Traditional Senegalese society was and still is organized along "caste" lines, that is to say, by distinct social categories which group individuals and their families according to specific occupations.

A caste is a group of individuals who do particular kinds of work and distinguish themselves socially by that work. Within each caste, individuals have specified relationships with each other, following practices specific to their group. The skills of each caste are passed from father to son, and from mother to daughter, vertically, but they also travel horizontally since initiation and other forms of education are carried out collectively.