ABSTRACT
Lat-Dyar Ngone-Latir Dyop). Since the sixteenth century traces of Muslim influence have intermingled with 'animist' beliefs and practices. A Moorish marabout introduced the 'ritual washing' which marks the enthronement of a Dame!, alongside the 'fetishist' retreat to a sacred grove (sixteenth century). The site of the capital, Mbul, was chosen by reference to a talisman devised by a marabout. In the seventeenth century, the Aadyor went to greet their king (a non-Muslim), on the day of the Muslim feast of the Sacrifices (Tabaski). Increasing numbers of religious personages, more or less literate-marabouts or seriny-filtered in from Fouta and Mali. At the end of the seventeenth century, the Muslims of Kayor rebelled at the instigation of their qadi. They did so again a century later, and the Dame! sold them as slaves and won a victory over the Almamy (Imam) of Fouta, who wanted to wage a holy war (jihad) in Kayor (1790). By the beginning of the ninteenth century, the Damels were consistently opposed to Islam. The explanation of these historical vicissitudes must be sought in the social structure of Kayor.
