Jamaicas organic herbal medicine nanny maroon hills. The maroons of portland greatly affected the settlement of the parish by white people. We can trace the tale of the courageous run away slaves, or maroons of jamaica, back to 1655, when the british captured that island. Maroons were known for their skilful tactics in combat, whereby they relied on their knowledge of the surrounding environment to outwit the attackers. The maroons were said to comprise not more than 600 women and children. The maroons 1739 agreement to return runaway slaves to their masters represented a victory of sorts for the plantocracy. The trelawny town maroons maintain friendly correspondence with other maroon groups across jamaica and derive great pride in their inspiring history. Jamaica history overview jamaica history has become very rich in its story telling and purpose. Maroons played an important role in the histories of brazil, suriname, puerto rico, haiti, dominican republic, cuba, and jamaica. In return of this land and selfgovernment, the maroons agreed to become slave catchers for runaway plantation. While she is left out of most history books, she is no less valuable.
Therefore, these people tried to escape slavery by reaching jamaica. Our history speaks to experiences of hardships and prosperity. The history of jamaica is a rich and vibrant one, which inspires us to move forward as a nation. A brief history of jamaica spainexchange country guide. The heritage of maroon communities in jamaica is then discussed in order to identify continuities and discontinuities in african traditions among caribbean societies.
The maroons of jamaica the good, the bad, and the forgotten. News of the spanish maroon community soon spread among the british slaves and many of them escaped, joining the maroons already living in the mountains. Articles of pacification with the maroons of trelawney town, concluded march the first, 1738. The second immigration of free blacks into the province of nova scotia was similar to the first in that it developed from events entirely divorced from nova scotia history. The jamaican maroons are often described as enslaved africans and. Jamaica s preindependence past carries with it a history of two rebellious groups, the maroons and the slaves.
The maroon communities were begun 150 years later, when the spanish left jamaica to the english in 1655, and some of the slaves they had brought over were left behind. The maroons of jamaica black resistance against slavery against. Through the use of slave labor, the production of sugar in this british colony flourished. It was this set of slaves and their descendants who became known as maroons. A brief history of the trelawny town maroons blogger. Escaped africans who were enslaved during spanish rule over jamaica 14931656 may have been the first to develop such refugee communities the british, who invaded the island in 1655. The phenomenon is known globally wherever slavery occurs. The maroons whose number kept swelling from the addition of more runaway slaves continued to raid the english plantations and become a thorn in englands plan to colonize jamaica but it was tolerated until 1663 when an offer was made for land and full freedom to any maroon who surrendered.
Accompong remains maroon territory to this day, but after the second maroon war, the trelawny town land was taken away and most of the male maroons exiled to canada and then to africa. The maroons of jamaica black resistance against slavery. As the maroon population grew, the jamaican government decided to defeat the. Jamaica served mainly as a supply base in conquering the american mainland. Introduction jamaica has a high degree of biological and cultural diversity. A social, economic and demographic history of maroon society in jamaica, 17391842 pdf phd. During the 18th century, the powerful maroons, escaped exslaves who settled in the mountains of jamaica, carved out a significant area of influence. A journey through their history and their ethnic identity formation the maroons, by their daily struggle for freedom, forged for themselves an identity according to which they judge themselves. Archaeology and resistance history in the caribbean. Sir patrick allen, described the maroons as an integral part of the rich history of jamaica. Choice this richly textured study of the struggles of the maroons of jamaica against the british colonial authorities, their subsequent collaboration with and betrayal by them, will be of great interest to historians of africa. Inevitably, some of these slaves escaped and formed isolated communities that allowed them to live outside the whitedominated plantation societies that were the norm of the time.
Moreover, some of the maroons were slaveowners, and maroons viewed as outsiders slaves who subsequently sought entry into their communities. The history of jamaican maroons essay 2381 words bartleby. But the courageous resistance of the maroons threatened this prosperous industry. Bernard told a short story about the most famous of his maroon ancestors. A careful and thorough study of the jamaican maroons from the british conquest to the late 18th century. Jamaican maroons descend from maroons, africans who escaped from slavery onto the island of jamaica and established free communities in the mountainous interior, primarily in the eastern parishes. Richard hart for his work on the history of the maroon community of jamaica.
The authentic and original history if the maroons in the. Green text links to popup windows with more information. Maroon is a word which refers to african or africanamerican people who escaped slavery and lived in communities outside of plantations. According to the oral tradition and at least one documentary source, she was never enslaved. They occupied the eastern parishes of the mountainous region in island of jamaica to build free communities. A history of resistance, collaboration and betrayal campbell, mavis c. The maroons were runaway slaves, many from the period of spanish occupation, who resisted british attempts to reenslave them after the forces sent by oliver cromwell in 1655. Several longterm american communities were created in florida, jamaica, brazil, the. The history of the maroons of jamaica has african roots and begins. Thousands celebrate with the maroons celebrating jamaica 50. The early political development of jamaican maroon societies jstor.
The history of jamaica jamaica information service. Queen nanny was born in what is today ghana of the akan or ashanti people. The standard older histories of the jamaican maroons are robert c. During the period, slavery was prominent in africa. Inreality,thedurationofthemaroonwar,without cessation, was 82years,forthepeaceof 1654 was only partial, and. In the early 18th century, they fought a multiyear war against british colonizers in jamaica. March 1, 1739, colonel guthrie and cudjo, the leaders of the maroons of cockpit country signed a peace treaty allowing maroons the right to selfgovern and 1500 acres of jamaican land. After the english invasion of jamaica in 1655, small bands of renegade slaves, emancipated by the handful of spanish survivors. The authentic and original history of maroons in the history of jamaica 14901880, by bev carey. The maroons of jamaica represent one of the most important cultural groups. The maroons are surrounding them, ready to resist, and would beat them back. Speaking to kenneth bilby in jamaica in 1978, a man named charles. Excerpted from the book travellers and outlaws, episodes in american history, section black.
Jamaica was first colonized by a native group of south american origin who, in the early history of jamaica, called their home a paradise of wood and water. A detailed of history of the accompong maroons in jamaica. Now, with the transatlantic maroon connection project, they have begun to reach out to maroon descendants around the globe. Join us for an unbelievable day in the blue mountains as we explore maroon. The land ceded to the maroons was around flagstaff in trelawny and was named trelawny town, and at accompong in st elizabeth. As maroons, you are jamaica s best example of the past informing the present and the future.
The arawak were there to greet christopher columbus when he arrived in jamaica in 1494, beginning a long period of european colonization there. I will argue that the story of the maroons of jamaica is. In 1553, maroon revolts in panama had forced the spanish to the. The history of the maroons, from their origin to the establishment of their chief tribe at sierra leone, including the expedition to cuba for the purpose of procuring spanish chasseurs and the state of the island of jamaica for the last ten years with a succinct history. We dive deeper into jamaica s blue mountains and get welcomed into the scotts hall maroon community. In jamaica, the maroons occupied a mountainous region known as the cockpit, creating crude fortresses and a culture derived from african and european traditions. On may 10, 1655 english had a successful attack on jamaica. From the time of british conquest in 1655, the maroons in jamaica waged war against the british colonizers of the island. Without a properly reconstructed history of the maroons in jamaica, the history of jamaica remains incomplete.
The royalist maroons of jamaica in the british atlantic. There is much variety among maroon cultural groups because of differences in history, geography, african nationality, and the culture of indigenous people throughout the western hemisphere. The obscured history of jamaicas maroon societies jstor. Upward of 1,500 slaves revolted across the island, but there is no evidence that the majority of revolts were initiated by maroons, unlike brazil where rebellions were decidedly organized by. I never knew tv had the pleasure of holding a reasoning in accomopong with a brethren who is very knowledgeable in the history of jamaica s rebellious runaway slaves the maroons. Roughly, 3000 species of plants grow on the island, with 25 percent of them being found nowhere else on earth. A history of resistance, collaboration and betrayal. See more ideas about black history, jamaica history and african diaspora. Jamaican maroons the indomitable maroons of jamaica. With acknowledgment to richard hart for his work on the history of the maroon community of jamaica. Isolation protected jamaicas maroons from slavery but also prevented them. The fighting maroons of jamaica robinson, carey on.
On the history of the jamaican maroons 65 the jamaican maroons were, along with those of suriname, the largest and most successful maroon communities in the greater caribbean. If that struggle and identity are not understood then any judgment of them is not valid. Nanny of the maroons was a powerful, black, female historical figure. From their origin to the establishment of their chief tribe at sierra leone, including the expedition to cuba, for the purpose of procuring spanish chasseurs. Senator the honourable mark golding government of jamaica. The history of the maroons, from their origin to the establishment of their chief tribe at sierra leone, including the expedition to cuba for the purpose of procuring spanish chasseurs and the state of the island of jamaica for the last ten years with a succinct history of the island previous to that period. The history of jamaican maroons european colonialism in the caribbean was dependent upon the use of african slaves as a major source of labor.
Their numbers grew with each runaway slave, and the spanish began to fear their power. The presence of islam in the form of existing historical institutions and vernacular culture in predominantly black christian maroon communities in jamaica is an eye opener to. Jamaica may also be proud of the continued level of mutual. The truth is that very little is know of jamaica history and jamaica culture and the facts remain that most of what was written in the era before the arrival of christopher columbus is disjointed at best. Wilfred nembhard, governor general, his excellency the most hon. When the british invaded jamaica in 1655, the spanish organized regiments of people of african descent, both free and enslaved, to resist the occupation.