Brak

Brak (or Braque) was the title of the kings of the kingdoms of Waalo (or Oualo) and Biffeche on the Senegal River in Senegal and Mauritania in West Africa until the 19th Century. The main Brak was the king of the Kingdom of Waalo with capital at Diourbel north of the river, and later at Nder on the west shore of Lac de Guiers. The 'Petit Brak' was the king or seigneur of the Kingdom of Biffeche, with his capital compound at Maka on the Senegal River, and currently at MBoubene near Saint-Louis, Senegal.

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The Kingdoms of Waalo and Biffeche were labelled as 'Brak' or 'Braque' on some French maps of the area, not to be confused with the moorish realm of Brakna north of the Senegal River. Waalo was conquered by the French in the mid-19th Century.

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The Braks of Waalo were chosen from three leading families of Dyoos, Teedyo and Logar, and ruled through a council consisting of varoius officials with specific delegated functions. It has been claimed that the Brak of Waalo ruled through a local kind of African traditional democracy, but the rulership had definite patrilineal and matrilineal hereditary restrictions. They claimed descent from the legendary first Brak of Waalo and Jolof, Njajan Njay.

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The word 'Brak' may derive from the Arabic word for 'high'.

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Waalo: The Kingdom of Waalo (Oualo) 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 Emirates; to the south was the Kingdom of Cayor...

Biffeche: The Kingdom of Biffeche is a small kingdom located on the lower Senegal River in West Africa, on the border between Mauritania and Senegal near Saint-Louis, Senegal. The kingdom is not independent diplomatically, and belongs to Senegal except for a part in Mauritania....

Senegal River: The S?n?gal River, in West Africa, forms the border between Senegal and Mauritania....

Brak related Images and Photos (experimental)

Brak Show, The: Volume Two (DVD)	Brak Show, The: Volume One (DVD)	The Brak Show	Brak Show, The: Volumes One & Two (DVD) (2-Pack)
Sloane the Five Rabbis of Bne Brak Who Discussed the Passover All Night Leipnik Haggadah 1740