Introduction:
The Kachikally Crocodile Pool (also known as Katchikally
or Katchikali) is in a 9 acre site in the southern section
of Bakau Old Town,
Kombo St. Mary District of The Gambia, and is 12 km
to the west of the Banjul capital. The complex also
has a museum of ethnography, a
mini-forest nature trail, a souvenir shop and a refreshments
bar. There is also car parking space just outside the
front.
The Pool:
The Kachikally Sacred
Crocodile Pool is known by local Gambians for its healing
powers and as a place where people come to pray for
blessings. It is sometimes seen as a place of last resort
for infertile women who wish to conceive; being washed
by specially trained women of the Bojang clan, after
which they are told not to shake hands with anyone in
Bakau. Many others with long-term ailments or misfortune
also come to the pool to bestow them luck and offer
kola nuts, cloth and
other offerings to the Bojang family and the crocs in
return. Sacred rituals are still occasionally held here;
often accompanied by dancing and drumming, most of the
time, however, the only visitors are tourists.
 The
site entrance wall is colourfully painted with wildlife
scenes. Once you get through the entrance, you make
your way down a path bordered by large trees frequented
by monkeys, insects and birds. When you reach the pool
it is usually overgrown with pakanju-water lettuce -
arum, so you won't see much of the fresh water itself.
There are about 80 odd crocodiles in and around the
pool and you should be able to spot over a dozen
dozing on the banks, and maybe a few cattle egrets on
a circle of water lettuce. The creatures are not particularly
large, most measure less than two metres long, the non-nesting
crocs are known to be very docile and you will often
see some visitors stroking or touching them. They are
exclusively fed fish twice a week, which consists mostly
of bonga shad brought in from the Bakau fish jetty.
You may often hear about 'Charlie', however this is
a generic name for quite a few of the crocodilians,
which are known as 'bambo' in the Mandinka language.
 Despite
being near to the salt wetlands of Cape Creek and the
coast, the spring water in the pool remains fresh, with
the occasional visit from herons and Nile monitors feeding
on its healthy population of frogs. When the water level
is too low for the crocodiles to submerge, the women
to bathe ritually or the Bojangs to make naso-potions,
there is no lack of helpers to dig deeper.
The semi-aquatic reptiles were once thought to be Nile
Crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus), however research
suggests they are a different species, called the Desert
or West African Crocodile (Crocodylus suchus).
Legend / Oral History:
 Kachikally's
sacred pool shrine was revealed to the Mandinka
Bojang family, over 520 years ago, by a ruler's sister
named Katchikali. She first tested the worthiness of
a Nkooping Bojang - the founder of Bakau Village - and
his sons Tambasi and Jaali Kumba, by pleading with them
to help rescue her child, supposedly fallen into a well.
On approaching the pool a child's cries was heard. Tambasi
entered the well and found the child sitting on a rock
surrounded by spring of water. For showing willing,
they were rewarded with the custodianship of the well
itself, where 'any woman washed will, providing she
sleeps with no other.......before the same time next
year bear a child'. Tambasi and Jaali in return
gave Katchikali (a spirit from the forest) the first
thing they caught in their fishing nets at a swamp called
'Tambe-Koba': two crocodiles, which their mother placed
into the well. Many generations of Bojangs ago, these
reptiles were the prelude to the present-day site.
Another variation of the story is that during the 15th/16th
centuries the well at the pool used to provide the only
source of drinking water for the people of Bakau. One
day when two brothers, Tambasi and Jaali, were
busy palm wine tapping, a female Jinn (supernatural
entity) came to the well with her child tied to her
back, carrying a bucket. As the Jinn was pulling water
from the well her child fell inside; the woman shouted
for help. Once alerted, the two brothers dashed to see
what the problem was. As they reached the well, they
saw the woman in tears and shouting 'Kachikally',
which means in Mandinka 'pick it up and put it down'.
Tambasi and Jaali helped by taking the child out of
the well. The woman thanked the two brothers and gave
a prayer for them. The woman told the brothers that
in future the well would become a sacred shrine for
prayers and supplication.
"I have tested you to prove whether your
family deserves custodianship over the pool and its
healing powers, and you have passed the test, so your
family will forever be responsible for the care of
this sacred area."
(Quote: Dodou Bojang, Observer, 2008)
The other two sacred crocodile pools in Gambia are located
in Folonko in Kartong,
and Berending. There is a relatively new, natural pool
with small crocodiles, in Cape
Point beach, which can be accessed via the right
side road, next to the Ocean Bay Hotel. The pond is
about 150 metres to your right.
Museum:
The Kachikally Museum is a community run ethnographic
museum and is within the Kachikally complex layout.
The museum was open to the public in 2004, and has on
display a collection of about 1,000 historic artifacts
kept in four African round huts, which details the history
of the Bakau area
and displays cultural objects from many of the ethnic
groups of The Gambia. The exhibits are divided into
various sections: local crafts, music, agriculture,
initiation rites and traditional medicine. The museum
has a staff of around a dozen, which is headed by the
chief custodian, and the exhibits are also under the
trusteeship of the Bojang Family of Bakau.
 
Nature Trail:
The Kachikally Nature Trail winds through a small tropical
forest in the southern half of urban Bakau Old Town
and is bordered to the east by rice fields and scrub.
The crocodile pool and museum are enclosed within 6
acres of local tropical forest which has remained relatively
untouched for over 400 years. The foot paths that meander
through the forest are almost the only part of the ground
that is easily visible.
Dozens of plants and animal species can be found in
the unspoilt mini-forest, many of them are said to be
'unique' to the forest and cannot be found in any other
area of The Gambia. There are indigenous silk cotton
trees, flowering plants, baobab trees, shrubs, palm
trees, climbing plants, figs and other vegetation. For
bird watching, the forest is rich in bird species, where
you might see the blue-breasted kingfisher, hamerkop,
Barbary shrike, red-bellied paradise flycatcher and
other avians. There are also mammals such as green
vervet monkeys as well as reptiles such as monitor lizards,
agama lizards and various species of snakes (most are
non-poisonous) and other wildlife.
Souvenir Shop & Refreshments Bar:
 To
complete the visitor experience, the museum has a well
stocked souvenir shop where holidaymakers can buy traditional
musical instruments, local handicrafts, postcards, wood
carvings such as masks, T-shirts, traditional clothes,
tie & dye, and local book publications authored
by people in the Bakau
community. There is also a refreshments bar selling
soft-drinks which is located within a bamboo structure
with seating in the garden area. There are also clean
toilet facilities are on the site.
Directions:
 The
most direct route is the foot path leading through Sanchaba,
almost directly to it from the junction of Atlantic
Road and Old Cape Road, near the craft market. The other
rout is to take the road almost opposite the mosque
on Sait Matty Road, then turn right after about 300
metres into the old town. Opening hours are from 9am
to sunset. The entrance fee is about £2 per visitor.
Contact Address
Details:
Mr. Dodou Bojang
Kachikally Sacred Crocodile Pool & Museum
C/O Bakau Post Office
The Gambia, West Africa
Tel no: +220 7782479 or 4497802
Email: kachikally@qanet.gm
[Geographical co-ordinates 13.4767°
N, 16.6725° W / Kombo Saint Mary District (Ksmd)] |
