Wolof

Wolof, major group of people, numbering over 1.5 million (figures vary), who inhabit north-west Senegal, on the West African coast. First described as a distinct group by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century, their main mode of livelihood is agriculture, primarily the cultivation of sorghum and millet. The Wolof also rear goats and some keep sheep; others weave cloth and make baskets. Blacksmiths make farm tools, and women produce pots. In towns and trade centres, Wolof smiths make gold and silver ornaments. The Wolof language is the commercial language of the area and is therefore spoken in trade centres far beyond Senegal.

Until the establishment of a French colonial regime in the 19th century, the Wolof were organized into a number of expansionist states, each headed by an elected ruler who governed until his death. People were strictly divided into three main groups: the free-born, the low-caste group of craftsmen (smiths, leatherworkers, musicians), and those of slave origin. The Wolof were, and still are, the dominant people of the region. Their culture is so prestigious that members of other groups, particularly in urban areas, imitate Wolof dress and hairstyles, and speak Wolof with people not of their own group. Cattle-owning Wolof have neighbouring Fula herdsmen tend their livestock.

In recent decades, Wolof farmers, who cultivate groundnuts as a cash crop, have tried to combat the effects of over-cultivation by joining cooperative societies. However, many of the societies have failed to draw farmers out of debt.

Wolof society ranges from remote villages, where many traditional practices and distinctions are maintained, to the coastal cities, with their modern urban culture. Today the greatest power is held not by traditional chiefs, who have become minor salaried government officials, but by Wolof party politicians and state bureaucrats.