The sandy plains between the Senegal valley and the Sine, the later Jolof, Kajoor and Bawol, are farmed by Wolof villages with many Serer among them, especially in Bawol, each under the lineages that hold the land.
Millet, cattle and cotton are their wealth. The Jolof empire, whose ruler (the burba) later took tribute from Waalo, Kajoor, Bawol, Sine and Saloum, belongs to the thirteenth or fourteenth century at the earliest; on 1 January 1200 no ruler over these plains is known.
Who holds it
- Title
- Land chiefs (lamanes) of the Wolof and Serer villages
- Since
- Not known
- Confidence
- low
No person is named for 1200. Jolof (round Linguere and Yang-Yang), Kajoor (Cayor) and Bawol (Baol) appear as kingdoms or provinces of the Jolof empire only from the fourteenth or fifteenth century.
How things stand that morning
Self-governing villages and lineages, so far as anything is known.
Customs
Lamanic land right; village elders; Wolof and Serer religion; Islam present through traders and Takrur (not measured).
Assemblies
None over the whole recorded.
Overlord claims
Not known; Takrur to the north-east is the nearest kingdom.
Where the sources disagree
- Do not draw a Jolof empire for 1200.
Evidence: Tradition and back-projection from the Portuguese accounts of the fifteenth century (Cadamosto 1455).
On the map: Back-projected; the Wolof and Serer limits of 1200 are not known.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.