Accompong town is one of five major maroon villages in jamaica, the others being charles town and moore town in portland, scotts hall in st mary, and flagstaff in st james. Arawaks were skilled artisans, much of the womens time was spent spinning and weaving it. I was baffled and asked her what that is but she didnt really know cos her uncle told her only what she knew and told me. Grandy nanny of the windward maroons became the seventh jamaican to be given the order of national hero. Beginning in the late 17th century, jamaican maroons fought british colonists to a draw and eventually signed treaties in the mid18th century, that effectively freed them a century before the slavery abolition act 1833, which came into effect in 1838. The south coast of jamaica was the most populated area at the time, especially around what is now old harbour. The maroons of jamaica black resistance against slavery. The arawaks were decimated within a few decades by european diseases and the harsh life settlers. Arawakan speakers in the caribbean were also historically known as the taino, a term meaning relatives. Dec 2, 2016 this pin was discovered by lionartproductions.
The arawak were there to greet christopher columbus when he arrived in jamaica in 1494, beginning a long period of european colonization there. The jamaican maroons journey from freedom to slavery and back again, 17961836 124th annual meeting january 710, 2010. Benefiting from twenty years of additional thorough research, carey robinsons new work gives explicit details of the lifestyles and fighting tactics of both forces. So, the british translated the name cimaron to mean maroon, which really mean to marooned or to be abandoned and from then on, these coromantee people from ghana was called the maroons. She also wants the big lie about the tainos to be changed in the history books. Jamaican maroons fought two major wars against the british during the 18th century. A number of the first africans that were brought into jamaica by the spanish, 15 onwards, moved straight to the hills. They moved to the hills when the spanish invaded jamaica in 1494. The defeat of the british by the jamaican maroons, kingston, kingston publishers, 1993. Finally, the english made a promise to abolish slavery if these people stopped their revolts. Already im singing the praises of this book, and i just cant get enough of the leftovers.
Through the use of slave labor, the production of sugar in this british colony flourished. During the 18th century, the powerful maroons, escaped exslaves who settled in the mountains of jamaica, carved out a significant area of influence. She herself will be writing a book about her life as a taino in jamaica. Harris is one of the most crossroads of caribbeans. They survive mainly on a diet of maze, cassava, vegetables and fish. Yet, maroons have been participating in general and parochial elections, and some of the communities are known to slant towards a particular political party or the other. Mavis campbell is clearly the leading historian on the maroons of jamaica. In the british colony of jamaica, the maroons autonomy over the last five decades of. The revised and greatly expanded edition of the wellknown book, the fighting maroons of jamaica, vividly describes the maroons war against the british in jamaica. The jamaican maroons are descendants of africans who fought and escaped from slavery and established free communities in the mountainous interior of jamaica during the era of slavery. When you meet people from the island country of jamaica, you might notice their characteristic sense of humor, their dreadlocks, their worship of reggae music, and their love of ganja. The maroons were key figures in an insurgent resistance to english conquest, who colonized jamaica after spain. For much of the eighteenth century, jamaica was the most profitable. The maroons had periodically raided british plantations, stolen supplies, and seized farmland.
Nanny of the maroons, accompong, first maroon war, cockpit country, nanny town, second maroon war, maroon town, sierra. Anyone who wants to understand the maroons has to read this book. The history of traditional jamaican jerk seasoning. Natives of jamaica descendants of taino arawaks youtube.
For example, the taino mani is called peanut, pinder nut, goobers and ground nut. She wants to create an awareness in jamaica of the presence of jamaican tainos, especially along the south coast. Jamaican maroons descend from maroons, africans who escaped from slavery onto the island of jamaica and established free communities in the mountainous. African slaves imported during the spanish period may have provided the first runaways. Slavery, freedom and the jamaican landscape british. Jamaica supplied hammocks an arawak invention and cotton cloth to cuba and haiti, and the spaniards themselves had sailcloth made in jamaica. The isolation used to their advantage by the ancestors has today led to their communities being amongst the most inaccessible on the island. Jamaican sites indicate a characteristically arawakan culture, but they lack the ceremonial elaboration developed in haiti.
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. Jamaican maroons the indomitable maroons of jamaica. Jamaica had over 200 village sites ruled by chiefs or caciques. This tribe originated along the northern coast of south america, including what is now venezuela. A new book argues that many seemingly isolated rebellions are. Maroon party guest book includes gift tracker and picture pages for a lasting memory keepsake maroon birthday party decorations, maroon graduation party supplies, volume 1 by daisy joy design aug 11, 2018. 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. The term arawak originally was applied by europeans specifically to the south american group who selfidentified as arawak, arhuaco or lokono. I ordered this book because i had been doing some family history work on. The jamaican taino were master carvers, producing many carved artifacts, including the dujo a low wooden ceremonial stool used by caciques, and were well regarded for.
The leaders of the maroons did meet british officers to accept a peace agreement offered to them. With reference to maps and views in the kings topographical collection, miles ogborn investigates these communities of escaped slaves and their attempts to retain their freedom in a landscape of slavery. Neeganagwedgin identifies herself as 100 per cent african and taino. Isolation protected jamaicas maroons from slavery but also prevented them from. White males wanted to remake the planet in their own image, and the opposite of that is taking place today. Five teenage boys, members of a band of maroons runaway slaves in jamaica during the 19th to early 20th century living in the maroon community of mountain top, pass their villages initiation tests for them to be recognized as young maroon warriors. The karmahaly maroons continued to stay in the forested mountains, and periodically fought the english. History of jamaica jamaica history, black history books. 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. 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. Howard abstract recent investigations still yield no sign of preceramic or of arawak occupation of jamaica before early period ii in the rouse chronology. Located at 17 kensington crescent, jamaica and listed under publishers book categorysector. Africans were enslaved during spanish rule of jamaica 14931656 likely were the first to develop such refugee communities. The jamaican maroons are descended from runaway slaves who established free communities in the mountains of jamaica during the era of slavery on the island.
However most of them died out under spanish rule, before the british invasion of the island in 1655. The history of jamaica as a european outpost saw the island under spanish rule for 150 years, during which the city now known as spanish town was established and flourished as the colonys economic hub. Maroons received freedom fronl the british and to what extent these oonditions continue to. But the courageous resistance of the maroons threatened this prosperous industry. Jamaica is the largest english speaking island in the caribbean. Jamaica was originally inhabited by the arawak indians and possible the taino from south america.
Jerk chicken is believed to have been conceived when the maroons introduced african meat cooking techniques to jamaica which were combined with native jamaican ingredients and seasonings used by the arawak indians. As a woman of afro caribbean descent, well i am of jamaican descent, i know about arawak indian history in jamaica and find it rather intriguing. The maroons of jamaica the good, the bad, and the forgotten. Check out this red complexioned ladys indigenous arawak jamaican ancestry. The young warriors is a jamaican novel by author victor stafford reid, published in 1967. In jamaica, the first maroons were the indigenous tainos, a group of arawak people that migrated from south and central america. Excerpted from the book, tour jamaica, by margaret morris. Buy products related to history of jamaica products and see what customers say. Jamaicas original inhabitants were the arawak indians. Once the most numerous indigenous people of the caribbean, the taino may have numbered one. The caribbean island of jamaica was inhabited by the arawak tribes prior to the arrival of. Taino, arawakanspeaking people who at the time of christopher columbuss exploration inhabited what are now cuba, jamaica, hispaniola haiti and the dominican republic, puerto rico, and the virgin islands. In the accounts published by the jamaica newspapers of the late negro insurrection in that island, we find it stated that a people called the maroons were called upon by. The original inhabitants of jamaica are believed to be the arawaks, also called.
Brathwaite, in his preface to colonel harris book, the chieftainess says, colonel c. Arawak are the indigenous people of the west indies that includes the taino people, lucayans, nepoya and suppoya of trinidad, and the igneri. The kromanti language of the jamaican maroons final edit duration. The jamaican maroons descend from maroons, they are africans who escaped from slavery unto the island of jamaica and established free communities in the mountainous interior, primarily in the eastern parishes. After the invation of jamaica by the british, the spanish people resisted with the support their slaves but finally had to escape to cuba, leaving their slaves. Nettleford is the most wellknown jamaican author to tackle the issue of jamaican identity in books such as caribbean cultural identity and identity. Her study gave me a thorough background and understanding of the maroons during the period of study, when they were in their heyday. Their arawak language is the name of the overall arawakan language family. There were many years of peace between the maroons and the british in jamaica. African slaves imported during the spanish period may have provided the first runaways, apparently mixing with the native american taino or arawak citation needed people that remained.
By that i mean that at an active 92, hes at the centre. When cooked by jamaican maroons with taino products, it is amerindian. Interview with jerome sage butler grandmaster sage, reasoning on the topic, jamaica. The royalist maroons of jamaica in the british atlantic world, 1740. To this day, the maroons in jamaica to some extent remains autonomous and separate from the rest of the jamaican culture. We visit an arawak indian settlement and speak with some women. Outletter book, the national archives of jamaica spanishtown. Jamaica s original inhabitants were the arawak indians, who called the island xaymaca, meaning either land of wood and water or land of springs. The arawak indians were a gentle peace loving farming and fishing race. The history of jamaica jamaica information service. Historians believe that these indians came up through the.