how did the maroons escape

Full Answer

What is the history of the Maroons?

The Maroons' ancestors were African slaves who escaped from coastal Suriname between the mid-seventeenth and late eighteenth centuries. After more than half a century of brutal guerrilla warfare against colonial and European troops, the Maroons' independence was recognized by the signing of a peace treaty with the Dutch in the 1760s.

Where did the escaped maroons go in Puerto Rico?

Before roads were built into the mountains of Puerto Rico, heavy brush kept many escaped maroons hidden in the southwestern hills where many also intermarried with the natives. Escaped slaves sought refuge away from the coastal plantations of Ponce. [21]

What happened to the Maroons in the Carribean?

British slavery in the Carribean, however, lasted for another century and the Maroons were obligated to return runaway slaves to the British, thus making them reluctant participants in the very system they had fought so long to escape.

What did the Maroons do in the Great Dismal Swamp?

Maroons sometimes resorted to digging up and refashioning discarded stone implements brought into the swamp during millennia past. Dan Sayers of American University, an archaeologist who pioneered the first systematic excavations of the Great Dismal Swamp’s human past, is one of the country’s leading authorities on this long-lived subculture.

How did the Maroon communities survive?

As the planters took over more land for crops, the maroons began to lose ground on the small islands. Only on some of the larger islands were organised maroon communities able to thrive by growing crops and hunting. Here they grew in number as more enslaved people escaped from plantations and joined their bands.

How did the Maroons gain their freedom?

After two exhausting Maroon Wars (1720-1739, 1795-1796), the British capitulated and signed peace treaties with the Maroons, enabling them to remain free and self-governing until slavery was abolished in the British Commonwealth in 1834.

Who were the Maroons and what did they do?

The Maroons were to govern themselves. In return they would support the British government in Jamaica against foreign invasion and would help capture rebel slaves and runaways from the plantations and return them to their owners.

Where did the Maroons live?

In Jamaica, the Maroons occupied a mountainous region known as the "Cockpit," creating crude fortresses and a culture derived from African and European traditions. Their numbers grew with each runaway slave, and the Spanish began to fear their power.

Do Maroons still exist?

Many of the maroon communities are now extinct, but several continue to exist. Most notable are the Saramacca, the Surinamese maroons, who have singularly managed to remain politically and culturally viable and self-controlled from 1690 to the present.

Do Maroons still live in Jamaica?

Maroons in the 21st century Today, the four official Maroon towns still in existence in Jamaica are Accompong Town, Moore Town, Charles Town and Scott's Hall.

What did the Maroons eat?

Between the early 1800s and the 1820s, the maroons ate mostly tendracs or tangs, snails, manioc, patates, du miel or honey, songe, mahis or maize, and the roots of various unidentified plants. Furthermore, they frequently consumed beef, rats, fish, monkeys, chicken, shrimps or crevettes, and wild fruits.

What language did the Maroons speak?

Jamaican Maroon language, Maroon Spirit language, Kromanti, Jamaican Maroon Creole or Deep patwa is a ritual language and formerly mother tongue of Jamaican Maroons. It is an English-based creole with a strong Akan component, specifically from the Fante dialect of the Central Region of Ghana.

Who was the leader of the Maroons?

Queen Nanny, Granny Nanny or Nanny of the Maroons ONH (c. 1686 – c. 1733), was an 18th-century leader of the Jamaican Maroons. She led a community of formerly enslaved Africans called the Windward Maroons.

Why is up called Maroons?

Team monikers Prior to the establishment of the NCAA in 1924, the sports press have been referring to the collegiate teams by the color of their uniforms. School varsity teams were called the Blue and Whites, the Red and Whites, the Green and Whites and in the case of UP, the Maroon and Greens.

What religion did the Maroons practice?

Religion was an important part of Maroon life. They worshipped a god they called Nyancompong or Yankipon. Maroons believed that the spirits of their ancestors were all around them and could be called upon for guidance and protection at any time. They would also stage special ceremonies and feasts to honour their dead.

What Maroon means?

1 : a person who is marooned. 2 capitalized : a Black person of the West Indies and Guiana in the 17th and 18th centuries who escaped slavery also : a descendant of such a person. Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More About maroon.

Was the Maroon revolt successful?

The name "Maroon" was given to these Africans, and for many years they fought the British colonial Government of Jamaica for their freedom. The maroons were skilled particularly in guerrilla warfare....First Maroon War.Date1728–1740LocationJamaicaResultMaroon victory, British government offered peace treaties

How do you become a maroon?

To become a maroon was common among the enslaved laborers, who ran away alone or in small groups. Some ran away for a short period because they had been unfairly treated, were afraid of being punished or wanted to avoid the hard work in the field. Others ran away to obtain permanent freedom.

What do the Maroons believe in?

Maroons believed that the spirits of their ancestors were all around them and could be called upon for guidance and protection at any time. They would also stage special ceremonies and feasts to honour their dead. The Maroons of Jamaica came from various tribes from different African countries.

Why are the Maroons important?

During the 18th century, the powerful Maroons, escaped ex-slaves who settled in the mountains of Jamaica, carved out a significant area of influence. Through the use of slave labor, the production of sugar in this British colony flourished.

Why did the British try to capture the Maroons?

During the late 17th and 18th centuries, the British tried to capture the maroons because they occasionally raided plantations, and made expansion into the interior more difficult. An increase in armed confrontations over decades led to the First Maroon War in the 1730s, but the British were unable to defeat the maroons. They finally settled with the groups by treaty in 1739 and 1740, allowing them to have autonomy in their communities in exchange for agreeing to be called to military service with the colonists if needed. Certain maroon factions became so formidable that they made treaties with local colonial authorities, sometimes negotiating their independence in exchange for helping to hunt down other enslaved people who escaped.

Why did the Maroons lose ground?

As the planters took over more land for crops, the maroons began to lose ground on the small islands. Only on some of the larger islands were organized maroon communities able to thrive by growing crops and hunting. Here they grew in number as more Blacks escaped from plantations and joined their bands.

What were the Maroons called?

When runaway enslaved people and Amerindians banded together and subsisted independently they were called maroons. On the Caribbean islands, they formed bands and on some islands, armed camps. Maroon communities faced great odds against their surviving attacks by hostile colonists, obtaining food for subsistence living, as well as reproducing and increasing their numbers. As the planters took over more land for crops, the maroons began to lose ground on the small islands. Only on some of the larger islands were organized maroon communities able to thrive by growing crops and hunting. Here they grew in number as more enslaved people escaped from plantations and joined their bands. Seeking to separate themselves from colonizers, the maroons gained in power and amid increasing hostilities, they raided and pillaged plantations and harassed planters until the planters began to fear a massive revolt of the enslaved people of colour.

What were the consequences of maroonage?

Maroonage was a constant threat to New World plantation societies. Punishments for recaptured maroons were severe, like removing the Achilles tendon, amputating a leg, castration, and being roasted to death. Maroon communities had to be inaccessible and were located in inhospitable environments to be sustainable.

Why did the Maroons raid plantations?

Seeking to separate themselves from Whites, the maroons gained in power and amid increasing hostilities, they raided and pillaged plantations and harassed planters until the planters began to fear a massive revolt of the enslaved Blacks. The early maroon communities were usually displaced.

What is a maroon?

Ndyuka man bringing the body of a child before a shaman. Suriname, 1955. Maroons are descendants of Africans in the Americas who formed settlements away from slavery.

What is the largest Maroon town in the world?

In their largest town, Accompong, in the parish of St Elizabeth, the Leeward Maroons still possess a vibrant community of about 600. Tours of the village are offered to foreigners and a large festival is put on every January 6 to commemorate the signing of the peace treaty with the British after the First Maroon War.

Where did the Maroons escape?

The Maroons were escaped slaves. They ran away from their Spanish-owned plantations when the British took the Caribbean island of Jamaica from Spain in 1655. The word maroon comes from the Spanish word ‘cimarrones ‘, which meant ‘mountaineers’. They fled to the mountainous areas of Jamaica, ...

What were the Maroons' goals?

The Maroons were to govern themselves. In return they would support the British government in Jamaica against foreign invasion and would help capture rebel slaves and runaways from the plantations and return them to their owners.

How long did the Maroons fight in Trelawney?

This started the Second Maroon War. 300 Maroons in Trelawney Town held out against 1500 troops and 3000 local volunteer troops. After five months of fighting, the undefeated Maroons were offered an agreement for peace.

Why did maroons escape?

Other Maroons were known to escape into mountainous regions for similar cover and sustenance.

Where did slaves flee to?

Closer to the Lowcountry, Battle says slaves who worked in the timber industry near Charleston would flee into swamps.

Who wrote slavery's exiles?

His awareness of their story was raised in part by the book, “Slavery’s Exiles: The Story of the American Maroons,” written by Sylvanie A. Diouf and published in 2014.

Why are Maroons called Maroons?

To the early Spanish settlers in the Caribbean, Maroon people were feral people, slaves who had escaped their servitude, in the same way that feral dogs are dogs that have escaped the rule of humans.

What does the word "marooning" mean?

The word is also related to the practice of “marooning” meaning to leave someone in the wilderness. Once again, the word speaks to someone who is “out of place.”

What were the traditions of the Taino tribe?

With the traditions of the Taino behind them, the African newcomers were taught how to farm in the most inaccessible of locations, build homes from native materials, and eat a diet close to the land, which included native fruits and vegetables, and even worms and insects, which had been a traditional part of the Tiano diet.

Why did the islands form militias?

Islands formed and exercised active militias, whose specific purpose was to protect plantations from Maroon raids. The gentleman pirate Stede Bonnet got his first taste of battle as leader of his local militia, which was considered a position of honor.

What group of Africans were escaped slaves?

Joining these escaped African slaves were members of the Arawak natives, especially the group known as the Taino. These were the original inhabitants of the Caribbean islands. Their numbers had been decimated by European conquest and European diseases, but they seem to have been happy to welcome escaped slaves. The cultures of the two groups merged, and eventually, as more and more Africans escaped their chains, the African languages and customs became predominant.

How did slave holders solve the problem of slavery?

The slave-holder Africans solved this problem by selling these “platoons” of captured soldiers to Europeans. Strict rules – chains, cells, and constant watching by armed guards got these people across the ocean to the Caribbean, but once they were set loose to work they frequently rebelled and/or escaped.

Where did the escaped slaves come from?

Many of the escaped slaves were from the Ashanti tribe. It was common at the time for the winner in a battle or war to take the soldiers of the defeated tribe or nation as slaves (think of what the ancient Romans did). However, groups captured together were still effective fighting forces, being trained warriors who wanted to escape.

What did the Maroons do in Jamaica?

In Jamaica, the Maroons occupied a mountainous region known as the "Cockpit," creating crude fortresses and a culture derived from African and European traditions. Their numbers grew with each runaway slave, and the Spanish began to fear their power. In 1553, Maroon revolts in Panama had forced the Spanish to the negotiating table, and by 1580 Panamanian Maroons had allied themselved with British buccaneers, including Sir Francis Drake. This Maroon-buccaneer alliance posed a serious challenge to Spanish hegemony in the region.

What was the Maroon offensive?

By 1720, the Maroons took the offensive, mounting raids against British plantations along the base of the mountains. From 1729 to 1739, a state of open warfare existed between the British and the Maroons.

What was the end of slavery in the Caribbean?

The Leeward and Windward Treaties of 1739 ended the Maroon-British wars. British slavery in the Carribean, however, lasted for another century and the Maroons were obligated to return runaway slaves to the British, thus making them reluctant participants in the very system they had fought so long to escape. The massive slave uprisings of 1831 led to the final abolition of slavery in Jamaica and throughout the British Caribbean.

What was the Maroon-Buccaneer alliance?

This Maroon-buccaneer alliance posed a serious challenge to Spanish hegemony in the region. In 1655, the British conquered much of Jamaica, forcing the Spanish to flee to the northern coast. Rather than become slaves to new masters, vast numbers of Spanish slaves took this opportunity to join the Maroons in the hill country.

Who killed Lubolo?

In 1663, another Maroon faction, led by Juan de Serras, ambushed and killed Lubolo, initiating eight decades of escalating tension with the British, who could not dislodge the Maroons from their mountain fortresses.

What are maroons known for?

Maroons are known to have often interacted with slaves and poor whites to obtain work, food, clothes, and money. Some maroons plundered nearby farms and plantations, stole from anchored boats, and robbed travelers on nearby roads; those caught were tried for murder or theft. Some maroon communities were set up near the Dismal Swamp Canal, built between 1793 and 1805 and still in operation. These maroons interacted more with the outside world than those who lived in the swamp's interior, and had more contact with outsiders once canal construction began. Some took jobs on the canal, and with increased contact with the outside world, some people living in the swamp eventually moved away. During the American Civil War, the United States Colored Troops entered the swamp to liberate the people there, many of whom then joined the Union Army. Most of the maroons who remained in the swamp left after the Civil War.

Why were maroons in the Great Dismal Swamp?

The maroon communities in The Great Dismal Swamp were founded on persistence. The conditions in the swamp, whether that be the hot, humid weather, the deadly animals, or the bugs, made it a difficult place to live. These resistant communities would choose areas that were difficult to reach.

What was the name of the people who escaped slavery living in freedom?

People who escaped slavery living in freedom came to be known as maroons or outliers.

Why are maroons important?

Researchers have critiqued that these communities have not been given proper recognition due to the fact that the majority of these communities were made of black individuals or other people of color. These communities show a different side of America that is usually not depicted, but just as important to understand history. The maroon communities showed how powerful Black autonomy could be. The importance of these settlements is to show how Black culture can find something that is depicted as "dismal," but make it a home . It was also a community that was totally free from the outside world, other than for trading purposes. No government was enforcing rules, it was a free area for all that were able to settle there.

Where did the Great Dismal Swamp Maroons live?

Great Dismal Swamp maroons. The Great Dismal Swamp maroons were people who inhabited the swamplands of the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and North Carolina after escaping enslavement. Although conditions were harsh, research suggests that thousands lived there between about 1700 and the 1860s.

When did the Maroons come to the colonies?

Osman, a Great Dismal Swamp Maroon, by David Hunter Strother ( Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, 1856) Main article: Maroon (people) The first enslaved Africans brought to the British colonies in Virginia in 1619 arrived on the frigate White Lion, a British privateer ship flying under a Dutch flag. The approximately 20 Africans, ...

Who is the maroon in Uncle Tom's Cabin?

The title character is a maroon of the Great Dismal Swamp who preaches against slavery and incites slaves to escape.

What was the Maroons' homeland?

This treaty allowed the Maroons to occupy a large part of the interior of Suriname, which has been their homeland ever since.

How did Bouterse's pogroms affect the Maroons?

Bouterse's pogroms only succeeded in turning the Maroons even more against him and creating an atmosphere of confrontation. As reported in the New York Times on 18 June 1987: in its latest report on human rights, issued earlier this year, the United States Department of State said that "according to credible eyewitness reports," Government troops trying to eliminate the insurgents had killed at least 244 civilians in operations last December alone.

What happened to Brunswijk and Bouterse?

After the relationship between Brunswijk and Bouterse became strained, Brunswijk was dismissed from the army. He did not take this blow lying down. Before he left the army, he took some munitions with him. Acting as a modern-day Robin Hood, he appropriated money to build homes and help elderly people in his home community of Mungo-tapu.

When did Bouterse torture the people?

Eventually, Bouterse gained control of all aspects of the government. On 8 December 1982 , he rounded up 15 prominent Surinamese at dawn, tortured them and finally executed them that same morning, claiming that they were plotting a countercoup against him. As he grew to doubt the loyalty of urban Surinamese, he began recruiting Maroons into the army. His own personal bodyguards were Maroon military personnel.

How can such a depressed economy sustain such a war?

How can such a depressed economy sustain such a war? The well-documented answer is that Bouterse has been financing the conflict through drug trafficking. In November 1986, Col. Bouterse's closest aide, Capt. Etienne Boerenveen, was sentenced in Miami to 12 years in federal prison for conspiring to permit drug smuggling to the US by renting Suriname airfields to drug dealers at fee of $1,000,000 per load (18 June 1987). Bouterse has even set up a heavily guarded cocaine-processing factory in a remote western corner of the country.

Did Bouterse hire Amerindians to hunt Maroons?

Bouterse even hired Amerindians to hunt Maroons for him, as the. colonial troops used to do in the eighteenth century. While the army was attacking Maroon villages, it was also arresting and murdering Maroons in Paramaribo, the capital. Soldiers would visit Maroon houses at night and drag the occupants out at gunpoint; many were never seen again.

Why did the US cut off its bauxite subvention?

The US, too, has cut off its annual subvention of about $1.5 million, in protest of Bouterse's barbaric actions against civilians. The price of bauxite, which used to provide 70 percent of foreign earnings, has fallen as well, and the government has completely depleted its foreign cash reserves.

Overview

Geographical distribution

Under governor Adriaan van der Stel in 1642 the early Dutch settlers of the Dutch East India Company brought 105 slaves from Madagascar and parts of Asia to work for them in Dutch Mauritius. However 52 of these first slaves, including women, escaped in the wilderness of Dutch Mauritius. Only 18 of these escapees were caught. On 18 June 1695 a gang of maroons of Indonesian and Chinese origins, including Aaron d'Amboine, Antoni (Bamboes) and Paul de Bata…

Etymology

History

Culture

Types of maroons

Relationship with colonial governments

See also