The Jamaican Maroons

The Jamaican Maroons

Introduction

Jamaican Maroons are described as Africans under enslavement and people of identifiable African descent who escaped or ran away from their owners or masters to gain back and protect their freedom. There are common beliefs that the word maroon originated around 1654 when Africans as well as Tainos set free by the Spanish, who proceeded to remote areas of the holm to seek protection from the ongoing English overrun (Eliot, 1). After the settlement of the Maroons, they developed a force that tackled the enslavements system enforced by the English and one that was difficult to defeat. Christer, (5) argues that despite the existence of a controversy surrounding the treaties the Maroons signed with the English, they had a prominent role in undermining the institutionalization of slavery as well as cultural traditions and heritage of Jamaica. The aim of this research paper is to understand the Maroons, their war and fight for freedom as well as understanding their heritage. The hypothesis to be tested in this research is that both the first and the second Maroon wars are as a result of slavery as imposed by the English oppressors.

According to Fryar, (3), the Maroons used several strategies and plans in order to undermine the constant threats posed by the English as well as maintaining their freedom. For instance, they would seek refuge mainly in the Cockpit country which were hilly, densely vegetated and remote areas where they would establish communities.  Also, they were divided into two groups which were based on the location of their settlement, the upwind Maroons and the downwind Maroons (Newman, Simon P. et al, 1). The Windward Maroons were situated in the east of the holm whereas the Leeward Maroons lived on the western section of the holm.

For the purpose of fighting as well as maintaining their freedom, the Windward and Leeward Maroons had to display highly skillful techniques that proved to be more challenging towards the English (Weaver, 1). They worked on surprising the English whose conventional and rigid tactics learned on the field of battle of Europeans. The highly mobile and adaptable Maroon warriors took advantage of the local environment with the ability to strike and withdraw with rapidity making use of ambushes to get their enemies in the crossfire, only to fight when and where they themselves choose. With this ability, the Maroons had an upper hand and a greater advantage at winning the wars (Eliot, 1).

This research finds evidence that the English and the Maroons did engage in war twice during their struggle together. The first war commonly referred to as the first Maroon war lasted roughly a decade. The war was as a result of the fighting between the English and the Spanish solely on the control of the island. After the Spanish had lost in the war, their counterparts, the Maroons continued confronting the English as they struggled to oppress each other (Fryar, 3). Due to their familiarity and knowledge about their environment, chasing after them during the battle was difficult and therefore, their success was inevitable.

According Christer, (5), in the year 1734, the English were successful in one of the huge Maroon settlements referred to as Nanny town. This delivered a blow of defeat to the Windward Maroons. However, the Maroons were persistent in fighting preventing an increase in strength of the inhabitants of the island, reduction of trade, navigation and processing of the British manufacturers and for this reason, they were offered a peace treaty by the English to sign which was signed by the Leeward Maroon leader in 1739 (Newman, Simon P. et al, 1). Due to the lack of involvement in the signing of the treaty, it did not apply to the Windward Maroons, therefore, they maintained their defense systems until when the English offered them a treaty for signing. Both treaties had specific functions which included granting freedom to the Maroons, bring peace by ending the war, and last but not least, to remove the major problem facing them which was the institution of slavery established by the English (Weaver, 1).

The second Maroon war broke out in July 1795 as a result of mounting grievances the Maroons had with the British. The real reason as to why the war broke out is because two Maroons were flogged as they were convicts of stealing pigs. The authorities of the British tried quelling the rebellion by making meeting arrangements but it proved unsuccessful as the Maroons were dissatisfied with the demands of the British, therefore they proceeded into war (Fryar, 3).  The war finally ended in March 1796 and this was followed by a deportation of not less than 500 Maroons to Halifax Nova Scotia in Canada.

Methodology

The variables, tools as well as indicators that were used in data collection for the purposes of the research included; interviews, questionnaires, and article reviews from secondary sources. For purposes of better understanding and reliability, the data collected was processed using techniques such as data organization.

Questionnaires used in this study were divided into two sections which were open-ended and the closed. Each of these questionnaires interrogated the respondents to their level of comfort. Also, the open-ended questionnaires provided an opportunity for the provision of extra information on the research topic. This technique, however, was not efficient as it is only dependent on the literate sample population excluding illiterate who might have contained vital information.

Interviews proved to be the most effective tool in retrieving information from respondents. It gave the interviewer the ability to interact with the sample population while carrying out the investigation. This gave them the opportunity to understand why they react in a certain manner concerning a specific topic. From the research, the following data was obtained.

The study also uncovered that of the 1,456, 000, Maroons, an average of about 870, 000 were killed, suffered the plague and famine as well as banishment during the ongoing war (Christer, 5). After the signing of the treaties, the Maroons had a duty of not harboring any new runaway slave but instead catch them for bounties. It was also an expectation by the British that the Maroons would fight for them in case any attacks by the French or the Spanish (Fryar, 3).

Conclusion

The evidence of the research nullifies the hypothesis to be tested during the research. It is evident that the second war of the Maroons was not as a result of slavery. The Maroons have survived quite an ordeal. They to a great extent observe and maintain their culture and way of life. Their heroism as freedom fighters and a forceful movement against slavery on their own kind earns them a higher place in the making of history. They represent a group of people with great military skills, a set code of governance with a means of survival.

Cited works

Eliot, Lewis B. H. “We Don’T Recognize Your Freedom: Slavery, Imperialism, And Statelessness In The Mid-Nineteenth Century Atlantic World”. Atlantic Studies, 2018,pg 1. Informa UK Limited, doi:10.1080/14788810.2018.1494951.

Petley, Christer. “Agency Of The Enslaved: Jamaica And The Culture Of Freedom In The Atlantic World”. Slavery & Abolition, vol 35, no. 2, 2014, pg. 5. Informa UK Limited, doi:10.1080/0144039x.2014.893693.

Fryar, Christienna D. “Book Review: Agency Of The Enslaved: Jamaica And The Culture Of Freedom In The Atlantic World, Written By D.A. Dunkley”. New West Indian Guide / Nieuwe West-Indische Gids, vol 89, no. 1-2, 2015, pg. 3. Brill, doi:10.1163/22134360-08901006.

Newman, Simon P. et al. “The West African Ethnicity Of The Enslaved In Jamaica”. Slavery & Abolition, vol 34, no. 3, 2013, pg. 1. Informa UK Limited, doi:10.1080/0144039x.2012.734054.

Weaver, Karol K. “Fashioning Freedom: Slave Seamstresses In The Atlantic World”. Journal Of Women’s History, vol 24, no. 1, 2012, pg.1. Johns Hopkins University Press, doi:10.1353/jowh.2012.0009.