A short document on the Wolof culture. I think this might apply more to rural regions as this is not exactly my experience in Senegal, which was primarily in urban areas, although there were definitely elements. A nice plus is that it gives us a handful of new words to add to our Wolof vocabulary.
Wolof – Religion and Expressive Culture
jinn – malevolent spirits (Arabic, similar to ‘demons’)
taalibé – a disciple (usually young boys in the service of a marabout)
seriñ (marabout) – a religious leader
mnqaddam – a type of marabout
yélimaan – imam (a Muslim leader, like a priest or a preacher)
jabarkat – shaman; sorcerer
lu gakat – a shaman who cures snakebite victims
ndëpukat – usually a female, who performs the ndëp ceremony to cure the mentally ill
botai mbar – man in charge of newly circumcised boys
Korité – the feast at the end of Ramadan
Tabaski – the feast of the sacrifice of sheep (from the Biblical story of Abraham)
nggentée – naming ceremony
xalam – a type of guitar
