- Brak (African kings)
Brak (or Braque) was the title of the kings of the kingdoms of
Waalo (or Oualo) andBiffeche on theSenegal River inSenegal andMauritania in West Africa until the 19th century. The main Brak was the king of the Kingdom ofWaalo with capital atDiourbel north of the river, and later atNder on the west shore ofLac de Guiers . The 'Petit Brak' was the king or seigneur of the Kingdom ofBiffeche , with his capital compound atMaka on the Senegal River, nearSaint-Louis, Senegal .The Kingdoms of
Waalo andBiffeche were labelled as 'Brak' or 'Braque' on some French maps of the area, not to be confused with the moorish realm ofBrakna north of the Senegal River. Waalo was conquered by the French in the mid-19th century.The Braks of Waalo were chosen from three leading families of Dyoos, Teedyo and Logar, and ruled through a council consisting of various 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 .The word "Brak" may derive from the Arabic word for 'high'.
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