Saloum

The Kingdom of Saloum (Serer: Saluum or Saalum) was a Serer kingdom in present-day Senegal as well as parts of Gambia, then called Lower Saluum. The precolonial capital of Saloum was the city of Kahone. It was a sister to the Kingdom of Sine. Their history, geography and culture were intricately linked and it was common to refer to them as the Sine-Saloum and the Serer Kingdoms of Sine and Saloum.

Typonymy
Serer oral traditions recount that the area was named Saluum/Saloum by the Maad Saloum Mbegan Ndour upon succeeding to the throne, which was in the later part of the 15th century (c. 1493/4). It was named after Saalum Suwareh, the marabout of Mbegan Ndour.

History


Saloum, just like its sister kingdom, Sine, is known for its many ancient burial mounds or "tumuli" containing the graves of kings and others. The Kingdom has numerous mysterious stone circles.

The Kingdom of Saloum was previously known as Mbey (in Serer) and was renamed Saloum by the Maad Saloum Mbegan Ndour in the later part of the 15th century (c. 1494). For several centuries prior to its renaming, its capital was called Ngap. According to Serer oral tradition, Mbegane Ndour named the Kingdom after his marabout, Saalum Suwareh.

Like the Kingdom of Sine, the population is overrun and ruled by the Serer people. The two are generally referred to as the Serer Kingdoms. Many parts of present-day Gambia were former colonies of the Kingdom of Saloum. Originally, Saloum extended south to the north banks of the Gambia River. Present-day Gambia was referred to as Lower Saloum. Upper Saloum was where modern day Saloum is in Senegal. The States of Sabakh and Sandial were ruled by the Fara Sabakh and Fara Sandial (respective titles of the chiefs), and were both tributary to the king of Saloum who took residence at Kahone. Around 1862, Sambou Oumanneh Touray, a disciple of Maba Diakhou Bâ (later foe) launched a jihad in Sabakh and Sandial. Having defeated the Fara Sabakh and Fara Sandial, he joined the two countries together (hence : Sabakh-Sandial) and ruled it. The final Fara Sabakh and Fara Sandial died in that jihad. During the Serer paternal and Guelowar maternal dynasties from the 15th century to 1969, nearly 50 kings have been enthroned. The kings continued to hold their court in Kahone, but the city was eclipsed commercially by neighboring Kaolack.

Portuguese explorers in the 15th century referred to Saloum as the kingdom of Borçalo, after 'Bor-ba-Saloum' (Wolof corruption for "King of Saloum" - Maad Saloum).

Although the Kingdom won some major battles against the French, it was later defeated. However, like the Kingdom of Sine, the royal dynasty survived up to 1969, when the last absolute monarch of Saloum, Maad Saloum Fode N'Gouye Joof had died. His year of death corresponded with the death of Maad a Sinig Mahecor Joof, who was the last absolute monarch of Sine. These two kings were the last Serer and kings of the Senegalese kingdom with absolute power. After their deaths, both Kingdoms were incorporated into the new Republic of independent Senegal which gained its independence in 1960. Thus the Kingdom of Sine and the Kingdom of Saloum were the last pre-colonial kingdoms of present-day Senegal to have survived up to the 20th century. In 2017, the Serer of Saloum decided to reinstate their monarchy, and Thierno Coumba Daga Ndao was selected from the Guelowar matrilineage to succeed the throne. After a contentious election, he was crowned King on 21 May 2017 at Kahone. He is the current King of Saloum as of 2024, and the maternal uncle of the current King of Sine, Niokhobaye Fatou Diène Diouf, from the Royal House of Semou Njekeh Joof. The Sine reinstated their monarchy in 2019, and Niokhobaye Fatou Diène Diouf from the Royal House of Semou Njekeh and of Guelowar matrilineage was crowned on 8 February 2019 at Diakhao, the precolonial capital of Sine. The current Kings of Sine and Saloum are not absolute monarchs compaired to their predecessors. Their roles are merely ceremonial and diplomatic. Although the have influence, especially the King of Sine, they have no official powers as Sine and Saloum are now part of independent Senegal. They ruled under a form of constitutional monarchy with no official powers. Despite their lack of power, the King of Sine in particular is very influential, and has been able utilise his influence on the President of Senegal (notably Macky Sall), and the old pleasant cousinship between the Serer and Jola people by liaising with the King of Oussouye (Maan Sibiloumbaye Diédhiou) to help bring about economic and cultural development in the Senegambia region, and peace in Casamance, after decades of the Casamance conflict—which has plagued the Gambia, Senegal, and Guinea-Bissau since 1982. He has also been very vocal in calling for a peaceful transition of political power since 2023, in preparation for Senegal's 2024 Presidential Elections.

People and language
Ethnically, Saloum was and still is Serer,  but gradually the Wolof immigrants  have settled in along with the Fulas, Mandinkas, etc. Unlike the Kingdom of Sine which is ethnically Serer and deeply rooted in "Serer-conservatism", such as the preservation of Serer religion, culture, traditions, etc., Saloum is more cosmopolitan and multi-religious. This explains why some Serer traditionalists who adhere to the tenets of Serer religion are reluctant to afford it the same religious status afforded to Sine as one of the sacred Serer holy sites, in spite of housing many of the Serer sites (see Serer ancient history). Although very cosmopolitan, it is also ethnically Serer, the other ethnic groups are migrants. The Serer language and Wolof are both widely spoken in Saloum. The Cangin languages are also spoken.

Commerce and geography
Saloum includes flat, swampy tideland areas inland from the Saloum River delta. In recent years large areas of mangrove growth have been destroyed. There was a flourishing industry of salt-manufacture at the salt flats along the delta. Its economic base was groundnut trade, exporting large quantities of nuts to Europe.