Mar 26, 2012 jamaica is known for many things like its beaches, wildlife, and reggae music. In the beginning, as humans started to leave africa, included with the second ooa group were the albinos of caucasian phenotype africans horn africans, dravidians indians who were probably motivated by a quest for relief from the heat and burning sunshine. 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. Held in the maroon community of charles town surrounded by jamaicas blue and john crow mountains, this interdisciplinary conference will explore issues, values, and practices of maroons and indigenous peoples as well as ideas about marronage and indigeneity to consider the ways they have endured, transformed, and resonated in the caribbean. Escaped africans who were enslaved during spanish rule over jamaica 14931656 may have been the first to develop such refugee communities. A history of resistance, collaboration and betrayal. The first british governor, robert hunter, was frustrated by jamaicas mountainous terrain, which the maroon leaders used to their advantage. The jamaican maroons were not a small rebel community, instead they were a complex polity that operated as such from 16551770. A number of the first africans that were brought into jamaica by the spanish, 15 onwards, moved straight to the hills. The fighting maroons of jamaica robinson, carey on. But the courageous resistance of the maroons threatened this prosperous industry. Healing herbs of jamaica start download portable document format pdf and ebooks electronic books. 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.
By 1720, the maroons took the offensive, mounting raids against british plantations along the base of the mountains. Upward of 1,500 slaves revolted across the island, but there is no evidence that the majority of. View maroons in jamaica research papers on academia. Famous authors view all authors joel chandler harris. There was little formation of maroon communities 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. A number of authors contribute to this discussion, notably rex. Today, four major maroon colonies still exist in jamaicas rugged western cockpit country and in the eastern blue mountains. In her introduction, diouf argues that scholars have frequently denied or downplayed the existence of u. Many have written about jamaica s windward and leeward maroons over three centuries plus, expressing a variety of view points.
In the mountains, they developed their own way of life by incorporating the various cultures with those of the other runaway slaves who made up the diverse maroons. From 1729 to 1739, a state of open warfare existed between the british and the maroons. Ebook healing herbs of jamaica as pdf download portable. To a muslim, the whole world is a house of worship. Introduction many have written about jamaicas windward and leeward maroons over three centuries plus, expressing a variety of view points. Why the treaty frees the maroons harvard university. Maroons played an important role in the histories of brazil, suriname, puerto rico, haiti, dominican republic, cuba, and jamaica. There they settled, and over time, they became known as maroons. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. There is much modern writing on this topic, sometimes suffering from presentism when the maroons are viewed from modern perspectives which do not take adequately into account the context of earlier centuries. They moved to the hills when the spanish invaded jamaica in 1494. The word maroon comes from the spanish word cimarrones, which meant mountaineers. 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. The absence of a masjid, which is a formal house of worship for the muslims, as an archaeological evidence cannot be used as an argument to refute the islamic heritage of the jamaican maroons.
Tv had the pleasure of holding a reasoning in accomopong with a brethren who is very knowledgeable in the history of jamaicas rebellious. The spanish colonists fled from jamaica after the land was captured in 1655. However, with the financial crisis impacting the world they too struggle to thrive economically. The word maroon is commonly believed to be derived from. The jamaican maroons are often described as enslaved africans and persons of noticeable african descent who ran away or escaped from their masters or owners to acquire and preserve their freedom. A careful and thorough study of the jamaican maroons from the british conquest to the late 18th century.
When the british captured jamaica from the spani ards in 1655, they ta11ed to subdue numerous negro slaves who were no longer content to be slaves. In 1796 approximately 600 jamaican maroons were deported from jamaica to nova scotia because of their rebellion against the colonial government. Home essays cudjoe, the negro chief, and the maroons of jamaica. Admiral sir william penn was the father of the quaker william penn. Today, maroon communities live and thrive in jamaica. The fighting maroons of jamaica national library of australia. Jamaica has a mix of people from different races, religions, and countries so its culture is varied. In fact, among the maroonsand among the people brought to jamaica as slaves in generalakan cultural influences predominated. A history of resistance, collaboration and betrayal campbell, mavis c. The authentic and original history if the maroons in the history of jamaica, 14901880. They were paid two dollars for each slave returned.
In jamaica, the first maroons were the indigenous tainos, a group of arawak people that migrated from south and central america. Marcia kim douglas is the acting colonel of the charles town maroon community. 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. When the english conquered the island of jamaica and drove the spaniards out of it, they failed to conquer its sable inhabitants, negroes who had been slaves.
Healing herbs of jamaica download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl. Maroons the life and family of the quaker william penn. These slaves escaped from their plantations to become moun. The jamaican maroons, 16551770 jonathan brooks, university of north carolina wilmington.
Collins and sangster jamaica kingston wikipedia citation please see wikipedias template documentation for further citation fields that may be. Today, four major maroon colonies still exist in jamaica s rugged western cockpit country and in the eastern blue mountains. The maroons of jamaica the good, the bad, and the forgotten. Cudjoe, the negro chief, and the maroons of jamaica full. See more ideas about jamaica, black history and african diaspora. During the 17th and 18th centuries, some of the africans brought to jamaica as slaves escaped to the mountains. 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. 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. 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. 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. As noted earlier the admiral is buried in st mary redcliffe church, bristol, england. Jamaican maroons the indomitable maroons of jamaica.
Also, some maroons kept their freedom by agreeing to capture runaway slaves. Last tuesday evening, only a few days after he celebrated his 100th birthday, former colonel of the moore town maroons in portland, charles l. Under it the maroons are to be left alone on their land, free from outside interference and responsible for their own criminal code. Common medicinal plants of portland, jamaica has been designed as a field guide for the identification of some of the most common medicinal plants encountered in jamaica. As leader and spokesperson for one of the several maroon communities in jamaica, actg colonel douglas stands as the first woman to occupy any such position of authority among them in present day. Click download or read online button to get healing herbs of jamaica book now.
They fled to the mountainous areas of jamaica, where it was difficult for their owners to. In contemporary jamaica, many innercity neighborhoods are controlled by criminal leaders known as dons. The maroons, escaped slaves in the west indies, were feared by colonists and slave owners for their fearsome fighting ability and magical arts. Harris, made the transition into the ancestral realms. Through the use of slave labor, the production of sugar in this british colony flourished. Maroon community, a group of formerly enslaved africans and their descendants who gained their freedom by fleeing chattel enslavement and running to the safety and cover of the remote mountains or the dense overgrown tropical terrains near the plantations. However, in 1655 when the british invaded the island, many spaniards fled to cuba.
In this paper, i argue that the practice of holding people in bondage in maroon communities, which was strongly influenced by the west. A final word about female maroons in the w est indies that cannot be. The fighting maroons of jamaica national library of. Jamaica, this classcolor distinction has played a much more prominent role in assigning people value, which stemmed directly from the way the system of slavery was established and implemented on the island. Jan 31, 2016 a board that pays homage to my jamaican maroon heritage. Jamaica is known for many things like its beaches, wildlife, and reggae music. Slaverys exiles is the first booklength study of african and african american maroons in the american colonies and the united states. African slaves imported during the spanish period may have provided the first runaways. Hence the term came to connote wild, untamed and escaped slaves. In return, the maroons provided military assistance to the british, capturing and returning the enslaved who escaped the plantations, and, decades after emancipation, helping the british suppress the 1865 morant bay rebellion. Without a properly reconstructed history of the maroons in jamaica, the history of jamaica remains incomplete. Hidden away for centuriesnearly forgottenthe maroons are among the worlds most skilled herbalists. Maroons, indigenous peoples, and indigeneity the caribbean. The maroons of jamaica black resistance against slavery.
This took place after they contributed to the near extinction of the native taino arawaks from overwork and european diseases. The maroons of jamaica, as seen over the centuries. The name maroon was given to these fugitives, and for many years they harassed the british oolonial government of jamaiea. They ran away from their spanishowned plantations when the british took the caribbean island of jamaica from spain in 1655. What many people in bristol, including many of jamaican decent, do not know is that he was the sea general responsible for the attack on the spanish slave colony of jamaica and annexing it as an english colony in 1654. 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. Upward of 1,500 slaves revolted across the island, but there is. This article examines the practices of captivity among the maroons of jamaica during the early colonial period. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want.
During the 18th century, the powerful maroons, escaped exslaves who settled in the mountains of jamaica, carved out a significant area of influence. Over the last 500 years, these amazing health benefitsand many others besideshave been a fact of life for jamaicas maroons. Collins and sangster jamaica kingston wikipedia citation please see wikipedias template documentation for further citation fields that may be required. 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. There is much modern writing on this topic, sometimes suffering from presentism when the maroons are viewed from modern perspectives which do not take. 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. The maroons still preserved their traditional practice, culture and celebration.
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