In pre-colonial times until the abolition of their monarchies, a Serer king would be required to crown his mother, maternal aunt or sister as Lingeer (queen) after his own coronation.
The mythology afforded to some of these clans draws parallels with the Serer creation narrative, which posits that: the first human to be created was a female.
[15] The ritual control of the marine life such as sea salt and fish, and that of rain and rivers including fire (for the purposes of farmland) are attributed to the first Serer matriclans.
[12] The Faoye (var : Fa-oy, a locality of Sine-Saloum situated around 25 km south of Fatick) is also steep rich in tradition as it is in Ñakhar (or Niakhar).
Like Ñakhar, Faoye account for many Serer matriclans including : Feejoor, Joofaan, Kare-Kare, Mengeeñ, Raaboor, Rik, Simala, Waale, Wagadu, Yiil, etc.
[18] Many Serer families can recite their maternal genealogy at least as far back to ten generations from the eldest living member of the clan.
The following table gives some of the variations in the matriclans among the Palor, Ndut, Saafi, Lebou and Seex : The Tokoor (or Tokor[9]) is the head of the maternal clan usually an elderly man.
On the last lap, they hit the roof of a burial chamber with the stick to prevent the disease that had killed their father from another matriclan from committing further havoc in the family.
Unlike the Gareh Kareh though, this matriclan is one of the most feared according to Serer legend because of their long involvement in the occult and the supernatural powers to use undesirable magic if they find the need to do so.
[34] Collectively, their total number in Niakhar as of 1983 is reported to be 1590, making them the sixth most important Serer matriclan in terms of numerical strength.
Although Roog has no cousins or parents, Serer religion and oral tradition lends support to the closeness between the Gagaw clan and the Divine.
The tradition went on to say that, the presence of a clan member would activate a fire and the rain would accompany his death, which only their priests (yaal pangol) can stop.
Their priests were required to take a plunge to the river in order to make offerings to the Fangool Mama Ngec who resides in the arms of the sea of Joal and Fadiouth.
[4][26] The Wagadous (Serer : Bagadou, other variations Wagadu or Ougadou) originally came from the Kingdom of Wagadou in the early medieval era, affiliated to King Kaya Magan Cissé whose descendants went on to establish the Ghana Empire (see Soninke people).
[52][53] The Wagadou princesses were married off to the Serer nobility such as the Joof family etc., and they jointly ruled the Kingdom of Baol along with other Senegambian pre-colonial states.
[54] The Wagadous of Sine are related to the Lokam matriclan of Joal and the Wagan (Serer proper : Waagaan[26]) clan of Saloum.
[60] He went on to speculate that they (the Jaafuns) may have taken their name from the Soninke state of Jaafunu, located in the south-west of Wagadu, founded by a son of the founder of Wagadou in the medieval era.
In reporting this tradition, Henry Gravrand did not notice that this is actually a description of the 1867 (or 1865) Battle of Kansala although the departure of the Guelowar can probably be explained by a war or a conflict of succession.
[64] After their defeat tradition says that they escaped from Kaabu, the country of their birth, and went to Sine where they were granted asylum by the Serer council of Lamanes.
[65][69] Yembe Kame Guélaware was a Queen Consort (Maisata) of Bala Diakha - a medieval king (Mansa) of one of the provinces of Kaabu.
The year of reign for Bala Diakha and Yembe Kame Guélaware is uncertain, but they are believed to have preceded Mansa Tiramakan Traore (one of Sundiata Keita's generals in the 13th century, c. 1235) who later conquered Kaabu.
This man, regarded as the Tokoor of the clan, had before his death hidden a secret talisman in a special place within the palace so no one can gain access to it and reveal the powers contained therein.
If on the hand it drops, that signifies bad omen as it means that the king would not only suffer a severe defeat in war, but would also be killed in battle.
However, the esteem and respect afforded to him by his older brother was not matched by the Serer community of that era, who still regarded him as a liberated serf.
This matriclan gained particular prominence in Cayor and Baol (who ruled by the titles Damel and Teigne respectively) especially in the later part of the 17th century.
They were more successful in Baol than in Cayor where they provided one Damel by the name of Dé Tialao - the blind king who tried to conceal his physical disability but was later found out and deposed (reigned : 1693 — 1697[80]).
[83] Having battled against his paternal half brothers and cousins, this king (Latsoukabe) introduced the Geej clan (his own matriclan) to his realm, thus making it the reigning maternal dynasty of both Cayor and Baol.
According to their family legend and history, they claim descent from an ancient and invisible power — Kangeer, one of the Pangool in Serer religion.
The Gaanguuna clan are responsible for the Kangeer sacrifices to the ancient royal Lingeer (queen) who is reported to have bursted at the time of her death without pouring blood.
[93] The scope of the project included the documentation of the Tim in this Senegalese arrondissement, population and demographic spread, and the mythology associated with the clans, etc.