A warm welcome to another edition of your weekly history corner, Know your towns and villages.

The column that enlightens you about your  history and your identity. In today's edition, we invite you  to the Kombo coastal area, where we focus on one of the most famous communities in that area. This community is no other than Tujereng. Today, Tujereng stands in the Kombo South political district and is being administered from Brikama, Western Region. Read on to find out the historical right of passage of the community of Tujereng, who the founders are, and the present state of the community.

The foundation
 It happens that the current custodian of the land of Tujereng, Karamo S Bojang, who doubles as the principal of  Nusrat Senior Secondary School is an academics himself. When we approached him to clear the ground for any possible interviews about the history of his village, it was astonishing that under his directives, the entire history of Tujereng is documented both on paper and on tape for posterity. He gave a booklet entitled 'Tujereng community profile' where we drew most of our facts.

According to the findings documented in the booklet, the name Tujereng is a mandinka phrase “Tujee” which means “remain there”.  It was believed that in the early part of the 1880s, two brothers; namely Arafang Sana and Landing Tombong Jabang, migrated from  Cassamance to The Gambia valley and settled at a place called “Darinto” as Soninke palm wine tapers.  During the same period, the Bojangs were also on their migration route; two people from this Bojang family; namely Lang Fendah Bojang and Yerra Kai Bojang, also found shelter at a place near the Jabangs they referred to as “Duducolly Sittakuroto”
During this period of history, the land that today hosts Tujereng was under the custody of a queen called Wullending Jassey, who had her seat at Sanyang village.

As the tradition dictated, the queen’s people beat the drum  (Junjungo) to inform her of new arrival of people in the community. When the Bojangs arrived, they paid a courtesy call on the queen’s palace where they introduced themselves as people from Duducolly Sittakuroto.  It was during their conversation with the queen that she said in her mandinka parlance “Ali Tujee” (i.e allow them to live there) and hence the name Tujereng.  

Our source also contained that the community of Tujereng was a shifting one as its founders were frequently changing the location of their settlement and today, the village is believed to be in its sixth settlement. The first settlement was called “Darinto (Duducolly).  Landing Tombong Jabang and Arafang Sana Jabang and their people were the first to settle there. Lang Fendah Bojang and Yerra Kai Bojang arrived at Duducolly and at Sitakuruto, and consequently both areas were named Duducolly; the third settlement was moved to Jola Koray and this settlement lies along the sea; the forth settlement was Mafenda.

At Mafenda settlement, a Soninke Marabou war, spearheaded by Marabou a leader, Kombo Sillah, who was a native of Gunjur broke out. during that war, it was alledged that the people of Gunjur killed a white ruler at the time.  In revenge for the killing, the colonial masters threw bombs, one of which hit a baobab tree at the Mafenda settlement;  the people of Tujereng at that point in time had no option but to relocate in protection of their lives and properties. This excape from the war led the people of the community to their fifth settlement which they themselves referred to as  Nudula Kolong: This was an area at the extreme eastern side of the village.  The settlement grew as a result of people running away from the war.  When the war was over, they moved to the sixth settlement called Tumbumbato.  

Aborigines and expansion
As we earlier revealed, the community of Tujereng owes its establishment into a community worth for human habitation by the Bojangs. This is simply becausee it was the farmily that was granted authority to occupy the land by the ruler in whose authority the land was. However, the Jabangs are believed to be the first settlers.As time passed by, people began migrating from left, right and centre to join the Bojangs in the enjoyment of the treasures of the new home. and today, the community of Tujereng is one of the biggest in the coastal zone.

The alkalorship
The community of Tujereng despite all the previous settlements was not structurally organised in any form. Its inhabitants merely grouped themselves individually and traditional governance was totally absent. In other words, up to the sixth settlement there was no Alakaloship.

The community was believed to be formally established just after the First World War because it was during this  period that  the Alkaloship, the Imamship, and the Kabilos were established. There were Kabilos such as Tamba Kunda, Morry Kunda, Jabang Kunda, Baduma and Bojang Kunda.  All these Kabilos have their historical features and each Kabilo planted a 'Tallo' tree representing each Kabilo in traditional circumcision ceremonies. Today, the community has its tenth alkalo.

African tradition
Just like any other traditional African communal setting, the community of Tujereng did not do without the observance of African traditional philosophies and practices.  The most common centers of traditional practices include:

Fandetitin
This is the most important feature in the history of Tujereng. It is a semi-forest belt cover along the beach and is considered by the community as a sacred place. The place is headed and looked after by  Jabang Kunda who are believed to be the first settlers of the village. They were animists. Sacrifices and prayers are offered to the gods here during circumcisions, when there is lack of rain, and during any unfortunate event in the village. If a citizen is about to die, there are signs or sounds that people observe occurring at night in the Fandetittin.

Sarjoba Tandak
This was a small forest belt on the village’s southern end and it was believed to be inhabited by spirits and devils. Cutting a branch from a tree or walking through the forest during midday or midnight are against the wishes of the spirits or devils. Anyone who goes against the wishes of the spirits faces the consequence, which may affect the family members and lineage. This place has conventional rules governed by the village elders.

Today only a small portion of the original forest remains intact due to compound development. Keenuko Sutue, also known as Tambiko Sutu, is a traditional male circumcision place, like Sarjo Batandaki Forest. It is believed in the community that no one should settle in these areas or cut even a tree branch in the forest. These areas were reserved for traditional and cultural activities such as circumcision and sacrifices for the community.

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