The Kingdom of Oussouye, a sacred Diola kingship

Depuis plusieurs siècles · Oussouye

The kingdom of Oussouye, in Diola country in Lower Casamance, is one of the oldest kingships in Senegal. It is a sacred kingship: its creation cannot be dated precisely, but oral accounts and the work of ethnologists speak of several centuries. Its territory, called “Bubadioum Ayi” in Diola, “the king’s property”, gathers seventeen traditional villages. The king is a religious, spiritual and traditional leader of the Diola Floup. He watches over peace and social cohesion: in case of conflict he is consulted and his role is to reconcile the parties. Nothing is done without the sacred wood, of which he is the guardian and where he lives.

Sources

• OpenEdition — « Notre Assemblée nationale, ce sont les fétiches » : la société traditionnelle diola (Cahiers d’études africaines)
• OpenEdition — Questions à propos du sacrifice chez les Diola de Basse-Casamance
• Cairn — Les relations hommes-femmes et la formation de l’identité casamançaise (Cahiers d’études africaines, 2005)

Previous story : The Slave Trade — Gorée · Next story : Battle of Danki — end of Djolof supremacy