ABSTRACT
Social and demographic data are sparse for the first half of the eighteenth century, but available evidence indicates that the principal characteristics of "signareship" must have evolved during the long period of uninterrupted French occupation of Saint-Louis and Goree prior to 1758. One of the informative sources on signares'marriage patterns is Geoffroy de Villeneuve, who made two voyages to Senegal in 1785-88 and learned Wolof during the two years he lived at Saint-Louis and Goree. The island of N'Dar in the Senegal River—on which the French founded the settlement of Saint-Louis in 1659—is only a mile and a half long and an eighth of a mile wide. The role of African women was a factor of great influence on the special developments that occurred in Senegal. Many aspects of Pruneau de Pommegorge's account continue to be relevant in modern-day Senegal. Senegalese women possess an unrivaled flair for displaying clothing, jewelry, and other finery.
