Lat Jor Ngoné Latir Diop ( wo, Lat Joor Ngoone Latiir Joop; french: Lat Dior Ngoné Latyr Diop; 1842–1886), son of Sahewer Sohna Mbay (''Sakhéwère Sokhna Mbaye'') and the

Linguère Linguère (or Lingeer in SererKlein, Martin A. "Islam and Imperialism in Senegal Sine-Saloum, 1847–1914." Edinburgh University Press (1968) pp 11-15 & 262 and Wolof) is a town located in the Linguère Department, Louga Region of Senegal. ...

royal Ngoné Latir Fal (''Ngoné Latyr Fall''), Ngoné Latyr Fall was from the Wolof Dynasty of Paleen Dedd which ruled the two kingdoms of Cayor and Bao

Lat Joor was a nineteenth-century

damel Damel was the title of the ruler (or king) of the Wolof kingdom of Cayor in what is now northwest Senegal, West Africa. The most well-known ''damel'' is probably Lat Dior Diop (1842–1886) who died in battle during the final French drive to capt ...

(king) of

Cayor Cayor ( wo, Kajoor; ar, كاجور) was the largest and most powerful kingdom (1549–1879) that split off from the Jolof Empire in what is now Senegal. Cayor was located in northern and central Senegal, southeast of Walo, west of the kingdom ...

, a Wolof state that is today in south-central

Sénégal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

. Lat Jor belonged to the '' Geej'' or ''Guedj'' Wolof maternal dynasty that had ruled Baol and Cayor for two centuries. The matriarch of that matriclan was the Wolof

Lingeer Ngoné Dièye Lingeer Ngoné Dièye ( Serer: Lingeer Ngoone Jaay, or Lingeer Ngoneh Jaay) was a Lingeer from the Serer Kingdom of Saloum, and early ancestor of the ''Guedj'' ( Wolof: ''Géej''; Serer: '' Geej'') maternal dynasty of Cayor and Baol. Diome, Fat ...

, a Princess from Tubé Dieye in Gandiol. Gandiol is a Wolof region in the north of Senegal that borders Mauritani

Lat Jor was a direct maternal descendant of Lingeer Ngoné Dièye of Tubé Dieye.

Religion

Lat Jior was born a Muslim in the Muslim family of Sakhewar Fatm

His grandfather Sakhewar Fatma Converted to Islam from the Wolof Islamic scholar of Coki Matar Ndoumé Dio

Lat Joor had a second conversion to Islam for political reasons to gain a political alliance with the Almami, Almamy of Rip,

Maba Diakhou Bâ Maba Diakhou Bâ (1809 – July 1867), also known as Ma Ba Diakhu, Ma Ba Diakho Ba, Ma Ba Jaaxu, Mabba Jaxu Ba, was a Muslim leader in West Africa during the 19th century. Born in Rip, Maba was a disciple of the Tijaniyya Sufi brotherhood and bec ...

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First Reign as Damel

Lat Jor was elected after a damel supported by the French was overthrown and was only 19 or 20 when he came to power. He was the first leader not to have patrilineal descent from the Faal family which founded Cayor, but legends insist his father's family descended from the founder of the Jolof Empire. He fought the French, waging a stealth campaign, but was ultimately forced to retreat and stay in the court of Maba Diakhou Bâ in the Saalum region bordering Gambia.

Conquests Alongside Maba

Lat Jor led his troops beside Maba in the battle of Rip on 30 November 1865, at the battle of Pathé Badiane in 1864 and Ngol Ngol in 1865. With Lat Jor, Maba took part in the conquests of the states of Kingdom of Baol, Baol and Djolof. They, however, couldn't conquer the Serer

Kingdom of Sine The Kingdom of Sine (also: ''Sin, Siine'' or Siin in the Serer-Sine language) was a post-classical Serer kingdom along the north bank of the Saloum River delta in modern Senegal. The inhabitants are called ''Siin-Siin'' or ''Sine-Sine'' (a Se ...

and were defeated at

The Battle of Fandane-Thiouthioune The Battle of Fandane-Thiouthioune (or Thiouthiogne), also known as the Battle of Somb or the Battle of Somb-Tioutioune, occurred on 18 July 1867.Sarr, Alioune. ''Histoire du Sine-Saloum.'' Introduction, bibliographie et Notes par Charles Becker ...

(18 July 1867) by

Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof Maad a Signig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof (variations : Mad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof, Mad a Sinig Coumba Ndoffène Fa mak Diouf, Coumba N'Doffène Diouf, Coumba N'Doffène Diouf I, Maat Sine Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof, etc. - c. 1810 � ...

(King of Sine).

Return to Cayor

Kaolack Kaolack ( ar, كاولاك; wo, Kawlax) is a town of 172,305 people (2002 census) on the north bank of the Saloum River and the N1 road in Senegal. It is the capital of the Kaolack Region, which borders The Gambia to the south. Kaolack is an i ...

in 1865, they combined forces with soldiers from

Waalo Walo ( wo, Waalo) was a kingdom on the lower Senegal River in West Africa, in what are now Senegal and Mauritania. It included parts of the valley proper and areas north and south, extending to the Atlantic Ocean. To the north were Moorish emirat ...

, Ndiambour, and Ndiander to face the French fortifications of the governor

Émile Pinet-Laprade Émile Pinet-Laprade (1822–1869) was a governor of Senegal. Biography Succeeding Bernard Jauréguiberry, Pinet-Laprade was governor of Senegal from May 13, 1863, until July 14, 1863. Louis Faidherbe then took over until May 1, 1865, when Pinet-La ...

but were repulsed. After the French conquered

, (re-appointed) governor Louis Faidherbe invaded Cayor in 1865 to stop the Damel's opposition to the construction of the

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...

to Saint-Louis

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

. Dior is reported to have told the later French Governor Servatius: "''As long as I live, be assured, I shall oppose, with all my might the construction of this railway''."BBC. The Story of Africa: Railways.
/ref> But the French defeated Lat Jor's forces at the

Battle of Dekheule A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

on 26 October 1868, after Faidherbe's retirement. In early 1869, after Maba's death, Lat Jor was allowed to return to Cayor. Lat Jor struck a deal for limited autonomy and re-installment in 1871. In response to further French expansion, Cayor rose again with Dior at their head, only to be defeated and be annexed again in 1879. The Cayor kingdom was extinguished in its entirety on October 6, 1886.

The Legend of Lat Jor

Faidherbe is reputed to have said of Lat Jor's troops: "''Ceux-là, on les tue on ne les déshonore pas''." ("They can be killed but not dishonored"). This has been adapted as the motto of the Senegalese Army: "''On nous tue, on ne nous déshonore pas''". In Dakar, there is a giant statue of Maalaw, the legendary horse of Lat Jor, near the great mosque.

Ancestry Chart of Lat Jor

Bibliography

*Marie Casanova, ''Lat Dior : le dernier souverain du Cayor'', ABC : Nouvelles éditions africaines, 1976 *Amadou Cissé Dia, ''Les Derniers jours de Lat Dior'' suivi de ''La mort du Damel'',

Présence Africaine ''Présence Africaine'' is a pan-African quarterly cultural, political, and literary magazine, published in Paris, France, and founded by Alioune Diop in 1947. In 1949, ''Présence Africaine'' expanded to include a publishing house and a bookstore ...

, 1965 *Denys Ferrando-Durfort, ''Lat Dior : le résistant'', Paris, Chiron, 1989, 45 p. *Vincent Monteil, « Lat-Dior, damel du Kayor (1842-1886) et l'islamisation des Wolofs », in ''Esquisses sénégalaises (Wâlo, Kayor, Dyolof, Mourides, un visionnaire)'', Dakar, IFAN, 1966, 244 p. *Mamadou Seyni M'bengue, ''Le procès de Lat Dior'', D.A.E.C., 1970 *

Fiction

*Thierno Bâ, ''Lat-Dior – Le chemin de l'honneur, drame historique en huit tableaux'', Dakar, Impr. Diop, 1970, 100 p.

References

* 1. Curry, Ginette. In Search of Maba: A 19th Century Epic from Senegambia, West Africa. Phoenix Press International, Maryland, USA, 201

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jor, Lat 1842 births 1886 deaths People of French West Africa Senegalese royalty History of Senegal