Lamane or laman (also laam or lam) means "master of the land" in the

Serer language Serer, often broken into differing regional dialects such as Serer-Sine and Serer-Saloum, is a language of the Senegambian branch of the Niger–Congo family spoken by 1.2 million people in Senegal and 30,000 in the Gambia as of 2009. It is the ...

. The name was also sometimes the title of chiefs or kings of the

Serer people The Serer people (''Serer language, Serer proper'': Seereer or Sereer) are a West African ethnoreligious groupGastellu, Jean-Marc, ''Petit traité de matrilinarité. L'accumulation dans deux sociétés rurales d'Afrique de l'Ouest'', Cahiers ORST ...

of the

Senegambia The Senegambia (other names: Senegambia region or Senegambian zone,Barry, Boubacar, ''Senegambia and the Atlantic Slave Trade'', (Editors: David Anderson, Carolyn Brown; trans. Ayi Kwei Armah; contributors: David Anderson, American Council of Le ...

region which includes modern day

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 ...

and

the Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

. This title was also used by some kings 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 ...

kingdoms. The title is sometimes used interchangeably with the old Serer title

Maad Maad (in Serer language, Serer, or Mad) is the title given to a male monarch by the Serer people of Senegal, Gambia and Mauritania.Souleymane Faye (linguist), Faye, Souleymane, "Morphologie du nom sérère: système nominal et alternance consonan ...

. After the Guelowars' migration to the Sine and the foundation of the

Kingdom of Sine The Kingdom of Sine (or Siin in Serer, variations: ''Sin'' or ''Siine'') was a post-classical Serer kingdom along the north bank of the Saloum River delta in modern Senegal. Toponymy and Demonym During the Guelowar Era the region was named a ...

, "lamane" denotes a provincial chief answerable to the King of Sine and

Saloum The Kingdom of Saloum ( Serer: ''Saluum'' or ''Saalum'') was a Serer kingdom in present-day Senegal and parts of Gambia. The precolonial capital was the city of Kahone. Re-established in 2017, Saloum is now a non-sovereign traditional monarch ...

. Although the later lamanes were always descendants of the Serer village and town founders (the original lamanes), and their families ruled the Kingdoms of Sine, Saloum and

Baol Baol or Bawol was a kingdom in what is now central Senegal. Founded in the 11th century, it was a vassal of the Jolof Empire before becoming independent in the mid-16th century. The ruler bore the title of Teigne (title), Teigne (or Teeň) and re ...

etc., the power they previously enjoyed as lamanes diminished, but they continued to make up the land-owning class. Though their power was somewhat diminished, their economic and political power was intricately linked to Serer custom, Serer history, and

Serer religion The Serer religion or Serer spirituality (''Serer language, Serer:'' A ƭat Roog, meaning "the way of the Divine", "path of God", or "religious life"Kalis, Simone, ''Médecine traditionnelle, religion et divination chez les Seereer Siin du Sén� ...

. As such, they were extremely powerful if not as true kings as guardians of Serer traditions and beliefs and could dethrone a reigning

monarch A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...

if threatened. The lamanes were the guardians of

. They created sanctuaries and

shrines A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daemon, or similar figure of respect, wh ...

in honour of the

Pangool Pangool (in Serer and Cangin) singular: Fangool (var : ''Pangol'' and ''Fangol''), are the ancient saints and ancestral spirits of the Serer people of Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania. The Pangool play a crucial role in Serer religion and hist ...

( Serer ancestral spirits and

Saints In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...

). They are the predecessors of the Serer priestly class, the

Saltigue The Saltigue (other spelling: Saltigué, Saltigui or Saltigi in Serer), are Serer high priests and priestesses who preside over the religious ceremonies and affairs of the Serer people, such as the '' Xooy'' (or ''Xoy'') ceremony, the biggest ...

(the "hereditary rain priests").Galvan, Dennis Charles, "The State Must Be Our Master of Fire: How Peasants Craft Culturally Sustainable Development in Senegal." Berkeley, University of California Press ( 2004).p. 202

Some prominent Serer lamanes

* Lamane Jegan Joof *Lamane Jaw (or Lamane Diao) – King of Jolof 1285 *Lamane Pangha Yaya Sarr – c. 14th century lamane of

Sine In mathematics, sine and cosine are trigonometric functions of an angle. The sine and cosine of an acute angle are defined in the context of a right triangle: for the specified angle, its sine is the ratio of the length of the side opposite th ...

and an opponent to the Guelowar refugees.Diouf, Niokhobaye. "Chronique du royaume du Sine." Suivie de notes sur les traditions orales et les sources écrites concernant le royaume du Sine par Charles Becker et Victor Martin. (1972). Bulletin de l'Ifan, Tome 34, Série B, n° 4, (1972). pp 706-708 *

Sayerr Jobe Sayerr Jobe was the founder of Serekunda, the largest city in The Gambia. Sayerr was originally from the town in Koki, Senegal, Koki in the Kingdom of Cayor, in what is now northern Senegal. He was part of the wider Jobe (or Diop) family, which ...

, founder of

Serekunda Serekunda (or Serrekunda; ) is a major city and the largest metropolitan area in The Gambia. It is situated close to the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast, on the Gambia River, near the capital, Banjul. Serekunda and Banjul form an urban area kno ...

*Latir Kumba Lô (nicknamed Lat Kumba Lo) of Latrikunda

References

External links

The Seereer Resource Centre
''"Seereer Lamans and the Lamanic Era" (2015)'' [in
/nowiki> The Seereer Resource Centre, URL: http://www.seereer.com/laman">n">''"Seereer Lamans and the Lamanic Era" (2015)'' state=collapsed Serer history Serer royalty Serer royalty">Serer history Serer royalty Ancient African people Serer religion">Ancient African people">Serer royalty">Serer history Serer royalty Ancient African people Serer religion

Some prominent Serer lamanes

See also

References

External links