese national hero. The 30th and last Damel of Cayor, Samba Laobé Fall, was killed by the leader of a French delegation, Captain Spitzer, at Tivaouane, Senegal.

Role

Among the social classes of Cayor, the Damel stood on the top of the hierarchy. The Damel were traditionally seen as great magicians and it was through female relatives that royal blood was transmitted. Every descendant of a Damel in the maternal line became a ''garmi'' or noble.

History

The Damel began as the Great Lamane of Cayor, traditionally elected by the other Lamanes from the Fall family of Palene Ded, who claimed descend from Ousmane Boune Afal, a companion of Mohammed, by means of Wagadou. Lat Jor was the only Damel elected who was not part of the Fall paternal line. The term "Damel" may derive from "breaker", coming from the

verb "damma" meaning "to break," referring to the breaking of their vassalage to the

Jolof Empire The Jolof Empire (), also known as Great Jolof or the Wolof Empire, was a Wolof state in modern-day Senegal, that ruled portions of Mauritania and Gambia from the mid-14th centuryFage, J. D.; Oliver, Roland; "The Cambridge History of Africa." Vo ...

at the 1549

battle of Danki The Battle of Danki was a conflict fought in 1549 between the Jolof Empire and Cayor, a rebellious vassal. The decisive Aajor victory and the death of the reigning ''Buurba'' of the empire signaled the end of Jolof hegemony over Cayor, Baol, Sa ...

Alvise Cadamosto Alvise Cadamosto (surname cf. ''Ca' da Mosto, da Cadamosto, da Ca' da Mosto''; also known in Portuguese as ''Luís Cadamosto''; mononymously ''Cadamosto'') (; ) (c. 1432 – 16 July 1483) was a Venetian explorer and slave trader, who was hired by ...

, however, recorded the use of the title "Damel" for the ruler of Cayor much earlier, in the 1450s.

List of damel

The following are the damel of Cayor, in order *1549, Dece Fu Njogu *1549–1593, Amary Ngone Sobel Fall *1593–1600 Massamba Tako *1697–1719, Lat Sukabe *1719–1748, Isa-Tende *1748–1749, Maissa Bigué Ngoné Fall (1st term)Stewart, John, ''African States and Rulers'', McFarland & Company (2006), pp. 131, 339, 371, *1749–1757, Ma-Bathio Samb *1757–1758, Birima Kodu *1758–1759, Maissa Bigué Ngoné Fall (2nd term)IFAN (1974), (cont. Institut fondamental d'Afrique noire), ''Bulletin de L'Institut Fondamental D'Afrique Noire: Sciences humaines. Série B'', pp. 119, 120, 144 *1759–1760, Birima Yamb *1760–1763, Isa Bige Nagone *1763–1766, Jor Yasin Isa *1766–1777, Kodu Kumba *1777–1790, Birima Fatim-Penda *1790–1809, Amari Ngone Ndèla Kumba Fal *1809–1832, Biram Fatma Cub Fal *1832–1855, Maysa Tènde Jor Samba Fal *1855–1860, Birima Ngone Latir Fal (d. 1860) *1860–1861, Ma-Kodu Kumba Yande Fal *1861 May – 1861 Dec 8, Ma-Jojo Jegeñ Kodu Fal (1st term) *1862 – 1864 Jan, Lat Jor Ngone Latir Jop (1st term) (b. c.1842, d. 1886) *1864 Jan – 1868, Ma-Jojo Jegeñ Kodu Fal (2nd term) *1871 Feb 12 – 1882, Lat Jor Ngone Latir Jop (2nd term) (s.a.) *1883 Jan – 1883 Aug 28, Amari Ngone Fal *1883 Aug 28 – 1886 Oct 6, Samba Laobe Fal *1883 Oct 6 – 1902, Meissa Tendi Dior Birima Demba War Sall

Notes

References

*Crowder, Michael (1968). ''West Africa Under Colonial Rule''. Northwestern University Press. *Hale, Thomas A., Johnson, John William and Belcher, Stephen Paterson (1997). ''Oral Epics From Africa: Vibrant Voices From A Vast Continent''. Indiana University Press. *Harney, Elizabeth, (2004). ''In Senghor's Shadow: Art, Politics, and the Avant-garde in Senegal, 1960-1995''. Duke University Press.

External links