Though there are multiple spellings for this surname, they all refer to the same people. The differences in spelling came about because Senegal was colonized by France, while the Gambia was colonized by the United Kingdom. Although spelt differently, they are pronounced the same way.
The totem and symbol of the Joof family is the antelope, the symbol of grace, royalty, wisdom, hard work and protection in Serer mythology. The name of their clan is "Njoofene" variations: "Njuufeen" or "Njufeen" (in Serer).[1][2] Members of this family had ruled over many of the pre-colonial kingdoms of Senegambia, including the Kingdom of Sine, the Kingdom of Saloum and the Kingdom of Baol. The royal princesses (Lingeers) from the Joof family were also given in marriage to the pre-colonial kings and princes of Senegambia. Some of these included the kings of Jolof, kings of Waalo, kings of Cayor and Baol (after 1549 following the Battle of Danki). From these marriages, they provided many heirs to the thrones of these kingdoms.[3][4] Although usually associated with Serer royalty, the Joof family also figure prominently in Serer religious affairs.
The Joof family is one of the old families of Senegambia. Serer oral tradition speaks of a noble called Lamane Jegan Joof, owner of a large herd of livestock and estate who was also a farmer. He migrated from Lambaye following an argument with his relative, the king of Lambaye. The dispute concerned the governance of Lambaye and over-taxation of his herd which he considered unjust. As such, he decided to head south and founded Tukar with his younger brother Ndik Joof. The tradition then went on to say that, he had a son called Sosseh Joof (Socé Diouf) who was the heir of Tukar.[5] Some scholars have proposed that, Tukar (and many of its surrounding villages such as Njujuf, Sob, etc., which were founded by Lamane Jegan Joof making them part of his estate and colony) now a rather large village in present-day Senegal, is an ancient village and well before the Guelowar period (1335[6]) and placed the foundation of these villages in the 11th century, if not earlier.[7][8] The Joof family had ruled Tukar for many centuries, inherited from their ancestor Lamane Jegan Joof through the Serer Lamanic custom, a rather strict custom of Serer land law and inheritance. In 2004, Lamane Njaga Dibor Ndoffene Joof (Lamane Diaga Dibor Ndofene Diouf) was the last lamane of Tukar.[9]
In the early history of the Ghana Empire to its end, the royal princesses of the Empire married into the Serer aristocratic families, some of these included Joof family. These royal princesses belonged to the maternal clan Wagadou (Bagadou in Serer language). With the Joof paternal clan, they ruled the Kingdom of Baol and provided many kings from the patrilineage Joof (the Joof paternal dynasty of Baol). Some of these kings include Boureh Joof (Bouré Diouf), Guidiane Joof (Guidiane Diouf), Ma Joof, Jinak Dialane [probably Gnilane] Joof, Maguinak Joof, etc. These kings preceded the Guelowar period by at least two or three centuries and long before the Fall paternal dynasty of Baol and Cayor who inherited the throne around 1549 after the Battle of Danki. The general consensus is that, after the demise of the Joof paternal and Wagadou maternal dynasties of Baol with other Serer paternal dynasties who jointly ruled Baol, the Fall paternal dynasty succeeded them, hence the first Damels and Teignes (titles of the kings of Cayor and Baol, respectively) from the Fall patrilineage were of Wagadou maternal descent. They simply married into the old royal family and succeeded to the throne.[10][11]
The 11th-century legendary figure Amar Godomat or Ama Gôdô Maat, né. Ama Kodu Joof, is a member of this family.
Maysa Wali and his family (the maternal clan Guelowar) fled Kaabu in 1335 following a dynastic struggle. They were defeated by the Ñaanco maternal dynasty of Kaabu (their extended relatives) and were granted asylum in the Kingdom of Sine by a Serer noble Council called The Great Council of Lamanes. Having served as legal advisor to this noble Council for 15 years, Maysa Wali managed to win the confidence and trust of the council and the common people. He was nominated and elected by the council and the people as king of Sine. He was the first Guelowar king of Sine. He gave his sisters in marriage to the Serer nobility which sealed the union between Serer and Guelowar.[16] It was the offspring of these marriages between the old Serer paternal noble clans and the Guelowar maternal clan of Kaabu that ruled the kingdom of Sine and later Saloum. In this Guelowar period, the Joof family (one of the oldest Serer paternal noble clans) provided many kings in the Kingdoms of Sine and Saloum (the Joof paternal dynasty of Sine and Saloum). The Joof family also founded three royal houses as follows (in the order of foundation):[17][18]
They all trace their descent to Maad Ndaah Njemeh Joof (also known as Bour Ndaah Ndiémé Diouf or Ndaah Njeeme Juuf) - the king of Laah (or Laa) in Baol, around the 13th century. Maad Ndaah Njemeh Joof was the father of Maad Niokhobai Joof (also king of Laa) who was the father of the Great Maad Patar Kolleh Joof (also: Bour or Buur Patar Kholé Diouf or Bour Patar Kholleh Diouf) - the conqueror of Baol.[17] Maad Patar Kolleh Joof was the first of the Joof family to marry a Guelowar (Maad a Sinig Maysa Wali's niece). From that marriage he had Maad a Sinig Niokhobai Mane Nyan Joof (Niokhobaye Mane Niane Diouf) and Maad a Sinig Gejopal Mane Nyan Joof (Guédiopal Niane Mane Diouf), who were the first kings of Sine during the Guelowar period from the patrilineage Joof. Their brother Jaraff Boureh Gnilane Joof (Diaraf Bouré Gnilane Diouf) was not a king of Sine, but a Jaraff (equivalent of Prime Minister), who gave his name to the first Royal House of the Joof Dynasty (in the Guelowar period) and it is from that "The Royal House of Boureh Gnilane Joof" derived from, which provided several kings in Sine and Saloum. The Joof Dynasty that succeeded to the throne of Saloum came from Sine.[17][20]
Historic battles involving this family
This table lists some of the historic battles of Senegambia involving the kings or princes belonging to this family:
A short genealogy showing the descendants of Maad Ndaah Njemeh Joof.[17][20]
Descendants of Maad Ndaah Njemeh Joof
Maad Ndaah Njemeh Joof
(king of Laa, Baol, c. 1290)
│
Maad Niokhobai Joof
(king of Laa, Baol)
│
____________________________________│
│
Maad Patar Kholleh Joof (The Conqueror) = ? = Lingeer Mane Nyan
(king of Laa, Baol and Teigne of Baol) │ (1) │ (daughter of Sine o Mev Manneh (Guelowar)
│ │ (2)
│ │_____________________________________________
│ │
Jaraff Boureh Gnilane Joof │
(Jaraff and prince of Sine) │
│
_________________________________________________________________________│
│
┌───────────┴────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │ │
Maad a Sinig Niokhobai Mane Nyan Joof │ Lingeer Siga Pal Mane Nyan Joof
(king of Sine) │
│
Maad a Sinig Gejopal Mane Nyan Joof
(king of Sine)
Lingeer Penda Kumba Ngouille Joof, queen consort and queen mother of Jolof (wife of Bour ba Jolof Bakan Tam Boury Nabou Njie, king of Jolof, 1768–69)[47]
Manguinak Joof, appointed Ber Jak of Cayor (equivalent of Prime Minister) by his first cousin Damel Amari Ngoneh Sobell Fall after he assisted him defeat the king of Jolof at the Battle of Danki (1549).[48]
Professor Boucar Diouf, member of the International Society of Nephrology, member of the African board of the Commission for the Global Advancement of Nephrology (COMGAN), member of the African Associations of Nephrology, President and founder-member of the Senegalese Society of Nephrology (SESONEPH)[67][68]
The definition of art is very broad. This section list the names of visual artists (in its narrowest definition) who share this surname:
Cheikh Diouf, professional artist. His work is primarily based on African art, winner of many awards[78]
Business and commerce
Abdoulie Joof, a Gambian tycoon, commonly known as Lie Joof, implicated in several controversies including the financing of a coup d'etat to overthrow president Yahya Jammeh.[79][80][81]
Multi-discipline
The following list gives the names of personalities with this surname who are experts in a variety of professions, and are equally known for each of these professions. Their professional life is so wide and varied that they can not be easily described by a single category:
The Diouf brothers (Les frères Diouf), music band from Senegal. The band consists of Élage Diouf (El Hadji Fall Diouf) and Pape Abdou Karim Diouf.[76][77]
^Faye, Louis Diène. Mort et naissance Nouvelles Éditions africaines, 1983, p. 74.
^Gastellu, Jean-Marc (M. Sambe - 1937). L'égalitarisme économique des Serer du Sénégal. IRD Editions, 1981, p. 130. ISBN2-7099-0591-4
^ abcdSarr, Alioune, "Histoire du Sine-Saloum (Sénégal). Introduction, bibliographie et notes par Charles Becker". Version légèrement remaniée par rapport à celle parue en 1986-87
^Ndiaye Leyti, Oumar, Le Djoloff et ses Bourba, Dakar: Nouvelles Editions africaines, 1981, 110 pp.
^Galvan, Dennis Charles, The State Must Be Our Master of Fire (2004), pp. 2-281.
^Sarr, Alioune, Histoire du Sine-Saloum (Sénégal) Introduction, bibliographie et notes par Charles Becker. 1986-87, p 19
^Galvan, The State Must Be Our Master of Fire (2004), p. 80.
^ abBressers & Rosenbaum, Achieving Sustainable Development (2003), p. 151.
^ abGalvan, The State Must Be Our Master of Fire (2004), pp. 109-111.
^Phillips, Lucie Colvin, Historical Dictionary of Senegal, Scarecrow Press, 1981, pp. 52-71. ISBN0-8108-1369-6
^Sarr, "Histoire du Sine-Saloum (Sénégal)", loc.cit., p. 21.
^Thilmans, Guy; Descamps, Cyr & Camara Abdoulaye, Senegalia: études sur le patrimoine ouest-africain: hommage à Guy Thilmans, Sépia, 2006, pp. 220-21. ISBN2-84280-122-9
^Klein, Martin A. Islam and Imperialism in Senegal Sine-Saloum, 1847-1914, Edinburgh University Press (1968). p. XV.
^ abcSheridan, Michael J., & Nyamweru|, Celia, African Sacred Groves, James Currey, 2008, p. 141. ISBN0-8214-1789-4
^Ngom, Biram (Babacar Sédikh Diouf), La question Gelwaar et l’histoire du Siin, Université de Dakar, Dakar, 1987, p. 69.
^ abcdefLa famille Juuf [in] « L'épopée de Sanmoon Fay », [in] Éthiopiques (revue), no. 54, vol. 7, 2e semestre 1991 [1]Archived 29 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine
^Diouf, Niokhobaye, Chronique du royaume du Sine, pp. 712-13.
^ abcBuschinger, Danielle (ed & trans: Kloos, Jan Willem), Van den vos Reynaerde: mittelniederländisch - neuhochdeutsch, Presses du Centre d'Etudes médiévales Université de Picardie (1992), p. 59, ISBN9782901121169
^ abDiouf, Chronique du royaume du Sine, pp. 712-33.
^Faye, Louis Diène, Mort et naissance, Nouvelles éditions africaines, 1983, p. 56. ISBN2-7236-0868-9
^ abcGravrand, "Pangool", pp. 332-3, 338, 342-3, 349.
^ ab(in French) Martin, Victor & Becker, Charles, "Lieux de culte et emplacements célèbres dans les pays sereer" (Sénégal), in Bulletin de l’Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire, Tome 41, Série B, n° 1, janvier 1979, pp. 133-89 (pp. 15-34). [2]Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
^Gravrand, Henry, "La civilisation sereer, vol. II: Pangool", Dakar: Nouvelles éditions africaines, 1990, p. 35. ISBN2-7236-1055-1
^Fleurentin, Jacques. "Des sources du savoir aux médicaments du futur". IRD Editions, 2002. p 343. ISBN2709915049
^Diouf, Cheikh, Fiscalité et Domination Coloniale: l'exemple du Sine: 1859–1940.Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (2005)
^ abPeterson, Derek, Macola, Giacomo, "Recasting the Past: History Writing and Political Work in Modern Africa", Ohio University Press (2009) p. 299. ISBN0821418793[3]
^(Babacar Sédikh Diouf) [in] Ngom, Biram "La question Gelwaar et l’histoire du Siin", Dakar, Université de Dakar (1987), p. 69.
Sarr, Alioune, Histoire du Sine-Saloum (Sénégal). Introduction, bibliographie et notes par Charles Becker. Version légèrement remaniée par rapport à celle qui est parue en 1986-87
Ndiaye Leyti, Oumar, Le Djoloff et ses Bourba (1966); Dakar: Nouvelles Editions africaines, 1981
Galvan, Dennis Charles. The State Must Be Our Master of Fire: How Peasants Craft Culturally Sustainable Development in Senegal. Berkeley: University of California Press (2004). ISBN978-0-520-23591-5
Bressers, Hans & Rosenbaum, Walter A. Achieving Sustainable Development: the challenge of governance across social scales. Greenwood Publishing Group (2003). ISBN0-275-97802-8
Phillips, Lucie Colvin. Historical Dictionary of Senegal. Volume 23 of African historical dictionaries. Scarecrow Press (1981). ISBN0-8108-1369-6
Thilmans, Guy, Descamps, Cyr & Camara, Abdoulaye, "Senegalia: études sur le patrimoine ouest-africain: hommage à Guy Thilmans." Sépia (2006). ISBN2-84280-122-9
Klein, Martin A. Islam and Imperialism in Senegal Sine-Saloum, 1847-1914. Edinburgh University Press (1968)
Sheridan, Michael J. & Nyamweru, Celia. African Sacred Groves: ecological dynamics & social change. James Currey (2008). ISBN0-8214-1789-4
Ngom, Biram (comprising notes of Babacar Sédikh Diouf): La question Gelwaar et l’histoire du Siin. Dakar, Université de Dakar (1987)
"l'epopee de Sanmoon Fay. "La famille Juuf." Ethiopiques n°54 revue semestrielle de culture négro-africaine Nouvelle série volume 7 2e semestre (1991)
Diouf, Niokhobaye. "Chronique du royaume du Sine." Suivie de notes sur les traditions orales et les sources écrites concernant le royaume du Sine par Charles Becker et Victor Martin (1972). Bulletin de l'Ifan, Tome 34, Série B, n° 4 (1972)
Faye, Louis Diène. Mort et naissance: le monde Sereer. Nouvelles Éditions africaines, 1983. ISBN2-7236-0868-9
Bâ, Abdou Bouri. "Essai sur l’histoire du Saloum et du Rip." Avant-propos par Charles Becker et Victor Martin
Sonko Godwin, Patience. Leaders of Senegambia Region, Reactions To European Infiltration 19th-20th Century. The Gambia: Sunrise Publishers Ltd (1995). ISBN9983-86-002-3
Sonko Godwin, Patience. Ethnic Groups of The Senegambia Region, A Brief History. Third Edition. The Gambia: Sunrise Publishers Ltd (2003). ISBN978-9983-86-000-9
Wade, Amadou. "Chronique du Walo sénégalais (1186-1855)", B. Cissé trans., V. Monteil, editor, Bulletin de l'IFAN, Series B, Vol. 26, no. 3/4 (1941, 1964)
Gastellu, Jean-Marc. L'égalitarisme économique des Serer du Sénégal. IRD Editions, 1981. ISBN2-7099-0591-4
Fall, Tanor Latsoukabé, Recueil sur la Vie des Damel. Introduit et commenté par C. Becker et V. Martin, BIFAN, Tome 36, Série B, n° 1, janvier 1974
Martin, Victor & Becker, Charles, "Lieux de culte et emplacements célèbres dans les pays sereer" (Sénégal), Bulletin de l’Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire, Tome 41, Série B, n° 1, janvier 1979, pp. 133–89 (pp. 15–34) [6]
._19th_Century._Jung-Jung_From_The_Kingdom_of_Sine_(in_modern_day_Senegal).jpg)
