THE WOLOF : TALLEST TRIBE IN WEST AFRICA. (Nilotic Origin?)

#Wolof #Senegal #Gambia
Tall, dark, and striking, Wolof people are believed to be the tallest ethnic group in West Africa. Most of them are 6 feet tall and also very dark. They are the giants of West Africa.
The West African Wolof people are the largest ethnic group in Senegal, particularly concentrated in its northwestern region near the Senegal River and the Gambia River. In the Gambia, about 16% of the population is Wolof. In Mauritania, about 8% of the population is Wolof. Their total population exceeds 6 million in the three countries and they are 90 % Muslim.
On average, the Wolof people are 6 feet tall for the men and around 5 feet 7 feet for the women. This is one of the reasons why Senegal has one of the best basketball teams in Africa.
This is just my hypothesis but I believe the reason why they are so tall is that they may be descended from proto- Nilotic people who lived around the Nile Valley, which is in modern-day South Sudan. Their skin complexion is very dark, almost similar to the Dinka and Nuer, who are the world's tallest people.
They speak The Wolof language which belongs to the Senegambian branch of the Niger-Congo language family. Unlike most other languages of the Niger-Congo family, Wolof is not a tonal language.
The Wolof first entered Senegal from the northeast in about the 11th Century coming to the lower Senegal Valley. They are said to be composed of an amalgam of Mandingo, Sereer, and Fula. Cheikh Anta Diop believes that they came from the Nile valley and that the Wolof were part of the formation of the ancient Egyptian civilization.
Wolof people are often seen in colourful fabrics and patterns with the traditional boubou the garment of choice for both men and women. Variants are worn on a day-to-day with the whole shebang coming out on special occasions; the most important for the Wolof is the feast of Tabaski (the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice.
The Wolof, particularly the women, are known as being very beautiful. They dress fashionably and wear sophisticated hairstyles. They are often the fashion-setters for others around them. While many of the Wolof have settled in cities and worked as merchants, teachers, or government officials, most of them still live in rural areas and work as peasant farmers.
Traditionally the Wolof were divided into three classes: the freeborn, those born into slavery, and the artisans. The freeborn class ranged from high-ranking noblemen to common peasant farmers. The slave class was made up of the Wolofs whose parents were slaves. They were born into slavery and continued to serve their parent's masters. Finally, the artisans were considered a low class in Wolof society. This group included blacksmiths, leather workers, and musicians. Intermarriage among the three classes was a very rare occurrence.

However much of this class distinction is disappearing among the Wolof. For example, former president Abdou Diouf of Senegal was actually from the blacksmith class.
Hundreds of years ago, the Wolof conquered many tribes in the northwestern Senegal area. By the end of the 1300s, the Wolof had grown into a large empire of separate, self-governing states. By the 1500s, the empire had split into five major Wolof kingdoms which included Waalo, Kayor, Baol, Sine, and the Kingdom of Saloum.
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