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Serer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Serer |
|---|
| Total population |
|
Over 1.7 million |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Senegal. The Gambia, Mauritania) |
| Language(s) |
| Serer language, Wolof language |
| Religion(s) |
| Catholicism |
| Related ethnic groups |
| Wolof people |
The Serer (also spelled Sérère, Sereer, etc.) are the second largest ethnic group in Senegal, a major group in The Gambia, and also present in Mauritania. Their traditional kingdoms include the Kingdom of Sine and Kingdom of Saloum.
Their language is called Serer. As the second-largest group in Senegal, they have been somewhat overwhelmed by the energetic and dominant Wolof, many speak Wolof because of this.
The Serer believe in a universal God called Roog and have an elaborate religious tradition dealing with various dimensions of life and death, space and time, and ancestral spirit communications. As a group, the Serer are resistant to foreign religious traditions and were slow to adopt Islam, though many are Catholic. Historically, the Serer believe that they migrated to central Senegal from the North in the 10th to 13th centuries.
The most famous Serer, Léopold Sédar Senghor, was Senegal's first president and a Catholic.