The spanish colonists fled from jamaica after the land was captured in 1655. It has been accepted for inclusion in dissertations and theses by an authorized administrator of. The lifestyle of the early maroons was a combination of taino and african traditions, which were similar in many ways. I never knew tv had the pleasure of holding a reasoning in accomopong with a brethren who is very knowledgeable in the history of jamaicas rebellious runaway slaves the maroons. North americas hidden history rather than live in bondage, groups of african slaves escaped into the southern wilderness, joining with indians to create free, independent communities. 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. Constructed from the oral histories of one of the most secretive groups in the caribbean, the maroons of jamaica, this book provides a unique view of a culture that has been nurtured by enslaved. During the 18th century, the powerful maroons, escaped exslaves who settled in the mountains of jamaica, carved out a significant area of influence. Jan 31, 2016 a board that pays homage to my jamaican maroon heritage. Jamaica has a mix of people from different races, religions, and countries so its culture is varied. In 1739 the english, unable to defeat the maroons, signed treaties with the two major maroon polities, in the. In jamaica, the maroons occupied a mountainous region known as the cockpit, creating crude fortresses and a culture derived from african and european traditions. The institutionalised description of maroons as runaway slaves has been passed down from generation to generation for years, however, colonel of the moore town maroons in portland, wallace.
The british needed workers for jamaicas plantations and sent abundant displays of jamaican produce to africa to attract them to settle in jamaica and work for wages. 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. This resulted in ongoing tension between the groups, and the first maroon war took place in about 1734. Hence the term came to connote wild, untamed and escaped slaves. There were many years of peace between the maroons and the british in jamaica. View maroons in jamaica research papers on academia. But, in 1795, the new governor of jamaica, balcarres, decided to deal with some minor breaches of the peace treaty by a community of maroons called the trelawney town. The firsttime maroons the people who would become the known as the trelawny town maroons first attracted the attention of the british plantocracy in 1690, when a group of about 400 enslaved africans escaped from bondage. Maroons are descendants of africans in the americas who formed settlements away from slavery. The maroons of jamaica have historically grown ganja on their lands for personal, medicinal, and spiritual, as well as commercial, purposes. Today, four major maroon colonies still exist in jamaicas rugged western cockpit country and in. Through the use of slave labor, the production of sugar in this british colony flourished. The british needed workers for jamaica s plantations and sent abundant displays of jamaican produce to africa to attract them to settle in jamaica and work for wages.
Maroons and free blacks in spanish america, 1600s, thomas gage. The land ceded to the maroons was around flagstaff in trelawny and was named trelawny town, and at accompong in st elizabeth. Upward of 1,500 slaves revolted across the island, but there is no evidence that the majority of. In brazil, cuba, and jamaica, people escaped into the mountains and made their homes in densely vegetated hills. During the 17th and 18th centuries, some of the africans brought to jamaica as slaves escaped to the mountains. A detailed of history of the accompong maroons in jamaica. Ebook healing herbs of jamaica as pdf download portable. Christopher columbus discovered jamaica in 1494, but people have in habited the island for thousands of years before. The maroons would frequently invade the british plantations in search of ammunition, food, cattle, and also to free other slaves. This article examines the practices of captivity among the maroons of jamaica during the early colonial period. Also of importance will be the conditions under which the maroons received freedom the british and to what extent these conditions continue to persist in an independent jamaica. 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.
There they settled, and over time, they became known as maroons. With a vast knowledge of the uninhabited jamaican mountain side, the maroons were able to wage war against british planters and eventually contract a peace agreement with the british. Some had escaped from slavery on plantations to form independent communities, but others had always been free, including those born in such settlements. Jamaican maroons descend from maroons, africans who escaped from slavery onto the island of jamaica and established free communities in the mountainous. The maroons of jamaica and nova scotia, extract from proceedings of canadian institute, 1890 the african in canada reprinted from the proceedings of the association for the advancement of science, v. However, in 1655 when the british invaded the island, many spaniards fled to cuba, and released their slaves as. By 1530, slave revolts had broken out in mexico, hispaola and panama. Recommended citation henry, lennon claude, the maroons and freedom in jamaica 1969. Their numbers grew with each runaway slave, and the spanish began to. But the courageous resistance of the maroons threatened this prosperous industry. A secondary purpose is to provide material and information which.
Articles of pacification with the maroons of trelawney town, concluded march the first, 1738. The word maroon is commonly believed to be derived from the english equivalent of the. For over 150 years, the maroons helped to free slaves from the plantations whilst they damaged land and property belonging to the plantation owners. The authentic and original history if the maroons in the history of jamaica, 14901880. Constructed from the oral histories of one of the most secretive groups in the caribbean, the maroons of jamaica. However, the colonial legal system of jamaica in the nineteenth century purported to abrogate maroon rights within their lands and territories, resulting in arrests and convictions for ganja offences on maroon lands in subsequent years. Jamaica is known for many things like its beaches, wildlife, and reggae music. Cudjoe, the negro chief, and the maroons of jamaica full.
The maroons of jamaica are descendants of bands of escaped slaves who fought a guerrilla war with the english in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Jamaican maroons the indomitable maroons of jamaica. As a signatory to the united nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples, jamaica recognizes the need for the protection of. 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. In 1648 he published an account of his experiences, the englishamerican his travel by sea and land. The maroons of jamaica date back to 1517 when the spaniards, who were the first europeans to colonize the island, imported enslaved africans as cheap labor. A history of resistance, collaboration and betrayal. While she is left out of most history books, she is no less valuable. 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. Healing herbs of jamaica top results of your surfing healing herbs of jamaica start download portable document format pdf and ebooks electronic books free online rating news 20162017 is books that can provide inspiration, insight, knowledge to the reader.
In this paper, i argue that the practice of holding people in bondage in maroon communities, which was strongly influenced by the west. The maroons of jamaica black resistance against slavery. 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. Senator the honourable mark golding government of jamaica. The british retaliated by sending troops across the island to capture the maroons. The rights of the maroons in the emerging ganja industry. Maroon music from the earliest free black communities of jamaica various artists featuring complex, west african influenced drumming and dancing, this littleknown rural tradition is at the heart of modern, politically charged reggae music. There is much modern writing on this topic, sometimes suffering from presentism when the maroons are viewed from modern perspectives which do not take. Nanny of the maroons was a powerful, black, female historical figure.
Maroons of jamaica forged an identity for themselves in the century under. Maroons in guatemala, 1630s thomas gage was a catholic priest from england who lived and traveled in central america from 1625 to 1637. The story about nanny who is a jamaican hero iirc and on money in jamaica talks all about how she used to do obeah and how it saved the maroons in jamaica. Maroons and free blacks in spanish america, 1600s, thomas. However, with the financial crisis impacting the world they too struggle to thrive economically. A social, economic and demographic history of maroon society in jamaica, 17391842 pdf phd. Jamaica, maroon, bondage, captivity, akan, native american 1. Escaped africans who were enslaved during spanish rule over jamaica 14931656 may have been the first to develop such refugee communities.
See more ideas about jamaica, black history and african diaspora. Today, maroon communities live and thrive in jamaica. I went to a maroon museum when i went to ja on a cruise and it really changed the way i looked at history and what happened in that part of the world. The jamaican maroons are often described as enslaved africans and persons. The fighting maroons of jamaica robinson, carey on. This thesis is brought to you for free and open access. This took place after they contributed to the near extinction of the native taino arawaks from overwork and european diseases. In the ensuing decades, the maroons used guerilla tactics to inflict a string of military defeats on the british. The purpose of this essay is to present a history of the maroons from their earliest rebellions to their present role in contemporary jamaican society. In 1739 the english, unable to defeat the maroons, signed treaties with the two major maroon polities, in the eastern and western mountains of the island. 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.
It has been accepted for inclusion in dissertations and theses by an authorized administrator of pdxscholar. The royalist maroons of jamaica in the british atlantic world, 1740. The maroons of jamaica, as seen over the centuries. In 1840, the 64 maroons were among the first 261 free african settlers aboard the hector. Introduction many have written about jamaicas windward and leeward maroons over three centuries plus, expressing a variety of view points. Although the maroons numbers were small about 2,000 in an island whose population comprised of 250,000 slaves, 25,000 whites, 32,000 free black and. In jamaica, the maroons occupied a mountainous region known as the cockpit, creating crude fortresses and a culture derived from african and european. The maroons and freedom in jamaica by lennon claude henry. They were signed two related but separate maroon communities in jamaica. 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, expanded.
In 1796 approximately 600 jamaican maroons were deported from jamaica to nova scotia because of their rebellion against the colonial government. 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. Finally, the english made a promise to abolish slavery if these people stopped their revolts. West african influence on both the jamaican slaves and the free maroons in the decades. The maroons, escaped slaves in the west indies, were feared by colonists and slave owners for their fearsome fighting ability and magical arts. The word maroon is derived from the spanish term cimarron, which was used initially to refer to domesticated cattle that had escaped to the hills of hispaniola and then later applied to runaway slaves in the americas, since the latter half of the 17 th century.
The leaders of the maroons did meet british officers to accept a peace agreement offered to them. The actions of the united states and jamaica in interfering with the maroons drug policy thus violate the treaty of peace between the maroons and the british, and should cease. Maroons often mixed with indigenous peoples of the americas, creating creole cultures. Pdf the position taken in this paper is that while it is generally true that.
A careful and thorough study of the jamaican maroons from the british conquest to the late 18th century. The treaties signed by the leeward and then the windward maroons, with the english, were nearly identical. Pdf captivity among the maroons of jamaica in the seventeenth. The spanish called these free slaves maroons, a word derived from cimarron, which means fierce or unruly. The black seminoles in florida found refuge in central florida swamps.