Wollof
The Wolof are native to northeastern Alkelbulan, where it connects to Musi Kongo, and on the eastern borders of both the Shamsi Desert and Kasar Wuta. They are the most prevalent ethnic group along this easternmost border but can also be found throughout Shamsi and Kusar Wuta within minority groups. Much like the Fulbe and Kanuri, the Wollof are known as crafty merchants, artisans and buisinessmen. In most recent times, they manage most if not all trade between the Kingdom of Accia and Alkelbulan!
Members of Wollof villages rely heavily on each other, especially in turbulent times. These villages are led by chiefs called borom dekk usually doubling as a religious figure called a marabout. Especially large villages might instead possess an imam, an islamic clergyman, alongside a warrior or hunter called a saltige. All of these positions are hereditary. Like many cultures in Shamsi and Kasar Wuta, the Wollof have a rigid social strata and caste system especially in urban settings and follow the teachings of Islam al'Rasul. Their society is divided into nobility, warriors, clergy, artisans, farmers and indentured servants or slaves. When they became an annexed territory of the Kingdom of Accia, they adapted surprisingly well and even integrated themselves into Accian administration much like the Kanuri and Fulbe.
Manipulation
Aura
Sense
Eye
Touch
Step
Form
Manipulation
Aura
Eyes
Binding
Apathy
Most Wolof are bilingual, speaking both their own language by the same name and al-'arabiyyah. Wollof has been adapted to use the Accian Alphabet and is usually written in arabiyyan script but the Wolof do possess their own alphabet which is called Ajami or Wollofal. For the most part, Wollof is spoken throughout the eastern reaches of the Shamsi Desert and Kasar Wuta and is sometimes spoken by the Serer as a second or third language. Unlike many Alkelbulian languages, Wollof is not tonal.
Wolof are traders, sedentary farmers and artisans, millet being their largest food staple and occasionally rice, peanuts or cassava. They might also raise Impangele Hen, Tamadla Goat and cattle or work as fishermen. Cattle aren't usually raised for food but for milk, work and as for their value. Beef is usually only eaten for ceremonial feasts. While Wolof farm and keep herds, rarely fishing, they are most known as artisans and businessmen. Wollof markets and neighborhoods are lively, griots playing their drums and dancing in the streets while merchants hawk their rare goods, both doing so at dizzying speeds! Meanwhile, older Wollof enjoy socializing in mosques and playing checkers in quiet spaces while younger men can be found enjoying wrestling and horse racing.
Wollof have traded with the Arabiyy for thousands of years, particularly keen on import and export trading, and act an economic gate between Musi Kongo and the rest of Alkelbulan. Some even trade with the Continent Beyond and the Wollof are one of the few peoples natives of the Frozen Wastes will do business with, though few know why. There is a popular joke that there is no people the Wollof haven't traded with, possessing wares from all across Eymnea (even places unknown to the rest of the continent!). If one is ever in the market for something from far off lands or difficult to find, they ought to seek the aid of a Wollof trader.
The largest holiday of the Wollof is Tabaski, the feast of the lamb. This is a feast which celebrates Allah's (Luxis) providing Abraham lamb to sacrifice in the wilderness instead of his son. Amid morning prayers in the mosque, a lamb is slaughtered. Families gather together to eat before visiting their friends later that day. It isn't uncommon for children to receive gifts of money or new clothing.
Wollof are entirely muslim, following the teachings of Islam al'Rasul. Any Wollof, when questioned, will state that their people have always been muslim since the founding of their kingdom. While its clear their advisors have been historically muslim, accounts from surrounding regions suggest they had not fully converted for some time. While they certainly believe in jinn, amulets and other rituals, Fulbe emirates unsatisfied with this partial conversion would ride through Wollof countriside, killing non-muslims, burning their villages and enslaving survivors. This quickly converted many Wollof out of fear alone but there were still those who resisted. It wasn't until the Kingdom of Accia began pressing against them that the remaining Wolof converted in an act of unity, desiring Ilnid's aid. Despite having fallen to the kingdom, they have retained this faith.
Tall and striking, Wollof wear colorful clothing with flashy patterns. Wollof women in particular are known for their elaborate hairstyles, gold jewelry and voluminous garments. The most popular of these is the xaftaan, kaftan or boubou (Francais term), worn by both men and women. This is an ankle length robe with long, bell shaped sleeves worn with tubay (drawstring pants) or buba (blouse) made of cotton or lace. For formal occassions men will wear a kufi cap and women wear headwraps, both usually white for weddings. Dashiki are also common among the Wollof, a colorful shirt with a V shaped neck. Those worn for formal occasions are made of better material with elaborate embroidery, these a symbol of status passed down from father to son. In fact, kaftan has roots in Wollof nobility, later dispersed across Alkelbulan via trade routes thanks to popularity with Arabiyy traders. It isn't uncommon for Wollof kaftan to be fire proof, radiation proof or both.
Kaftan goes by different names across eastern Alkelbulan such as agbada to the Oyo Yoruba, babban to the Hausawa, k'sa or gandora to the Imaziɣen, kwayi beri to the Zarma-Zaberbanda and darra'a to the Arabiyy. This is a popular peice of clothing to all trans-Shamsi nomads thanks to its practicallity for desert travel. It protects one from both the harsh sun and freezing temperatures of the desert, often paired with a turban which covers the face. This turban is known as alasho in Hausawa, tagelmust in Imazighen or litham in Arabiyyan.
Music is an important component of Wolof culture. Some of this is traditional, like sabar drumming, while newer styles have become more prevalent as youth see the world and experience outside cultures via AMTP like mbalax. Mbalax is a mixture of sabar with ancient music styles of Eluziar and styles from fellow Alkelbulian ethnic groups. Intricate wrestling called Njom or Laamb are also popular, originating from their Serer neighbors. Wollof are especially known for their woodcarving skills, many such craftsman capable of intricate woodburning using radiant or flame magic. Statues, figurines and masks line foreign markets and trade districts in Alkelbulian bazaars. Skilled Wollof tailors and jewelers create silver pieces popular with Imaziɣen women who they trade with regulalry. Silver is usually worn by Wollof men while women prefer gold necklaces, chains and rings. Hobbies like storytelling and checkers are also popular.
The majority of Wollof live in small, rural villages or large cities. The Wolof value of family can be seen even in their architecture and community planning. Round or square huts made of adobe mud and millet stalks are clustered together into compounds, their rooves conical and thatched with lovegrass or Mawa Palm. Several huts cluster into a single compound, the home of their patriarch in the center while the surrounding huts house his wives and children. These compounds cluster around a plaza with a mosque at the heart of their community and a brazier holding their clan's ancestral fire just outside. Though, those Wollof of Shamsi might have a miniature sun in this brazier instead. Either way, this fire holds a special place in Wollof culture with roots in pre-Islam traditions. The fire or sun represents the collective heart and legacy of their clan or village as though their ancestors are able to protect them through these fires.
Fires are kept burning in torches along the perimeter of compounds to ward off evil jinn or they keep the central hearth of their compound burning continuously, all ignited from this central brazier. Men gather in the plaza, usually well shaded, while women come together around wells or in eachothers' homes. There is a shared kitchen within family compounds unless there are conflicts between households. The patriarch makes all final decisions but his wives and mother run these housholds, take care of the children, go to market, cook, draw water and find firewood. Peculiarly, a Wolof father will blame the mother when their children make mistakes but enjoys taking credit for their accomplishments. On average, these homes have as many as ten to eleven children!
Ceebu jen is a traditional dish from fishing communities made with fish steak, broken rice, dried fish, mollusc and seasonal vegetables like onions, parsley, garlic, chilli pepper, tomatoes, carrots, eggplant, white cabbage, cassava, yams, okra or bay leaf. The quality of the ingredients usually expresses the importance, affection or favor they have for their guest. Food imported from Francais regions of the Eluzian Valley have become popular, the Francais their largest Eluzian trade partner. More traditional foods include lakh, sombee, mbaxal u saloum, mafe, and bissap. Lakh is a breakfast food made of a paste-like millet dough with milk poured overtop while sombee is a dish of boiled rice covered with curdled milk, sugar and raisins. Mbaxal u saloum is a spicier dish of tomato, peanut and dried fish sauce with rice while mafe consists of meat and potatoes, yams or cassava with peanut sauce and a bit of dried fish for flavor. Finally, bissap is a red drink made from a kind of hibiscus tasting similar to cranberry juice. It is believed to aid in digestion.
The Wollof have an important custom revolving around the brewing and presentation of tea, all of which is called ataaya. This tea is most often mint and green tea and is served after meals or offered to guests and friends. To the Wollof, ataaya is seen as important for fostering conversation and friendships as it takes time to prepare properly. In fact, the preparation of ataaya is considered relaxing if not meditative. There are three main stages of ataaya, first of which is putting green tea and mint into the teapot and boiling this over a charcoal stove heated by a flame from the clan's communal fire. Sugar is added before the tea is poured into small glasses of a specific size, being pourn back and forth several times until a foam appears. The thicker this foam, the better. In the easternmost regions, it is tradition to pour the tea at least twelve inches above small glass cups, sometimes pouring this back and forth as well before anyone drinks in order to mix the sugar well. They prefer their tea very sweet. There are three cups offered, each progessively lighter in flavor as the same leaves are used for each brew.
There are a number of milestones in the life of a Wollof, most important being naming ceremonies, circumcisions, weddings and funerals. Names are important to Wollof, carefully chosen by their parents, usually the name of a family member or friend who influences them or acts as a role model. Parents may even wait up to a year to make this decision. Boys are then circumcized at seven or eight, carrying a flame from their ancestral fire into the wilderness wearing all white for his ceremony. Afteward, he stays with an older brother or Selbe until healed. The Selbe also teaches him Wollof legends and history. They are regarded as men by their community after this rite of passage.
Little is known about their origins, Wollof not particularly keen in sharing this with outsiders. It isn't uncommon for the same Wollof to tell different Eluzian scholars alternate if not contradictory accounts! With some coersion, the Wollof finally shared their founding myth. According to this legend, two villages near an oil lake in Walo were in conflict with each other. It was then that a mysterious figure emerged from the lake to solve their argument, a figure believed to be Ferith. The villagers captured this figure by trapping her in the charcoal of their village brazier, keeping her as the authority in settling disagreements and crises. The name of this figure was Ndyadnane Ndyaye and her descendants became known as Ndiayes or Njie, going on to sire the ruling families of the Wollof. Much of the rest of their history revolves around the rivalries between these families, wars, coups and conquests.
While Wollof will trade with the Turkler to their north, they have little respect for a society which holds scholars, who they view akin to griots, so highly. The earliest accounts speak of Wollof chiefs and their muslim counselors, rulers of a Wollof empire. Supposedly, the Wollof take their name from their founder, King Jolof. They had originally conquered surrounding tribes and established a kingdom comprised of autonomous states, eventually splitting into five chiefdoms which were Walo, Baol, Cayor, Sine and Saloum.
This empire was a midieval state in northeastern Alkelbulan for several thousand years, only briefly united as a single country. Despite this fragmentation, their governments, traditions, caste system and culture were very much the same. The Wollof and surrounding smaller states united into a federation with a Wollof king as the central power. Rulers of the other states were loyal to him and were expected to pay tributes. They traded considerably with the western populations of Kanem and acted as a gobetween in trade with Eluziar, the Frozen Wastes and Musi Kongo from various oases cities across the Shamsi Desert and Kasar Wuta.
Unfortunately, slavery was a key component of Wollof Culture before the Kingdom of Accia's conquest. Slaves were captured in warfare, sold into slavery by desperate parents or descended from existing slaves. The Wollof fascilitated slave trade between Kasar Wuta, Shamsi and Arabiyyah. Yet despite their use of muslim advisors, the Wollof had not immediately or completely convert to Islam al'Rasul. This led to conflicts between both the Wollof Empire and Ilnid's emirates but also between muslim and non-muslim citizens. The final push came when the Kingdom of Accia began expanding into Alkelbulan, transgressing into Wollof lands early on. It was then that the Wollof Empire officially converted to Islam, desiring the support of Ilnid and his emirates. Despite this being too little too late, most if not all Wollof remain muslim.
While Accia has officially outlawed slavery across Alkelbulan, it isn't uncommon for previous slave traders to instead raid secluded oases and camps to "recruit" children for AMTP for a hefty reward, capable of penetrating dangerous reaches of the desert where outsiders are unable to travel. Some even go so far as to kidnap children from these settlements, keeping them as indentured servants until they come of age, a practice the kingdom has turned a blind eye toward. Slaves living within Wollof communities have technically been freed but, without resources or opportunities, they continue to work in the same conditions and are equally reliant on their "employers", often working for the exact same families their ancestors were slaves to. Their position in Wollof society remains unchanged.
When a child comes of age, their mother begins looking for an appropriate match for them, one of equal or higher status. As an example, geer (freemen) will not marry nyeenya (artisans) while a nyeenya will not marry jaam (serfs/slaves). Their father will wait for his wife's selection of prospects and the approval of their child, usually having the final say. Marriages are endogamous meaning they occur within their clans and castes. The most common marriage is between a man and his maternal uncle's child, his first cousin on his mother's side. Polygymy is also practiced in which a man can have multiple wives, most Wolof men having two. Brideprice is also a necessary step in courtship, some form of wealth paid to the bride's family. However, this belongs to the the new bride after consummating their marriage and divorce is allowed if not common. One final tradition among the Wollof is a transfer of fire, fire ignited by the ancestral fire of her village. A bride will kindle fire from her home village and transport this to her husband's village, either lighting the hearth of her new home or adding this flame to the brazier of her new village.
Wolof society is patriarchal and endogamous. The main components of this system are geer, those who are free, a caste of artisans called nyeenyo and griots and the servile peoples called jaam. These castes are hereditary and, much like similar castes in Kanem, it is considered unacceptable to marry below ones caste. In fact, this barrier is even stronger than that between different ethnicities or religions. Solidfying this static structure, only geer can own land which is passed down from father to son. Those working the land, usually jaam, must pay waref or rent to geer landowners in order to work the land. Haratin are the most common ethnic group to work as jaam and sometimes nyeenyo.
Geer are free Wollof with their own hierarchy. Royalty are the highest position with regional or local nobility just underneath them, often sharing these positions with Fulbe. Nobility administer territories and collected tributes in the interests of royalty. At the bottom of geer society are the baadoolo, those lacking political power but retaining freedom and property, usually landowners. Nyeenyo are blacksmiths, weavers, dyers, potters, tanners, tailors, thatchers, jewelers and other similar tradesman. Blacksmiths and jewelers are more highly regarded, producing tools for farming or even crafts of gold. Most trades are based on gender too. Religious and political occupations are reserved for men while women are repsonsible for the upkeep of their homes and fetching water but they might also plant, weed and harvest fields, collect firewood and, among the nyeenyo, aid in the making of pottery. The lowest level of nyeenyo are called griots. They are often associated with impurity, such as leatherworkers who work with animals skins which are considered dirty. Other griots include artists like professional storytellers, historians, poets, musicians and entertainers.
Jaam are at the very bottom of Wollof hierarchy, most often previous slaves with no other means of survival after being freed, comprised primarily of Haratin. Slaves were usually inherted by birth, kidnapped, purchased from parents in poverty or imposed as a punishment for criminals. All manner of crimes could result in slavery. Jaam are also unable to marry without permission of their owner. In fact, marriages between jaam are usually arranged by their master. While forced to free their slaves by the Kingdom of Accia, these people lacked any wealth, means or oppotunities amid this sudden freedom. In the wake of this, most if not all were contracted as serfs, indentured servants and other disadvantageous or outright dependant roles. While terms and smaller details have changed, most everything else remains the same for the jaam, only tasting vestiges of freedom while serving in the Accian Military.
Members of Wollof villages rely heavily on each other, especially in turbulent times. These villages are led by chiefs called borom dekk usually doubling as a religious figure called a marabout. Especially large villages might instead possess an imam, an islamic clergyman, alongside a warrior or hunter called a saltige. All of these positions are hereditary. Like many cultures in Shamsi and Kasar Wuta, the Wollof have a rigid social strata and caste system especially in urban settings and follow the teachings of Islam al'Rasul. Their society is divided into nobility, warriors, clergy, artisans, farmers and indentured servants or slaves. When they became an annexed territory of the Kingdom of Accia, they adapted surprisingly well and even integrated themselves into Accian administration much like the Kanuri and Fulbe.
Racial Magic
by Lee Stepp
The Wollof are agriculturists, traders and artisans and this is reflected in their Racial Magic. They possess both Flithmar and Rithaldis magic useful for treking the dangerous northern lands of Alkelbulan and are highly mobile. Interestingly, they are also known to possess Zithvek manifestations.
Flithmar
Manipulation
Aura
Movement
Eye
Touch
Able to manipulate, repel and reshape flames present in their environment.
Aura
Able to summon or generate flames from Flithmar's Plane either from their body or into the area around them. Can roughly control these flames and are immune to damage from fire, magic or natural.
Movement
Able to walk, step or move on or through flames as these are a solid foothold to them. They can also briefly transform into fire, travel in a given direction as fire does and reform elsewhere. While they cannot be harmed by fire, they can be retrained using flame magic.
Eye
Able to see despite, through and able to see flames over a long distance. Can tell details about the fire like what is burning and the temperature, even through barriers and obstructions.
Touch
Can ignite materials via touch, the flames becoming more intense and spread further with continued contact.
Breath
Shield
Step
Form
Can exhale flames like a flame thrower or inhale to put out fire.
Shield
Immune to negative effects and/or damage from all flame magic and naturally occurring flames. They are totally fireproof.
Step
Can enter and exit Flithmar's Plane via portals and travel the plane freely, without injury. Portals are flames large enough to fit through. They can bring another with them while maintaining contact even extending their elemental protections. They cannot be harmed by flames and can use fire as a solid foothold similarly to one with a Movement manifestation but cannot turn into fire.
Form
Can convert parts of their body into flames or has fire incorporated into their magic form in some way.
☀️ Rithaldis
Manipulation
Able to manipulate, repel and reshape radiant energy present in their environment. This can be sunlight, solar plasma or even ionizing radiation. They are also able to see radiation as solid white particles.
Aura
Able to summon or generate radiant energy from Rithaldis' Plane either from their body or into the area around them. This can include sunlight, solar plasma and radiation. Can roughly control these energies and are immune to damage from radiant energy, magic or natural and can see this energy as a solid white particle.
Sense
Able to sense radiant energy around them over a long distance and anything interacting with it. They can tell details about the energy such as intensity and type, even through barriers and obstructions. They also cannot be harmed by radiant energy, natural or magical.
Eye
Able to see despite, through and able to see radiant energy over a long distances including strong sunlight, solar plasma and ionizing radiation. Can tell details about the energy, even through barriers and obstructions.
Touch
Can afflict ionizing radiation and radiation poisoning via touch, the longer the duration the more intense and pervasive this radiation is.
Step
Can enter and exit Rithaldis' Plane via portals and travel the plane freely, without injury. Portals are bright sunlight, miniature suns and high concentrations of ionizing radiation large enough to fit through. They can bring another with them while maintaining contact even extending their elemental protections. They cannot be harmed by radiant energy and can use it as a solid foothold similarly to one with a Movement manifestation but cannot turn into radiant energy.
Form
Can convert parts of their body into a kind of radiant energy (photons, plasma, sunlight, ionizing radiation) or has these incorporated into their magic form.
⚠️ Zithvek
Manipulation
Can manipulate emotions, memories or states related to Zithvek in those around them, if they are occurring in whatever intensity. Zithvek consists of emotions of hatred, hostility, annoyance, disgust, dissonance and feelings of agitation, rage, anger, passion, impatience and need. Generally emotions which stir the spirit.
Aura
Can generate temporary emotions or states related to Zithvek in those around them. Zithvek consists of emotions of hatred, hostility, annoyance, disgust, dissonance and feelings of agitation, rage, anger, passion, impatience and need. Generally emotions which stir the spirit.
Eyes
Can see emotions, thoughts and states related to Zithvek as an aura around targets and learn details about these thoughts and emotions of targets by staring into their eyes. They can even see where these emotions or thoughts are directed at, many Wolof traders using this to deduce what a customer passionately wants.
Binding
Able to bind specific emotions, thoughts or memories related to Zithvek. They can either bind a target's access to these so that they cannot access them or they can bind them to someone's mind so that they cannot escape or forget them until unbound. Trying to force bound memories or emotions can become painful and dangerous.
Apathy
Able to block a target's access to emotions, thoughts, states or memories related to Zithvek either selectively or in a general area around them. While under the effect, they cannot experience these until after the effect ends. Sometimes can cause a backlog of emotions, crashing into them all at once when the effect ends.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
by Lee Stepp
Most Wolof are bilingual, speaking both their own language by the same name and al-'arabiyyah. Wollof has been adapted to use the Accian Alphabet and is usually written in arabiyyan script but the Wolof do possess their own alphabet which is called Ajami or Wollofal. For the most part, Wollof is spoken throughout the eastern reaches of the Shamsi Desert and Kasar Wuta and is sometimes spoken by the Serer as a second or third language. Unlike many Alkelbulian languages, Wollof is not tonal.
Culture and cultural heritage
by Lee Stepp
Wolof are traders, sedentary farmers and artisans, millet being their largest food staple and occasionally rice, peanuts or cassava. They might also raise Impangele Hen, Tamadla Goat and cattle or work as fishermen. Cattle aren't usually raised for food but for milk, work and as for their value. Beef is usually only eaten for ceremonial feasts. While Wolof farm and keep herds, rarely fishing, they are most known as artisans and businessmen. Wollof markets and neighborhoods are lively, griots playing their drums and dancing in the streets while merchants hawk their rare goods, both doing so at dizzying speeds! Meanwhile, older Wollof enjoy socializing in mosques and playing checkers in quiet spaces while younger men can be found enjoying wrestling and horse racing.
Wollof have traded with the Arabiyy for thousands of years, particularly keen on import and export trading, and act an economic gate between Musi Kongo and the rest of Alkelbulan. Some even trade with the Continent Beyond and the Wollof are one of the few peoples natives of the Frozen Wastes will do business with, though few know why. There is a popular joke that there is no people the Wollof haven't traded with, possessing wares from all across Eymnea (even places unknown to the rest of the continent!). If one is ever in the market for something from far off lands or difficult to find, they ought to seek the aid of a Wollof trader.
The largest holiday of the Wollof is Tabaski, the feast of the lamb. This is a feast which celebrates Allah's (Luxis) providing Abraham lamb to sacrifice in the wilderness instead of his son. Amid morning prayers in the mosque, a lamb is slaughtered. Families gather together to eat before visiting their friends later that day. It isn't uncommon for children to receive gifts of money or new clothing.
Shared customary codes and values
by Lee Stepp
Wollof are entirely muslim, following the teachings of Islam al'Rasul. Any Wollof, when questioned, will state that their people have always been muslim since the founding of their kingdom. While its clear their advisors have been historically muslim, accounts from surrounding regions suggest they had not fully converted for some time. While they certainly believe in jinn, amulets and other rituals, Fulbe emirates unsatisfied with this partial conversion would ride through Wollof countriside, killing non-muslims, burning their villages and enslaving survivors. This quickly converted many Wollof out of fear alone but there were still those who resisted. It wasn't until the Kingdom of Accia began pressing against them that the remaining Wolof converted in an act of unity, desiring Ilnid's aid. Despite having fallen to the kingdom, they have retained this faith.
Common Dress code
Tall and striking, Wollof wear colorful clothing with flashy patterns. Wollof women in particular are known for their elaborate hairstyles, gold jewelry and voluminous garments. The most popular of these is the xaftaan, kaftan or boubou (Francais term), worn by both men and women. This is an ankle length robe with long, bell shaped sleeves worn with tubay (drawstring pants) or buba (blouse) made of cotton or lace. For formal occassions men will wear a kufi cap and women wear headwraps, both usually white for weddings. Dashiki are also common among the Wollof, a colorful shirt with a V shaped neck. Those worn for formal occasions are made of better material with elaborate embroidery, these a symbol of status passed down from father to son. In fact, kaftan has roots in Wollof nobility, later dispersed across Alkelbulan via trade routes thanks to popularity with Arabiyy traders. It isn't uncommon for Wollof kaftan to be fire proof, radiation proof or both.
Kaftan goes by different names across eastern Alkelbulan such as agbada to the Oyo Yoruba, babban to the Hausawa, k'sa or gandora to the Imaziɣen, kwayi beri to the Zarma-Zaberbanda and darra'a to the Arabiyy. This is a popular peice of clothing to all trans-Shamsi nomads thanks to its practicallity for desert travel. It protects one from both the harsh sun and freezing temperatures of the desert, often paired with a turban which covers the face. This turban is known as alasho in Hausawa, tagelmust in Imazighen or litham in Arabiyyan.
Art & Architecture
Music is an important component of Wolof culture. Some of this is traditional, like sabar drumming, while newer styles have become more prevalent as youth see the world and experience outside cultures via AMTP like mbalax. Mbalax is a mixture of sabar with ancient music styles of Eluziar and styles from fellow Alkelbulian ethnic groups. Intricate wrestling called Njom or Laamb are also popular, originating from their Serer neighbors. Wollof are especially known for their woodcarving skills, many such craftsman capable of intricate woodburning using radiant or flame magic. Statues, figurines and masks line foreign markets and trade districts in Alkelbulian bazaars. Skilled Wollof tailors and jewelers create silver pieces popular with Imaziɣen women who they trade with regulalry. Silver is usually worn by Wollof men while women prefer gold necklaces, chains and rings. Hobbies like storytelling and checkers are also popular.
The majority of Wollof live in small, rural villages or large cities. The Wolof value of family can be seen even in their architecture and community planning. Round or square huts made of adobe mud and millet stalks are clustered together into compounds, their rooves conical and thatched with lovegrass or Mawa Palm. Several huts cluster into a single compound, the home of their patriarch in the center while the surrounding huts house his wives and children. These compounds cluster around a plaza with a mosque at the heart of their community and a brazier holding their clan's ancestral fire just outside. Though, those Wollof of Shamsi might have a miniature sun in this brazier instead. Either way, this fire holds a special place in Wollof culture with roots in pre-Islam traditions. The fire or sun represents the collective heart and legacy of their clan or village as though their ancestors are able to protect them through these fires.
by Lee Stepp
Fires are kept burning in torches along the perimeter of compounds to ward off evil jinn or they keep the central hearth of their compound burning continuously, all ignited from this central brazier. Men gather in the plaza, usually well shaded, while women come together around wells or in eachothers' homes. There is a shared kitchen within family compounds unless there are conflicts between households. The patriarch makes all final decisions but his wives and mother run these housholds, take care of the children, go to market, cook, draw water and find firewood. Peculiarly, a Wolof father will blame the mother when their children make mistakes but enjoys taking credit for their accomplishments. On average, these homes have as many as ten to eleven children!
Foods & Cuisine
by Lee Stepp
Ceebu jen is a traditional dish from fishing communities made with fish steak, broken rice, dried fish, mollusc and seasonal vegetables like onions, parsley, garlic, chilli pepper, tomatoes, carrots, eggplant, white cabbage, cassava, yams, okra or bay leaf. The quality of the ingredients usually expresses the importance, affection or favor they have for their guest. Food imported from Francais regions of the Eluzian Valley have become popular, the Francais their largest Eluzian trade partner. More traditional foods include lakh, sombee, mbaxal u saloum, mafe, and bissap. Lakh is a breakfast food made of a paste-like millet dough with milk poured overtop while sombee is a dish of boiled rice covered with curdled milk, sugar and raisins. Mbaxal u saloum is a spicier dish of tomato, peanut and dried fish sauce with rice while mafe consists of meat and potatoes, yams or cassava with peanut sauce and a bit of dried fish for flavor. Finally, bissap is a red drink made from a kind of hibiscus tasting similar to cranberry juice. It is believed to aid in digestion.
The Wollof have an important custom revolving around the brewing and presentation of tea, all of which is called ataaya. This tea is most often mint and green tea and is served after meals or offered to guests and friends. To the Wollof, ataaya is seen as important for fostering conversation and friendships as it takes time to prepare properly. In fact, the preparation of ataaya is considered relaxing if not meditative. There are three main stages of ataaya, first of which is putting green tea and mint into the teapot and boiling this over a charcoal stove heated by a flame from the clan's communal fire. Sugar is added before the tea is poured into small glasses of a specific size, being pourn back and forth several times until a foam appears. The thicker this foam, the better. In the easternmost regions, it is tradition to pour the tea at least twelve inches above small glass cups, sometimes pouring this back and forth as well before anyone drinks in order to mix the sugar well. They prefer their tea very sweet. There are three cups offered, each progessively lighter in flavor as the same leaves are used for each brew.
Coming of Age Rites
by Lee Stepp
There are a number of milestones in the life of a Wollof, most important being naming ceremonies, circumcisions, weddings and funerals. Names are important to Wollof, carefully chosen by their parents, usually the name of a family member or friend who influences them or acts as a role model. Parents may even wait up to a year to make this decision. Boys are then circumcized at seven or eight, carrying a flame from their ancestral fire into the wilderness wearing all white for his ceremony. Afteward, he stays with an older brother or Selbe until healed. The Selbe also teaches him Wollof legends and history. They are regarded as men by their community after this rite of passage.
Historical figures
by Lee Stepp
Early History
Little is known about their origins, Wollof not particularly keen in sharing this with outsiders. It isn't uncommon for the same Wollof to tell different Eluzian scholars alternate if not contradictory accounts! With some coersion, the Wollof finally shared their founding myth. According to this legend, two villages near an oil lake in Walo were in conflict with each other. It was then that a mysterious figure emerged from the lake to solve their argument, a figure believed to be Ferith. The villagers captured this figure by trapping her in the charcoal of their village brazier, keeping her as the authority in settling disagreements and crises. The name of this figure was Ndyadnane Ndyaye and her descendants became known as Ndiayes or Njie, going on to sire the ruling families of the Wollof. Much of the rest of their history revolves around the rivalries between these families, wars, coups and conquests.
Wollof Empire
While Wollof will trade with the Turkler to their north, they have little respect for a society which holds scholars, who they view akin to griots, so highly. The earliest accounts speak of Wollof chiefs and their muslim counselors, rulers of a Wollof empire. Supposedly, the Wollof take their name from their founder, King Jolof. They had originally conquered surrounding tribes and established a kingdom comprised of autonomous states, eventually splitting into five chiefdoms which were Walo, Baol, Cayor, Sine and Saloum.
This empire was a midieval state in northeastern Alkelbulan for several thousand years, only briefly united as a single country. Despite this fragmentation, their governments, traditions, caste system and culture were very much the same. The Wollof and surrounding smaller states united into a federation with a Wollof king as the central power. Rulers of the other states were loyal to him and were expected to pay tributes. They traded considerably with the western populations of Kanem and acted as a gobetween in trade with Eluziar, the Frozen Wastes and Musi Kongo from various oases cities across the Shamsi Desert and Kasar Wuta.
Downfall
Unfortunately, slavery was a key component of Wollof Culture before the Kingdom of Accia's conquest. Slaves were captured in warfare, sold into slavery by desperate parents or descended from existing slaves. The Wollof fascilitated slave trade between Kasar Wuta, Shamsi and Arabiyyah. Yet despite their use of muslim advisors, the Wollof had not immediately or completely convert to Islam al'Rasul. This led to conflicts between both the Wollof Empire and Ilnid's emirates but also between muslim and non-muslim citizens. The final push came when the Kingdom of Accia began expanding into Alkelbulan, transgressing into Wollof lands early on. It was then that the Wollof Empire officially converted to Islam, desiring the support of Ilnid and his emirates. Despite this being too little too late, most if not all Wollof remain muslim.
While Accia has officially outlawed slavery across Alkelbulan, it isn't uncommon for previous slave traders to instead raid secluded oases and camps to "recruit" children for AMTP for a hefty reward, capable of penetrating dangerous reaches of the desert where outsiders are unable to travel. Some even go so far as to kidnap children from these settlements, keeping them as indentured servants until they come of age, a practice the kingdom has turned a blind eye toward. Slaves living within Wollof communities have technically been freed but, without resources or opportunities, they continue to work in the same conditions and are equally reliant on their "employers", often working for the exact same families their ancestors were slaves to. Their position in Wollof society remains unchanged.
Ideals
Courtship Ideals
by Lee Stepp
When a child comes of age, their mother begins looking for an appropriate match for them, one of equal or higher status. As an example, geer (freemen) will not marry nyeenya (artisans) while a nyeenya will not marry jaam (serfs/slaves). Their father will wait for his wife's selection of prospects and the approval of their child, usually having the final say. Marriages are endogamous meaning they occur within their clans and castes. The most common marriage is between a man and his maternal uncle's child, his first cousin on his mother's side. Polygymy is also practiced in which a man can have multiple wives, most Wolof men having two. Brideprice is also a necessary step in courtship, some form of wealth paid to the bride's family. However, this belongs to the the new bride after consummating their marriage and divorce is allowed if not common. One final tradition among the Wollof is a transfer of fire, fire ignited by the ancestral fire of her village. A bride will kindle fire from her home village and transport this to her husband's village, either lighting the hearth of her new home or adding this flame to the brazier of her new village.
Major organizations
by Lee Stepp
Wolof society is patriarchal and endogamous. The main components of this system are geer, those who are free, a caste of artisans called nyeenyo and griots and the servile peoples called jaam. These castes are hereditary and, much like similar castes in Kanem, it is considered unacceptable to marry below ones caste. In fact, this barrier is even stronger than that between different ethnicities or religions. Solidfying this static structure, only geer can own land which is passed down from father to son. Those working the land, usually jaam, must pay waref or rent to geer landowners in order to work the land. Haratin are the most common ethnic group to work as jaam and sometimes nyeenyo.
Geer are free Wollof with their own hierarchy. Royalty are the highest position with regional or local nobility just underneath them, often sharing these positions with Fulbe. Nobility administer territories and collected tributes in the interests of royalty. At the bottom of geer society are the baadoolo, those lacking political power but retaining freedom and property, usually landowners. Nyeenyo are blacksmiths, weavers, dyers, potters, tanners, tailors, thatchers, jewelers and other similar tradesman. Blacksmiths and jewelers are more highly regarded, producing tools for farming or even crafts of gold. Most trades are based on gender too. Religious and political occupations are reserved for men while women are repsonsible for the upkeep of their homes and fetching water but they might also plant, weed and harvest fields, collect firewood and, among the nyeenyo, aid in the making of pottery. The lowest level of nyeenyo are called griots. They are often associated with impurity, such as leatherworkers who work with animals skins which are considered dirty. Other griots include artists like professional storytellers, historians, poets, musicians and entertainers.
Jaam are at the very bottom of Wollof hierarchy, most often previous slaves with no other means of survival after being freed, comprised primarily of Haratin. Slaves were usually inherted by birth, kidnapped, purchased from parents in poverty or imposed as a punishment for criminals. All manner of crimes could result in slavery. Jaam are also unable to marry without permission of their owner. In fact, marriages between jaam are usually arranged by their master. While forced to free their slaves by the Kingdom of Accia, these people lacked any wealth, means or oppotunities amid this sudden freedom. In the wake of this, most if not all were contracted as serfs, indentured servants and other disadvantageous or outright dependant roles. While terms and smaller details have changed, most everything else remains the same for the jaam, only tasting vestiges of freedom while serving in the Accian Military.
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Cover image:
by
Lee Stepp
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