Term
| General History of Caribbean Maroons |
|
Definition
• In the early 1500s, the economy of the more organized Caribbean colonies - Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Jamaica - was changing from mining to market gardening, ranching and tobacco cultivation.
• Imported African slaves were increasing and thus replacing local Native Americans for Spanish colonizers
○ Since marronage is a form of resistance, and resistance was a feature in every slave society, there was a rapid increase in Maroon societies
• Survival of Maroon societies depended on a few factors3
○ Not only local geography,
- But local social, political and military resources of the Maroons and neighboring slaveholders |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| • By 1546, it was estimated that over 7,000 Maroons were settled in the forest and mountains all over the island drawn from a slave population of about 30,000 (Knight, 173) • In 1697, there was a division of the island between the French and Spanish ○ The French side (St. Domingue) had the greater proportion of Maroon settlements - Which was due to the more established plantation economy and because of a higher ratio of slave to white • Most Maroon communities in St. Domingue were located between the cultivated plains and the mountain regions • The most well-known Maroon settlement in St. Domingue was Le Maniel ○ This Maroon was settled in the central mountains near the border of the Spanish Santo Domingo ○ The French repeatedly tried to eradicate Le Maniel but had little success since this Maroon had the assistance of Spanish settlers ○ The people in Le Maniel brought their merchandise to the nearby Spanish frontier towns § Where Spanish merchants received the goods and factored for the Maroons □ Merchants would also warn the Maroons when French reprisals were imminent • In 1763, the French ceded Dominica to the British ○ The economy changed fairly quickly from the dependence of coffee and spice production to sugar plantations ○ This shift in the economy led to an increase in the number of slaves § From 5,872 to 15,753 (Knight, 175) ○ And in 1785, the population of the Maroon settlements were estimated at about 300 § This is when Maroons began to raid plantations § British tried to stop the raiding by negotiation at first but then decided to use military offense instead and forced 559 Maroons to surrender in 1814 |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| • Had very little plantation activity until the early 19th century and had a small population ○ Which made it the ideal destination for slaves to escape to by water from other islands • Escaped slaves often took refuge in the mountains of Puerto Rico • Many Maroons from Danish St. Thomas fled to Puerto Rico after hunts were being organized to break up those communities |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• Maroon settlements were called palenques which means "palisade" and were well hidden and fortified (Knight, 172)
• A recent study identified 62 palenques throughout the island of Cuba
• During the 18th and 19th century, ex-slaves often shared these palenques with pirates or other outlaws |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• Spaniards had occupied the island of Jamaica since 1509
• But in 1655 the British invaded Jamaica and the Spanish fled to the neighboring island of Cuba
○ Many Spaniards freed their slaves before fleeing to Cuba
○ In combination of the freed slaves and the ones left behind started the formation of Jamaican Maroon communities
• These early Maroon Communities were located in the remote mountainous interior of Jamaica
• Jamaican Maroons became divided into
○ Windward Maroon in the parish of Portland to the East and the
○ Leeward Maroons in the parishes of St. Elizabeth and Trelawny in the East
• 18th century, Maroons in Jamaica had isolated settlements in the western and eastern mountains
• 1739, after years of plantation raids and fighting between Maroons and the British, the Maroon groups (around 1,000 people) signed treaties with the colonial government
○ Maroons granted their freedom and in turn agreed to hunt down and turn back any newly-escaped slaves
• 1795
○ Second major war with the British
○ Maroons signed a second peace treaty reaffirming the earlier conditions |
|
|
Term
| Case Study: Accompong Maroon Community |
|
Definition
• Community is the sole surviving community in the mountains of St. Elizabeth in western Jamaica (Barker and Spence, 198)
• Community’s legality was officially recognized by the English colonial government
• Side variety of crops grown for domestic consumption
○ Sugar, bananas, ginger and coffee
• 1950s is the start of the transition towards modernization
○ First road into the community built in the 1940s
• Present population is around 2000 (Barker and Spence, 200) |
|
|
Term
| Accompong Maroon Community: Land Tenure |
|
Definition
• Accompong's system of land tenure is different from the rest of Jamaica including other Maroon communities on the island
○ Accompong Maroons acquired a tract of communal land on which they have maintained elements of a system of communal tenure,
- This system has more in common with African than Caribbean tenure systems
□ Shows that there was culture retention in the Maroon community
• Economic Base during 18 and 19th century
○ Subsistence agriculture with hunting, especially for wild hogs
• The Treaty of 1739
○ Gave the Maroons a high level of independence administered through a democratically elected chief (Barker and Spence, 201)
○ The Treaty also ceded 1500 acres of land to the Accompong community rather than to individuals
- The communal aspect of sharing the land remained as an important anchor of Maroon identity
• After emancipation in 1838 many attempts to break up communal tenure
○ The Maroon also lost an important source of income since they no longer received payment for the capture of runaway slaves from plantations
○ The community began to develop more trading links with the rest of the colony and the production of cash crops, and the sale of livestock and logwood became more important |
|
|
Term
| Accompong Maroon Community: Agriculture |
|
Definition
• Before Emancipation in 1838
○ Subsistence farming and hunting
○ There were two writings from planters in 1803 that suggest that bush fallowing was practiced, in which the farmer would used fire to clear a plot of land and let the soil rejuvenate while using another plot of land to plant crops.
○ Hunting for food appeared to decline since the colonial government would give the leader of the community livestock in return for capturing runaway slaves
• Post-Emancipation:
○ Community began to develop trading links with other colonies
○ Another thing that became more important was the production of cash crops and sales of livestock and wood
• During 1950s
○ Cultivation of sugar and bananas became increasingly became important
○ There were sugar mills to process the sugar and then transport it to the markets. |
|
|
Term
| Accompong Maroon Community: Organization of Labor |
|
Definition
• Men were involved in hunting and military tasks
• Women were responsible for the agriculture
○ This can be tied to the culture of West Africa where women were also the farmers in their villages or community
• Two traditional forms of labor
○ "Morning work"
□ Involves a farmer inviting colleagues to work on his farm to perform a morning task, and is then committed to returning the favor.
□ Common for tasks such as peeling ginger
○ "Day-for-day"
□ Involves work over the whole day
□ Meals are provided for the participants
□ The farmer is expected to work under similar terms for all colleagues who helped in his arrangements
□ Tends to be for heavier tasks such as clearing land, tilling the soil and planting yams |
|
|
Term
| Accompong Maroon Community: Today |
|
Definition
| • The population of Accompong is roughly around 1,000 people • Every January 6, there is a festival that commemorates the signing of The Treaty of 1739 with the British It is celebrated with music, dancing and feasting |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
- The most well-known Maroon settlement in St. Domingue was Le Maniel
- This Maroon was settled in the central mountains near the border of the Spanish Santo Domingo
- The French repeatedly tried to eradicate Le Maniel but had little success since this Maroon had the assistance of Spanish settlers
- The people in Le Maniel brought their merchandise to the nearby Spanish frontier towns
- Where Spanish merchants received the goods and factored for the Maroons
- Merchants would also warn the Maroons when French reprisals were imminent
|
|
|
Term
|
Definition
- In 1763, the French ceded Dominica to the British
- The economy changed fairly quickly from the dependence of coffee and spice production to sugar plantations
- This shift in the economy led to an increase in the number of slaves
- From 5,872 to 15,753 (Knight, 175)
- And in 1785, the population of the Maroon settlements were estimated at about 300
- This is when Maroons began to raid plantations
- British tried to stop the raiding by negotiation at first but then decided to use military offense instead and forced 559 Maroons to surrender in 1814
|
|
|
