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Pangool (inSerer andCangin) singular:Fangool (var :Pangol andFangol),[1] are the ancient saints and ancestral spirits of theSerer people ofSenegal, theGambia andMauritania. The Pangool play a crucial role inSerer religion andhistory. In a religious sense, they act asinterceders between the living world and the supreme beingRoog orKoox.[2] In a historical sense, theancient Serer village and town founders calledLamanes were believed to be accompanied by a group of Pangool as they travelled in search of land to exploit. These Lamanes became guardians of Serer religion and created shrines in honour of the Pangool, thus becoming the custodians of the "Pangool cult".[note 1][3]
There are several Pangool in Serer religion and each one is associated with a specific attribute, have their ownsacred place of worship, means of worship, etc. The symbol of the Pangool is theserpent, represented by two coiled black snakes.[4]
The etymology offangool comes from the Serer phraseFang Qool which means the sacredserpent[7] the plural of which ispangool. Fangool means serpent.[8]Qool itself (and it many spelling variations) derives from the sacrednqual tree (Serer proper:NGawul[9] orNgaul,[10] Latin:mitragyna inermis[10]) referenced in theSerer creation myth as one of the primordial trees.
There are two main types of Pangool: non-human Pangool and human Pangool. Both are sacred and ancient, but the former is more ancient as a general rule. The non-human Pangool include ancient sacred places with vital spiritual energies and personalized as such.[8] These Pangool generally are the personifications ofnatural forces.[11] Human Pangool on the other hand became Pangool once they are canonized after death. Thus some are ancient, others aremedieval. Through their intercession with the divine, they form a link which transmits vital energies. Not every dead ancient ancestor is canonized as Pangool.[8][12]
Pangool can be subdivided further into:
In addition to these, Pangool can be further categorized depending on their character and nature, such as:
Blood is a sign of life in Serercosmogony[16] and these types of Pangool fulfill a vital role in Serer society, and are seen as one of the most ancient and powerful. The Fangool Ngolum Joof (var: Ngolum Diouf) is one of theseblood Pangool.[16] In many cases, offerings of alcohol rather than the sacrifice ofdomesticated animals are made to theseblood Pangool.[16]In contrast to theblood Pangool, themilk Pangool such as Moussa Sarr, Njemeh (var: Ndiémé) of Languème and Njoxona, etc., are those Pangool who are peaceful in nature and character. They even reject anything that symbolizes violence or things that may evoke destruction or death, i.e. iron, weapons, gunpowder, blood and the colour red. They usually are the protectors of Serer cities and the defenders of the weak.[16]
The history regarding the veneration of the Pangool is found within thehermeneutics of Serer religion, oral tradition and archaeological discoveries. Prior to the widespread veneration of the Pangool, the religious habit of the ancient Serers included holding prayers at the beginning of the rainy season. The branches of theNjambayargin tree (bauhinia rufescens[17]) were fetched by these ancient people because they believed the tree to possess elements which boosted the growth of their crops and produce much fruit. Ritual prayers were made to the supreme spiritRoog (orKoox among theCangin), totally distinct from the prayers that would later become afforded to other Serer spiritual entities such as the Pangool.[18] InSerer cosmogony, trees play a vital role in thecreation narrative, as they were the first things created onEarth by the divine, followed byanimals (non-humans).[19][20] The exact date as to when the veneration of the Pangool became prevalent cannot be stated with a degree of accuracy.
Lamane Jegan Joof founder of Tukar c. 11th century, is reported to have been accompanied by a group of Pangool when he migrated fromLambaye with his brother Ndik following a disagreement with his relative the king of Lambaye.[21][22] After his migration, he founded Tukar, previously in the Serer pre-colonialKingdom of Sine,[23] now part of independentSenegal. Tukar is one of theSerer holy sites, and the Pangool affiliated with it are devotedly venerated in the Serer religious calendar, such as the 'Raan festival which takes place once a year on the second Thursday after thenew moon in April. The descendants of Lamane Jegan Joof (theJoof family of Tukar) play a vital role in this religious affair.
The Pangool are related to thetranscendence of the divine. In the Serer home, the altar of the Pangool can not conceal that of the divine.[24]
The Pangool provide the vital energies relating to the realities of theSerer people especially those forces outside the control of humanity. The religious practices and representations of the Pangool helps the Serer people dominate the hostile forces of nature, hence the advent of the Pangool veneration.[25] Through their sacred intercession with the divine, these Pangool act as protectors and transmitters of vital energy to the world of the living. They can be humans, plants, animals, places, supernatural beings, etc.[25][26] Animals and trees are viewed by the Serers as extended relatives of human beings, because they came from the same divineplacenta at the time of thecoronation.
Many Pangool are spirits of early ancestors who had died. They represent both Pangool of the paternal line (pangool o kurcala) and those of the maternal line (pangool o ƭeen yaay). These ancestors guide and protect their descendants. ManySerer families have a Master of Pangool who knows how to evokes the ancestor. The earlier Pangool were not human beings, but superior beings created byRoog at the time human beings were created. They were believed to have been created by the divine in order to help human kind. It is for this reason why the terms Pangool andNguus (Serer word for genie[27]) are sometimes used interchangeably.[12] Because some Pangool are linked to Serer lineages, only the head of the lineage schooled in the rituals can make a libation to the relevant Pangool or Fangool (the ancestor).[28]
In theother world, the ancestors are the actual carrying-holders of transcendent sacred energies. However, the Pangool are superior in title because they were not transformed in the sacred energy. Thus the distinction between afangool (non-human) and a human-ancestor lies in the mode of their participation in the transcendence. In either case, Roog is the first source of the transcendence of sacred energies.[29][30]
Offerings of fruits, vegetables, crops, milk, or the sacrifice of domesticated animals are made to the Pangool in different places, e.g.: at the foot of trees, in forests, at community shrines, etc. There are Pangools whose scope is therapeutic, those who deliver justice (see alsoTakhar – spirit of justice) and those who are personal Pangool.[31]
The following table provides a sample of Pangool, their attributes and the part ofSerer country they protect:
| Name of Fangool | Protector of | Attributes / comments |
|---|---|---|
| Laga Ndong | Foundiougne Department (Djilor and Peithie) | Canonized king of the Pangool during the reign ofMaad a Sinig Waasila Faye[32] (king ofSine, in the 15th century[33]). Homage made to him at the festival ofTourou Peithie, one of the religious festivals in theSerer calendar.[34] Veneration headed by theTaa'boor matriclan (var :Tabor).[28] |
| Njoxona | Nakhar village inNakhar | Village founded by Jaan Fadé[35] represented by thepython. Homage headed by the Jaan clan.[36] Njoxona is amilk Fangool.[16] |
| Mindiss (var :Mindis) | Fatick Region | A female protector of the Fatick Region, offering made to theRiver Sine. She appears to humans in the form of amanatee,[37] one of the best known Fangool. She possess the attributes of a typicalwater Fangool, yet at the same time she is a blood Fangool.[38] |
| Julang Joof and Ngojil Joof[39] | Ngol and several others | Husband and wife protectors of Ngol and several villages and towns within its vicinity, where the ceremony and offerings are made to the sacred tree of Ñaawul (var : Naawul) believed to be the sacred tree of these two.[40] Headed by theJoof family.[36] |
| Ngolum Joof (var : Ngolum Diouf, proper : Ngolum Juuf) | Nianiane | Offerings are made at the village of Nianiane (founded by Nokhor Choro Joof[16][41]) to theNgane andbaobab tree.[16] Headed by the Joof family[36] and theKaré-Karé matriclan.[28] He is ablood Fangool.[16] |
| Lunguñ Joof (Serer proper : Lunguñ Juuf)[42] | FA Oye, Ngouye andTukar. | A typical Fangool that delivers justice and have many devotees. Canonized at the time ofLamane Jegan Joof.[43] Headed by the Joof family. |
| Ginaaru | Personal | Personal Fangool ofMaad a Sinig Maysa Wali Jaxateh Manneh (var : Maysa Waaly Dione),[14] king ofSine, reigned : 1350–1370.[15] |
| Njemeh (var : Ndiémé) | Languème | Njemeh is one of themilk Pangool.[16] |
| Moussa Sarr (or : Saar) | ? | Amilk Fangool.[16] |
| Harwak | Fayil[44] | Veneration headed by theCofaan matriclan.[28] |
| Tamba Faye | Ndiob | According to Serer oral tradition, during the reigne of Maad a Sinig Boukar Tjilas Mahe Soum Joof[45] (king ofSine,c. 1750 – 1763), theMaad a Sinig came into conflict with the great Fangool of Ndiob – Tamba Faye.[46] |
