Pangool

Pangool (in Serer and Cangin) singular: Fangool (var : Pangol and Fangol),[1] are the ancient saints and ancestral spirits of the Serer people of Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania. The Pangool play a crucial role in Serer religion and history. In a religious sense, they act as interceders between the living world and the supreme being Roog or Koox.[2] In a historical sense, the ancient Serer village and town founders called Lamanes 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 own sacred place of worship, means of worship, etc. The symbol of the Pangool is the serpent, represented by two coiled snakes.[4]

  1. ^ [R. P. Crétois, Dictionnaire Sereer-Français, Dakar, CLAD, t. 1 (1972), t. 2 (1973), t. 3 (1974), t. 4 (1975), t. 5 (1976), t. 6 (1977), passim.] and [Abbé L. Diouf, L’homme dans le monde (Vision sereer), communication aux Journées Africaines de Théologie, polygraphié, s. d., p. 6.] [in] Martin & Becker, "Lieux de culte et emplacements célèbres dans les pays sereer", pp 7–8
  2. ^ Gravrand, Henry, "La Civilisation Sereer – Pangool", vol.2, Les Nouvelles Editions Africaines du Senegal, (1990), p 278, ISBN 2-7236-1055-1
  3. ^ Galvan, Dennis Charles, "The State Must Be Our Master of Fire : How Peasants Craft Culturally Sustainable Development in Senegal", Berkeley, University of California Press (2004), pp 53, 185
  4. ^ Gravrand, "Pangool", p 9


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