Sacred trees: a ritual and profane relation between tree and village in Niokolo-Koba National Park, Senegal Tereza Majerovičová1, 2, Jaromír Beneš1, 2, Jan Novák1, Jiří Bumerl1, 2, Pavla Hejcmanová3, Idrissa Manka4, Alioune Deme4 1 - Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Palaeoecology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, CZ-37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic 2 - Institute of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31a, CZ-37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic 3 – Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic 4 - Département d’Histoire, Faculté des Lettres et Sciences Humaines, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal Several biome types, ranging from semi-desert grassland to dense tree-covered savanna, extend over West African Senegal. The traditional relationship between trees and people is rooted in agricultural prehistory as well as written history. Human life is defined here by the co-existence between settled agriculturalists and pastoralists. Project Traces in Savanna focuses on people and plants in a dynamic ecosystem and comprises ethnoarchaeology, ethnobotany, vegetation and soil ecology, and dendrology. Niokolo-Koba National Park was established in 1954. After Senegal’s emergence as a state and gaining independence, the National Park was extended in area for its biodiversity and wildlife protection in 1969. Because of this, local villages were relocated beyond the extended park’s area. Villages have been linked to the ecosystem of the woodland savanna for centuries and are constituted as living functional units. The trees in villages are not only a source of necessary raw materials for local residents. They also play an important role in their livelihoods and provide appropriate shelter from the sun. The importance of trees is also deeply connected with their healing and animistic tradition. Part of the team in front of a baobab (Adansonia digitata)) with a girth of 12 metres. We study the relationship between trees and villages within the long-term continuity of settlement, but also with the newly-relocated villages outside the extended park. We identify which tree species are most common in abandoned villages and which trees can be an identifier of an abandoned settlement. Another goal is to map the use of these trees and discover which trees are sacred to the local people. Another question posed is: how is the environment and structure of the newly-founded villages reflected in the composition and quantity of trees in the immediate vicinity of these villages - and which trees are concentrated along their infrastructure? Map of Niokolo-Koba National Park in Senegal with the surveyed villages. Satellite images and digitized pictures show the different organization of villages newly established and parceled along the main infrastructure (e.g. Niémeniké) and long-term inhabited villages with a continuity of space (e.g. Badon). The old village of Badon is organised around two central trees. During our field prospection the presence of Adansonia digitata (baobab) and Ceiba pentandra (kapok) were confirmed. However, the question remains: which came first – the village or dominant trees? Documented trees by Oral history (Niokolo-Koba) Documented trees in abandoned villages (Niokolo-Koba) Latin French Mandinka Poular Latin French Mandinka Poular Saba senegalensis saba senegalais kaba lare Bombax costatum kapokier bukung diohé,bunbuvi Vitellaria paradoxa karité see kari, karé Sterculia setigera kunkousito boboré Tamarindus indica tamarinier timbingho dabe Cordyla pinnata duto douki takangho busodj Combretum glutinosum jambacatang dôki tougui Strychnos spinosa orangier de brousse fatakulew fatakoulay, ngowal Ceiba pentandra fromagier, kapotier bantang bantanghé Gardenia erubescens Elaeis guineensis palmier a huile téngho Raphia sudanica raphia, palmier raphia bang (fruit=manson) manguier sauvage Mytragyna inermis jung kodi,kotei Lannea acida lannéa acide, raisinier bembo thingoli, bembey Detarium Senegalensis tamba dohoole Bambusoideae bambou boo kewé Cassia sieberiana case du Senegal sindian sindia Oxytenanthera abyssinica bambou boo kewé Spondias mombin prunier mombin, mombin jaune ninkôn thialé Adansonia digitata baobab šitoo bohé, boki vônko dolé Pterocarpus erinaceus palissandre du sénégal kéno, guéno bané,bani Ficus gnaphalocarpa soto koyo ini,thiekoy Detarium microcarpum Afzelia africana linké linké lingué Parinari macrophylla pommier du cayor tambacoumba hande Dialium guineense tamarinier noir kosito Nauclea latifolia batio boré,bakure Piliostigma thonningii fara barkevi, barkellehi Parkia biglobosa mimosa pourpre, néré netoo neté Borassus aethiopium palmier rônier siboo dube Vitex mendiensis vitex simbongho boumé Khaya senegalensis caïcedrat diala kahi Diospyros mespiliformis ebénier de l’Ouest Africain koukouo pouponi, koukou Combretum reticulatum kinkeliba baro kinkeli Zisyphus mauritiana jijubier tomborong diabé Mangifera indica manguier mango mâgo Cola cordifolia taba,tabo taba, goumbambé Moringa oleifera moringa nebebay nebeday Anona senegalensis sunkung dukume Daniela olvera santan thiewé,tevedi Evidence of trees used in the area. The first Table shows the species we found on the basis of the oral history method. The second table shows species we have seen in the field. Balanites aegyptiaca dattier du desert soumpoo mourteki Citrus sinensis orangier oranso oranse What is Dialan? Dialan is an animistic ritual which represents the very close relationship between local residents and their surrounding nature. When a problem arises within the village, the residents tend towards the animistic tradition in the form of a ritual during which an entrusted person brings an offering to dialan - a tree spirit that can help that person solve the problem. The offering is often in the form of a white cow, a rooster or a goat. The colour white represents purity. Together with the meat offering the person also brings some rice mixed with water inside a kalabas bowl. A mask called Kankouran in Mandinka. The mask is made from the bark of Piliostigma thonningii . Considered as a cultural and ritual protector, this mask occupies an important place in the mandinka tradition. In the left-hand photo is one of the largest sacred trees used for Dialan ritual. This monumental tree Ceiba pentandra was documented within the area of the abandoned village Badi. Use of trees in Niokolo-Koba area: Photo of the old village Badon. In the rcnter of the village are two dominant trees. On the left is Adansonia dogitata (baobab) and on the right is Ceiba pentandra (kapok). In Niokolo-Koba, trees are not only used for architectural purposes and as a subsistence resource. In the local languages wolof and mandinka, the words “garab” and „yiro“ which means tree are often used, and at the same time it means ‘a medicine’. Trees are an important resource in local pharmacy; they also serve as protection from the sun and a place where the local people meet. Local people respect these trees and come to them for advice. Photo of Adansonia digitata (baobab) bark showing traces of human activity. The incisions in the bark show that this bark was probably used to make ropes. For us it is a significant indicator of possible human settlement. In the photo above the tree are fruits of the baobab, an important resource for local subsistence. This poster was created with the support of the Grant Agency of the University of South Bohemia, the project called Ethnoarcheology of farmers in southeastern Senegal. Abandoned and long-term inhabited villages in the Niokolo-Koba National Park. E-mail address: tmajerovicova@gmail.com