Teigne

Teigne (Serer:Teeñ, Teñ or Teen; variation: Teign, Tègne, Tin, or Tinou) was a Serer title for the monarchs of the pre-colonial Kingdom of Baol, now part of present-day Senegal. The Kingdoms of Baol and Cayor became intricately linked especially post 1549 when the Faal family came to into prominence, and it was the same family that eventually ruled both Kingdoms with the exception of few interruptions, notably Lat Joor Ngoneh Latir Jobe who was of a different patrilineage.

After the demise of the Serer paternal dynasties of Baol, the title was retained by the Wolof. The first Teignes of Baol were Serers which included members of the Joof dynasty, such as Boureh Joof (or Bouré Diouf in French speaking Senegal) and Guidiane Joof (probably "Jegan" Joof) during the Wagadou Era, and Maad Patar Kholleh Joof the conqueror (the King of Patar, also known as Xole Paataar). The Faal dynasty (or Fall in French), the last paternal dynasty, were of Moorish or Serer origin who became Wolofized, and saw themselves as Wolofs, ascended the throne as "Teigne" (and as Damel in Cayor) after the Battle of Danki—which Yoro Boly Dyao dated as 1549 (the generally accepted date). The last Teigne of Baol was Tanor Ngone Jeng (or Tanor Goñ Dieng), who reigned from 1890 to 3 July 1894.

Etymology and origin of the name
The title "teign" was a Serer title in origin as noted by historian, author, and lecturer from the University of Paris, Professor Jean Boulègue, who writes:
 * "The chiefs of Baol took the Serer name "Teigne".

Senegalese linquist, author, and professor of linguistic at the Cheikh Anta Diop University, Professor Souleymane Faye notes that, the Serer term "foɗeen", which means "milk from the mother's breast", contains the radical "ɗeen", an altered form of "teen" which means "the breast". This refers to the mother and the matrilineage. The male equivalent "fogoor", meaning "sperm" refers to the father, denoting the patrilineage.

The Wolof folk etymology that teigne mean "support placed on the head" or any article to be placed on the head, is based on patriarchy and somewhat recent, and does not tally with the historical mood of succession in Baol before the Faal family came on the throne—who changed the mood of succession from matrlineality to patrilineality (see succession below). Teigne refers to matrilineage, through the mother's milk, and not articles that goes on the head. "Tange" is one of the many spelling variations of teigne, teen, or teeñ, and refers to the mother's milk (matrilineage) derived from the Serer word ɗeen, sometimes spelled ƭeen or den. This is the root of the Serer term ƭeen yaay or den yaay which means maternal inheritance or matrilineage. )

Pre 1549
Since the 9th century, the Wagadou (or Ouagadou ) matrilineage had ruled much of the Senegambia region. Baol, one of the oldest precolonial kingdoms in the region, was historical ruled by the noble Wagadou maternal dynasty ("Tiim Bagadou/Bagadu" in Serer) who were of Soninke origin (offshoots of the Ghana Empire ) and the noble Serer lamanic families like the Joof family, the Ngom, etc.

Soninke princesses of Wagadou matrilineage married Serer men from lamanic families, and many historians and authors like Yoro Boly Dyao, Lucie Colvin, Professor Cheikh Anta Diop, Professor Egbuna P. Modum, etc., have observed an overrepresentation of Serer surnames on the list of the old Teigns of Baol—centuries before the Faal paternal dynasty of Cayor and Baol, and the dominace of the Serer lamans in general throughout the Senegambia region. It was a marriage alliance between the Serer lamans and the Soninke Wagadous, as it was with the Serer and Guelowar matrilineage of Kaabu in the 14th century, the matrilineage which replaced the power base of the Wagadous in much of Serer country from 1350 when the first Guelowar King, Maad a Sinig Maysa Wali ascended the throne of Sine.

Professor Cheikh Anta Diop notes that, during the Wagadou Era, the Serer lamans dominated much of the region, even during the reign of Njajan Njie (or N'Diadian Ndiaye), and the name "Damel", title for the kings of Cayor, meaning "the breaker", was of Serer origin, which the Serer community of Cayor gave to the first Damel of Cayor Dece Fu Njogu Faal after the Battle of Danki, and that Dece Fu Njogu was of Serer ancestry by his father. He writes:


 * "As a matter of fact, the then inhabitants of Cayor, that is the Serer, gave Detié Fu Ndiogu the nickname Damel. In their language at the time, this word stood for "the breaker." In current Valaf [Wolof] only the root "dam" : "to break ," has been kept and grammatical endings have since developed so that now "breaker" is "dam cat" or "damecat;" compare these with "damel." From then onwards, to be made Damel, one had to bear the Serer name Fall, after the first Damel, apart from being a prince; except, of course, if one decided to use force, like Lat Dior Diop did... Thus, from origin, the history of Cayor - Baol was essentially Serer."

Citing Professor Diop, Senegalese historian and author Papa Samba Diop holds a similar view. He posits that: "The earliest Wolof states around the fifteenth century were occupied by the Sereer."

Professor Charles Becker and Victor Martin, [in] Tanor Latsoukabé Fall's paper "Recueil sur la vie des Damel" posits that, the Faal family were of Moorish origin. Regardless of their ethnic origins, post 1549 when they came into prominence, they became Wolofized and saw themselves as Wolofs, and not Serer nor Moor, and in fact, disenfranchised and persecuted many of the Serer communities of Cayor (the sister country of Baol), notably the Serer Cangin people, including reducing many of them to slavery during the reign of Lat Sukaabe Ngone Jaye Faal. These Serer communities viewed the damels and their institutions as Wolof, and developed a strong hatred and animosity towards the Wolof in general including the use of violence against them, and viewed the Wolof as the agents of Portuguese slave traders, and their communities (the Serer), the victims of Wolof slave raiding. The Portuguese saw the Wolof as more agreeable and had a better relationship with them than the with the Serer, whom they viewed as hostile. Citing the works of early European writers such as the 15th century Venetian explorer, slave trader, and chronicler Alvise Cadamosto, Tymowski notes that: "The Wolof were just as determined as the Portuguese to ensure smooth and efficient trade." The Serer community also refused to give their daughters in marriage to the Wolof who came asking for their hand in marriage. They also refused to be led by any damel, nor obey their demands including refusing to be taxed or partaking in censors during the colonial era. Not all members of the Faal family viewed themselves as Wolof or oppressed the Serers. Some Damel-Teignes from the Faal patrilineage saw themselves as Serer especially those with Serer mothers or grandparents. For example, Damel Makodu Kumba Joof Faal (son of Lingeer Kodu Kumba Joof of Sine, daughter of the King of Sine Buka Cilaas Joof from the Royal House of Semou Njekeh Joof) viewed himself as a Serer, and two of his sons, Samba Laobe Latsouka Sira Jogop Faal (French: Samba Laobé Lassouk) and Fakha Bouya Latsouka Sira Jogop Faal even succeeded as Kings of Saloum, one of the Serer Kingdom. Damel Makodu even used to refuse to speak in Wolof, and only spoke in Serer having grown up in Serer country. He used to use interpreters in Cayor to communicate. Lamassas Ma Choro Faal (or Lamassas Matioro Fall) and Damel-Teigne Makodu Kumba Jaring Faal saw themselves as Serer, and spoke Serer fluently. Lamassas Ma Choro couldn't speak a word of Wolof and only communicated in Serer. Some of them are buried in Sine. Many of them are related to the Joof royal family of Sine, and were granted asylum in Sine during trouble times in their countries, most notably Teigne Chai Yassin Faal who was granted asylum in Sine by Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof in 1857 after he was defeated and exiled by the French following the Battle of Pouri.

Historically, the Teigne was chosen by a council of electors through a majority vote. These voters were themselves chosen by the "Baol-Baols" (natives of Baol). However, the voters must be descendants of the five great families of Baol, "probably from the original lamanal families" of Baol or "from the agents that the central power had installed in place of these former 'lamanes.'” Other territorial commands and chiefdoms in Baol included Maad/Bour Lakh, Nianing, MBadane,  Pout, Diak, Sawe, and the Bassilâ, Thiédiar, Bouroup Gathié, Fara Kaba, Sakh Sakh N'Dol N'Dol, and Diêt.

The last "true" Serer king of Baol was Teigne Niokhor Njie (or Teeñ Niokhor Ndiaye), son of Lingeer Sobel Joof (Amary Ngoneh's maternal grandmother). Like Lingeer Sobel Joof, a descendant of Maad Ndaah Njemeh Joof (King of Laah, Baol) via the Mangi Ndaah Joof branch, Teigne Niokhor Njie and his sister Lingeer  Ngoneh Sobel Njie (Amary's mother) were also of Wagadou matrilineage. After his death, he was succeeded by his maternal nephew Amary Ngoneh Sobel Faal, the latter being a patriarch of the Faal royal family of Cayor and Baol. After the death of Teigne Niokhor Njie, the Serers completely lost power in Baol, as he was their last Teigne. Damel Amary Ngoneh, who inherited his crown, became Damel-Teigne and imposed reforms that ultimately led to political instability.

The Wagadous are still found in Serer and Wolof countries. In Serer country, they have lost their power and dominance. They now tend to form alliances with the matriclans Jaafun, as well as the Cegandum and Kagaw, two of the oldest Serer matriclans whose legend and historical narrative are found in the hermeneutics of Serer religion and traditions. The Cengandum (or Jegandoum) are linked to the Mbosseh (or Mboosé) tradition and pangool. The Mbosseh is one of the Serer holy festivals. The Serer community of Kaolack, what was historically part of the Kingdom of Saloum, have their own way of celebrating the Mbosseh, as they believe it to be the mythical protector of their town. The Wagadous have close ties to the Cengandum and Kagaw. A type of serpent called cocom in Serer, is one of the totems of the Cengandum. The totem of the Wagadous is the mbose tree (gardenia ternifolia) whose genesis is preserved in the Serer creation narrative and in Ndut classical teachings. For more on that, see Serer maternal clans and Serer creation myth.

1549 & post 1549
In the 15th century, the Kingdom of Baol which was part of the Jolof Empire (a voluntary confederacy of states ), joint forces with Cayor to regain its independence from the last Emperor of Jolof, Lele Fouly Fak Njie. Although the beginning of the Confederacy was voluntary, instigated by the King of Sine Maysa Wali in c. 1360 when he made Njajan Njie (Seereer proper: Njaajaan Njaay) Emperor, the ending of that Confederacy was not voluntary—resulting in the famous Battle of Danki in 1549. The previously held view that the Serer Kingdoms of Sine (the instigators of that Confederacy), and Saloum gained their independence after Danki has now been discarded. The Serer Kingdoms of Sine and Saloum left the Confederacy twenty-nine years earlier (1520) prior to the Battle of Danki in 1549. The Kingdoms of Baol, Cayor, and Waalo were however tied to the Confederacy. The then Prince of Cayor Amary Ngoneh Sobel Faal, assisted by his cousin Prince Manguinak Joof (or Manginak Diouf, ancestrally from Baol), launched a rebellion against the Emperor in order to attain independence for their countries. That rebellion culminated in the Battle of Danki in which the Cayor–Baol alliance were victorious. Having gained independence for Cayor and Baol, Amary Ngoneh made his cousin Manguinak Jaraaf Baol (equivalent of Prime Minister of Baol), the one who assisted him at Danki.

Succession pre and post 1549
Baol was historically ruled by a maternal dynasty as it was in the Serer Kingdoms of Sine and Saloum. However, kings must come from one of the noble patrilineages, most often than not, from the Serer lamanic families,  hence the dominance of Serer surnames on the list of the old kings as noted by historians.

It was during the Faal paternal dynasty of Baol and Cayor that saw a somewhat reversal of the mood of succession, with the emphasis being more on patrilineage than matrilineage, though, the kings sought wives from one of the noble matrilineages such as the Wagadou, Mouïoy, Jaafun, Darobe, etc. A patriarch of the Faal paternal dynasty of Baol and Cayor, Amary Ngoneh Sobel Faal belonged to the Wagadou matrilineage. His maternal grandmother Lingeer Sobel Joof, from the previous dynasty, was Wagadou. The Faal family simply married into the old dynasty and continued the lineage. Although the Serer noble patriclans lost much of their dominance when the Faal family took power through marriage, the Wagadous lasted after 1549 following Danki, but were outsted in the 18th century when Lat Sukabe Ngoneh Jaye Faal took power and imposed his own matrilineage (Geej).

In Senegambian culture
The late Serer Diva Yandé Codou Sène pays homage to the Joof family, originally of Baol, by singing the praises of Teigne Yoro Joof in her 1995 track Teñ Yooro Waal Adaam Fañiing Feno Juufeen, from the album Gainde - Voices From the Heart of Africa with Youssou Ndour. On that track, she sang the Teign's bravery, deeds and glory, and referred to him as the "elephant of the Joof family." The term elephant denoting giant i.e., a warrior. She then went on to state that his name, glory and reputation proceeds him. From Paataar, to Ngooxeem, and Mbaqaan, his name can be heard. And after naming certain members of the Joof family, referred to the Teigne as "the darling of the Joof family" — and concluded the track by naming the 19th century King of Sine, Kumba Ndoffene fa Maak Joof, whom he nicknamed "Mbaye" — as per the anthem dedicated to him following his victory against the Muslim marabouts at the Battle of Fandane-Thiouthioune—which was precipitated by the surprised attack at Mbin o Ngor, known as Mbetaan Keur Ngor in Wolof.

Maad Patar Kholleh Joof the conqueror (the King of Patar, also known as Xole Paataar or Xole Njuug), grandson of one of the patriarchs of the Joof family Maad Ndaah Njemeh Joof, is remembered in the Joof family's genealogical poem (called baka in Senegal and Gambia) after defeating Teigne Kurambissan on the battlefield of Ngaañaan. An abract of the poem is as follows (in Serer):
 * "Xole Njuug naayu mbarquaa, a dib a teeñ Kurambisaan no taat kaa Ngaañaan."
 * (Translation: From Jaajel [Diadiel], Xole Njuug mounted the white horse and mowed down Teeñ Kurambissan in the woods of Ngaañaan."