| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 10,700 (2007)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Palor,French | |
| Religion | |
| Serer religion,Christianity,Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Serer people |
ThePalors also known asSerer-Palor, (orWaro in their own language) among other names, are an ethnic group found inSenegal around the west central, west southwest ofThiès.[2][3] They are a sub-group of theSerer ethnic group found in Senegal, theGambia andMauritania. Although ethnically Serers, they do not speak theSerer language but one of theCangin languages. Their language isPalor.[2]
Other names for the Palor people includeWaro (the name for themselves), Palors-Sile, Waro-Waro, Falor, Sili,Sili-Sili (the name they use fortheir language).[2][4] The wordSili is a Palor word for Serer.[1]
According to Atlas National du Sénégal (Institut Géographique National 1977), their population was 5000.[2] By 2007, their population was 10,700.[1] They are found in the area of Diander, such as: Gorom, Sébikotane, Tieudem, Mbidjeum, etc.[4]
The Palors are a member of the Cangin people (those who speak theCangin languages) and a sub-group of theSerer people. In their oral history, the Palor andNdut accepts a common origin and language. Their tradition went on to say that, the Palors moved southwards from the village of Palo (in the Ndut Region). Another account attributes the separation of the Palor and Ndut to a disagreement between two brothers, which led to the younger brother moving north out of the Palor Region in order to form the Ndut ethnic group.[2] In similarity, theSaafi andNoon traditions states a common ancestral heritage. The Noon people used to return and pray at theSacred wood they left behind in the Safen Region after they had migrated north.[2] From a wider perspective, the Cangin people are part of the Serer group, and some of these group were defeated in the 11th century by theAlmoravids and theirAfrican Muslim coalition army, when they advanced inTekrur (present-dayFuta Toro), resulting in the southward migration of some of these people, who refused to accept Islam (seeSerer history (medieval era to present) andTimeline of Serer history).[2][5][6]
The Palors, like many of the Cangin speakers residing on theCayor and its borders, have a long reputation for waging wars against theDamel[7] of Cayor, the Portuguese as well as the French.[4][8] The name of their king was the Fara Ndout (variation :"Fara Ndut"). He was elected by the Damel from the royal family, and a candidate to the throne of Cayor. He had authority over the Nduts, the Palors and the region ofDiander.[4] In some cases, he was hardly listened to.
They are among the oldest inhabitants of Senegal, especially aroundPout area (var : Put).[9]
ThePalor language is classified as one of theCangin languages which is closely related to theNdut language and distantly related toSerer proper.[2]
Many Palors are farmers who growmillet (a staple food among the Serers). They also grow and sellpeanuts, manioc (cassava),mangoes,tomatoes,bissap (similar to thehibiscus flower), etc. Many Palors also work in the cities ofThiès andDakar and even sometimes further afield atKaolack in order to earn income and support their families. Unlike the other Serer groups, the Palors, especially those from poorer families, are at a disadvantage educationally, because there is little or no educational facilities in their own region. As a result, they have to send their children to boarding schools in Safene country (the lands of theSaafi people), such asSangué, etc. Lack of educational facilities has resulted in Palor children not receiving formal education.[2]
Like many of the Cangin language speakers such as the Safene, etc., they adhere to the tenets ofSerer religion. They make offerings of the harvest firstfruits to the ancestral spirits (Pangool - in Serer religion) and retain the "chef coutumier" ("one who performs prayers to the spirits"[2] - the SererLamanes in the old religious sense, can also be theSaltigues, seeTimeline of Serer history). Their traditional and religious songs are also preserved, usually sung in theNdut language[2] and forms the basis of Sererhymns.
Some Palors areChristians orMuslims. Like most Serer Muslims, their conversion toIslam is very recent.[10][self-published source] Though there are some Palor Muslim and Christian communities,syncretism with the Serer religion is prevalent.[2]
