Saltigue, sometimes spelt
Saltigué or wrongly
Saltigui, are
Serer high priests and priestesses who preside over the religious ceremonies and affairs of the Serer people, such as the
Xoy ceremony, the biggest event in the Serer religious calendar. They usually come from ancient Serer paternal families. Such a title is usually inherited by birthright. The term
"Saltigi" is also adopted by the
Fula people. They were the leaders of the Fulas in some Fula areas, belonging to the
Denianke Dynasty of the
Empire of Great Fulo founded by Koli Tengella Bâ in the 16th century. It is proposed that the word "
Saltigi", used in reference to the Fulas, comes from the
Mandinka language, in which it means
"master of the road", used in reference to their neighbors who are Fulani herders and tenders of the flock, the traditional activity of Fulani leaders. In Serer country,
Saltigue, not to be confused with
Saltigi, are always
diviners. In
Wolof areas, they were the assistant chiefs. The scope of this article deals only with
Saltigue or
Saltigué - "diviners" (the high priests and priestesses) and termed by some scholars as "the ministers of the religious cult";
"pastors of the people" or within the remits of these definitions.
