page_title: Serer religion
section_title: Murder
hierarchical_section_title: Serer religion / Religious law / Murder
caption_attribution_description: English: Graves of the Sereres Français&#160;: Sépultures sérères
context_page_description: The Serer religion, or a ƭat Roog, 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. In the Cangin languages, Roog is referred to as Koox, Kopé Tiatie Cac, and Kokh Kox.
  The Serer people are found throughout the Senegambia region. In the 20th century, around 85% of the Serer converted to Islam, but some are Christians or follow their traditional religion. Traditional Serer religious practices encompass ancient chants and poems, veneration of and offerings to deities as well as spirits, astronomy, initiation rites, medicine, cosmology and Serer history.
context_section_description: In the past, where someone kills another person, the victim's family have the right to either forgive or seek vengeance.  Again, the murderer and his family will gather at a local centre headed by the Chief or the palace headed by the King. Before this judgement, the murderer's family will cook some food (millet) to be shared among the community and the victim's family.  The victim's family will nominate a strong man armed with a spear with a piece of cooked lamb or beef at the end of it. This assassin taking his instruction from the victim's family will run towards the murderer who has now got his mouth open waiting for his judgement. If the assassin killed the murderer with his spear, then that is the end of it, the victim's family have made their judgment. After that, the food that had been cooked would not be eaten and everyone would disperse. From that day on, the families are strangers to each other. If on the other hand the assassin ran and gently feed the murderer with the piece of meat sticking at his spear, then that signals that the victim's family have forgiven the murderer. In that case, the community would enjoy the meal and the two families would be sealed as one and sometimes even marry off their children to each other.
caption: Serer final resting place with Serer grave diggers. The top points are directed towards the gods. (1821)
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