The Jolof Empire

The Jolof Empire, also referred to as the Wolof or Djolof Empire, functioned as a West African state long before any European powers reached the African coast [Cartwright, 2019]. The Wolof rose to power as the largest group of the many ancient Senegambian tribal communities and have since remained Senegal’s largest ethnic group [Cartwright, 2019]. Kings, chosen by councils based on their ancestry and potential, ruled as burba over all of Senegambia [Cartwright, 2019]. Islam arrived in Senegal as early as the eleventh century [Davies and Dubinsky, 2018], and became the religion of the elite in ancient Wolof society, contributing to the development of “dynastic traditions” that held the Jolof Empire together [Searing, 2004]. A hierarchical system broke society into three groups: free farmers, which included nobility; “caste” workers, such as blacksmiths, tailors, or jewelers; and slaves [Searing, 2004]. The Jolof Empire was highly involved in trade with both other parts of Africa and European powers, exporting a massive number of enslaved people as well as materials like gold, ivory, and animal hides [Cartwright, 2019]. Though the kingdom began to break up in the fifteenth century and was defunct by the time of France’s political takeover of West Africa, its influence on culture, language, and religion have stood the test of time [Cartwright, 2019].