Matrilineal descent has been instrumental in tracing the origin of some of Africa’s tribes and it’s a huge part of Africa’s history and evolution.
In the past, matriarchy’s, or families, groups, or states ruled by women, were prevalent in Africa.
Matrilineality refers not only to tracing one’s lineage through maternal ancestry, it can also refer to a civil system in which one inherits property through the female’s family line. More interesting is the fact that most of Africa’s matrilineal tribes are still in existence.
The Serer tribe is a West African ethno-religious group that makes up the third largest tribe in Senegal. This group represents 15 percent of the Senegalese population. The Serer people are also present in Gambia and southern Mauritania.
The group originated from the Senegal River Valley and moved south between the 11th and 12th centuries. They are historically known as the matrilineal ethnic group that long resisted the expansion of Islam.
They have had a sedentary settled culture and have been known for their farming expertise and transhumant stock-raising. The Serers practice trade, agriculture, fishing, boat building and animal husbandry. Traditionally the Serer people have been farmers and landowners.
Although they practice animal husbandry, they are generally less known for that, as in the past, Serer nobles entrusted their herds to the pastoralist Fulas, even today. However, they are known for their mixed-farming.
Trade is also a recent phenomenon among some Serers. For the Serers, the soil (where their ancestors lay in rest) is very important to them and they guard it with jealousy. They have a legal framework governing every aspect of life even land law with strict guidelines.
Apart from agriculture (and other forms of production or occupation such as animal husbandry, fishing especially among the Serer-Niominka, boat building, etc.), some occupations especially trade they viewed as vulgar, common and ignoble.
