Serer-Ndut

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Serer-Ndut ethnic group are approximately 22,000 Serer people, most living in central Senegal in the district of Mont-Roland, northwest of the city of Thiès.

[edit] Culture

Their language, Ndut, is currently classified as a Cangin language more closely related to Serer-Palor than to standard Serer-Sine, and it has only recently had a written form. The people are agriculturalists and lake fishermen. Their traditional religion involves careful relations with the ancestors. A large number are now Catholic, and a large number are Muslim. The main Catholic mission is at the town of Tiin.

[edit] History

Originally the Serer-Ndut came into Mont-Roland from Fouta in the north, according to their oral traditions. Their leader was Ndiawour Cisse, but for most of their history later they were not unified politically. The Serer-Ndut had a reputation as ferocious and successful raiders of trade routes leading into Thies. Although they were nominally included in the Kingdom of Cayor, they maintained a certain independence. They have a reputation among other Serer groups as having special mental and magical powers.

There are two transplanted Serer-Ndut groups, living in the north and south of Senegal, since the 1960s.