Tiurakh Kellog, Day Otis, and Smith, William Robertson, "The

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...

: latest edition. A dictionary of arts, sciences and general literature", Volume 25, p 664, Werner (1902) (variations : ''Théourakh'', Laurent-Jean-Baptiste Bérenger-Féraud, "Les peuplades de la Sénégambie: histoire, ethnographie, mœurs et coutumes, légendes, etc", E. Leroux (1879), p 276-7 ''Thiorak'' or ''Tulrakh'') is one of the demi-gods of the Serer people of

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

, the Gambia and Mauritania. In the

Serer religion The Serer religion, or ''a ƭat Roog'' ("the way of the Divine"), is the original religious beliefs, practices, and teachings of the Serer people of Senegal in West Africa. The Serer religion believes in a universal supreme deity called Roog ...

, Tiurakh is regarded as the god of

wealth Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an I ...

"Africa", Forgotten Books, p 143,

/ref> or

property Property is a system of rights that gives people legal control of valuable things, and also refers to the valuable things themselves. Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property may have the right to consume, alter, share, r ...

. Frazer, James George "Folk-Lore In The old Testament. Studies In Comparative Religion Legend and Law", Published by Forgotten Books, pp 317-8, 1918,

/ref> Like his adversary

Takhar Takhar or Taahkarr (in Serer and Cangin) is a demi-god in the Serer religion worshipped by many Serers (an ethnic group found in Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania). "Folk-Lore In The old Testament. Studies In Comparative Religion Legend and L ...

(the god of justice), they are both venerated and worshipped at the foot of the tallest trees in

Serer country Serer may refer to: * Serer people The Serer people are a West African ethnoreligious group.

Worship

Tiurakh is worshipped by the Serer people for materialistic reasons i.e. to acquire and/or retain their wealth such as

land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various isla ...

jewellery Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry (U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a wester ...

(usually

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

and

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

, see

Serer ancient history The prehistoric and ancient history of the Serer people of modern-day Senegambia has been extensively studied and documented over the years. Much of it comes from archaeological discoveries and Serer tradition rooted in the Serer religio ...

). He is also associated with success and may be evoked if one is starting a new project, for example : going through the Ndut rite, business start up, building a new home, undertaking an examination,

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

or agricultural farming, or venturing into a new contract, etc. Keane, A. H.; Quiggin, A. Hingston; Haddon, A. C., "Man: Past and Present", illustrated, revised,

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...

(2011), p 49,

/ref>

Place of worship

Like some Serer

Pangool Pangool (in Serer and Cangin) singular: Fangool (var : ''Pangol'' and ''Fangol''), 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 hist ...

, it is believed that the deity Tiurakh resides in the

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

, particularly the tallest trees of the forest in certain

sacred places A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they are ...

. As such, libations are made at the tallest

trees In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are u ...

found in the forest. The importance of trees in Serer society are found within the

Serer creation myth The Serer creation myth is the traditional creation myth of the Serer people of Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania. Many Serers who adhere to the tenets of the Serer religion believe these narratives to be sacred. Some aspects of Serer religious a ...

, which posits that, trees were the first things to be created on

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

by the supreme being. Offerings of

domesticated animals This page gives a list of domesticated animals, also including a list of animals which are or may be currently undergoing the process of domestication and animals that have an extensive relationship with humans beyond simple predation. This includ ...

, fruits, vegetables, etc., are deposited at the foot of the tallest trees. The holy feast which is a public event in the Serer religious calendar, takes place at the appearance of the new moon.

Views of Serer religion

The views of

regarding the veneration of Tiurakh for selfish reasons is found within the doctrines of the Serer Jom principle. Gravrand, Henry :
''"L’HERITAGE SPIRITUEL SEREER : VALEUR TRADITIONNELLE D’HIER, D’AUJOURD’HUI ET DE DEMAIN"''
nEthiopiques, numéro 31, révue socialiste de culture négro-africaine, 3^e trimestre 1982 The ''Jom'' principle is a Serer philosophy rooted in Serer religion which sets out the values and beliefs that Serer people must abide by. It encompasses, social, economic, personal and political values that every Serer who adhere to the tenets of Serer religion are required to follow. Personal growth is highly encouraged within the ''Jom'', but must not be to the detriment of the collective social group. The deity Tiurakh forbids his veneration or evocation if done for selfish reasons, but especially if done to the detriment of another.

References

Bibliography

*Kellog, Day Otis, and Smith, William Robertson, "The

: latest edition. A dictionary of arts, sciences and general literature", Volume 25, p 664, Werner (1902) *"Folk-Lore In The old Testament. Studies In Comparative Religion Legend and Law", Pubslihed by Forgotten Books, pp 317–8,

*Newland, H. Osman; Lewin, Evans, "

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...

: a handbook of practical information for the official, planter, miner, financier & trader", D. O'Connor (1922), p 90 *Laurent-Jean-Baptiste Bérenger-Féraud, "Les peuplades de la Sénégambie: histoire, ethnographie, mœurs et coutumes, légendes, etc", E. Leroux (1879), p 276-7 *Keane, A. H.; Quiggin, A. Hingston; Haddon, A. C., "Man: Past and Present", illustrated, revised, Cambridge University Press (2011), p 49,

*"Africa", Forgotten Books, p 143,

* Gravrand, Henry :
''"L’HERITAGE SPIRITUEL SEREER : VALEUR TRADITIONNELLE D’HIER, D’AUJOURD’HUI ET DE DEMAIN"''
nEthiopiques, numéro 31, révue socialiste de culture négro-africaine, 3^e trimestre 1982 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tiurakh Serer gods Fortune gods Abundance gods

Worship

Place of worship

Views of Serer religion

See also

References

Bibliography