Kahone
Kahone
Kawon Njoob | |
|---|---|
Town and commune | |
  Kahone Location in Senegal | |
| Coordinates: 14°09′41″N 16°01′51″W / 14.16139°N 16.03083°W | |
| Country |  Senegal |
| Region | Kaolack |
| Department | Kaolack |
| Founded by the Guelowar | 14th century |
| Area | |
• Town and commune | 8.034 km2 (3.102 sq mi) |
| Population (2023 census)[1] | |
• Town and commune | 26,376 |
| • Density | 3,300/km2 (8,500/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
Kahone or Kawon is a town and urban commune near Kaolack, Senegal. It was the capital of the pre-colonial Kingdom of Saloum and is a center of Serer culture and history.
History
[edit]In the 14th century, the Mandinka Guelowar clan migrated from Kaabu northwards after losing a succession dispute.[2] They founded a number of small chiefdoms in the area north of the Gambia river. The home of Kéno Mbèye, one of the Guelowar leaders, was chosen as the meeting place where and problems could be discussed, and so it was called "Filagui diobé", meaning meeting place in the Mandinka language. This eventually became Njoob, capital of a state called Mbey.[3]
In the late 15th century, Mbey and its prosperous salt works fell under the influence of a Toucouleur marabout named Elibana.[4] The Siin-Siin leader Mbegane Ndour attacked and killed him, establishing the Serer kingdom of Saloum and renaming the capital Kahone, meaning 'this is the one' in Serer.[5][6] The city remained the political and religious center of Saloum for the next several centuries.
Kahone was originally a far more important town than neighboring Kaolack, but the roles have been reversed in the 20th century as Kaolack developed into a port and railroad hub.[7] Kahone has been reduced to a sub-prefecture of Kaolack.
Culture and Economy
[edit]It is primarily agricultural, but it is participating in industrial development plans. Also, the town is pursuing increased tourism based on its history and culture. An annual royal festival is celebrated in which the O Maad (Serer king), Djaraaf (Serer prime minister) and other dignitaries meet to decide kingdom issues and hold pageants celebrating the history of Saloum and the Serer people. There is a mosque and a Catholic missions in Kahone. There are numerous ancient tombs, stone circles and megaliths in the vicinity as well as large burial mounds implanted with baobab trees.
Kahone is routinely involved in many administrative territorial disputes with neighboring communes, always emphasizing its earlier importance.
In 2007, according to official estimates, Kahone had 5,852 inhabitants.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Citypopulation.de Population and area of Kahone Commune
- ^ Ngom, Biram: La question Gelwaar et l’histoire du Siin, Dakar, Université de Dakar, 1987 "
- ^ Fall 2022, p. 288.
- ^ Sakho 2021, p. 112.
- ^ Fall 2022.
- ^ Sakho 2021, p. 113.
- ^ Clark, Andrew F. and Lucie Colvin Phillip (1994). Historical Dictionary of Senegal: Second Edition. Metuchen, New Jersey: The Scarecrow Press. p. 234.
Sources
[edit]- Henry Gravrand, La civilisation sereer, I. Coosan, Dakar, Nouvelles Editions Africaines (1983). In French.
- Martin A. Klein, Islam and Imperialism in Senegal Sine-Saloum, 1847–1914, Edinburgh At the University Press (1968)
- Alioune Sarr, Histoire du Sine-Saloum. Introduction, bibliographie et Notes par Charles Becker, BIFAN, Tome 46, Serie B, n° 3–4, 1986-1987. In French.
- Fall, Rokhaya (2022). Un espace de rencontre en Sénégambie : le Saalum (XVIe – XIXe siècle). Harmattan.
- Sakho, Oumar Malle (2021). ":Le sel dans la formation de l'espace du Saloum: XVIeme=XVII siecle". In Fall, Mamadou; Fall, Rokhaya; Mane, Mamadou (eds.). Bipolarisation du Senegal du XVIe - XVIIe siecle (in French). Dakar: HGS Editions. pp. 101–117.