Black Suriname: African Maroon Societies Inwards S America

Maroon communities inward the so-called New World were gratis Africans, to a greater extent than oft than non from 

Western Africa, who managed to escape European enslavement. This painting depicts 

Jamaican Maroons waiting to ambush an approaching British military settlement

(Image: cir. 1795, painting past times J. Bourgoin, courtesy

of The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities)

African Maroon or Black Maroon societies are historically known to accept existed throughout the Americas: from the Carolina islands of the U.S. to the Florida peninsula of the United States, to the mountains of Jamaica into the Suriname (fka Dutch Guiana) jungles. Maroon communities equally good existed in Brazil too Mexico. The Maroons were enslaved Africans captured past times European slavers for forced plantation operate inward the New World.

Through revolt, the enslaved African became fugitive slaves too banded into refugee African communities throughout the Americas too Caribbean, developing split upward from European settlers. Among the oldest known Maroons were from the portion straightaway called Suriname inward northeastern South America. African Maroon societies developed inward Suriname equally early on equally the 17th Century.

Photo of Ndyuka tribes men of Suriname

Africans of Suriname: Djuka too Saramaka

The historical documentary below was shot inward what was too hence known equally Dutch Guiana by James A. Fitzpatricks for TravelTalks: Voice of the Globe. It provides a snapshot of the life of a grouping of kidnapped too purchased West Africans who chose to flee Dutch plantation slavery inward South America. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 1976 report past times Richard Price states that at that spot were half-dozen African Maroon groups inward Suriname, dividing them into 2 top dog groups on the reason of cultural too linguistic differences, equally good equally location: (1) the Eastern Tribes, consisting of the Ndyuka (Aucaner, Awka), the Aluku (Aluku nenge, Boni), too the Paramaka (Paramacca); too (2) the Central Tribes, consisting of the Saramaka (Saramacca), the Matawai, too the Kwinti (cf. the tribal distribution map inward Price 1976: 5). The Djuka too Saramaka are the largest African identify unit of measurement groups. The Aluku, Matawai, too Paramaka are much smaller inward number. The smallest tribe is the Kwinti, alongside fewer than 500 people.

Among the early on anthropological plain studies of New World African tribes were amid the Djuka. In 1961, Dutch historians published substantial ethnographic resources. Additionally, full general ethnographic interrogation amid the Saramaka identify unit of measurement grouping was conducted past times Richard too Sally Price inward 1966-68, too briefly inward 1974-75.

Map of Suriname inward South America

For the most part, the Djuka alive along the interior rivers Suriname. After a one-half century of guerrilla warfare against colonial too European troops, Maroons of Suriname signed treaties alongside the Dutch colonial regime inward the 1760s, enabling them to alive independently. Some commentators nation that the policy of autonomy has changed inward the past times few decades. The Djuka population increased markedly during the eighteenth too nineteenth centuries. Growing numbers are straightaway living inward too roughly Paramaribo, the capitol of Suriname, too they equally good look to last expanding eastward into following French Guiana. See equally good Journey Man Pictures' YouTube video documentary/commentary, Defending the Secret Slave State - Suriname.

For farther reading nearly African Maroon cultures inward the Americas: 

• More from BHH Blog: Africans inward Brazil: Zumbi dos Palmares  Zumbi Leads the Quilombo Resistance
• Herskovits, Melville Jean, too Herskovits, Frances S., “Rebel destiny: amid the Bush Negroes of Dutch Guiana, New York, McGraw-Hill, 1934. 366 p. illus., maps.
• Hurault, Jean, “Etude demographique comparee des Indiens Oayana et des noirs refugies Boni du Haut-Maroni” (Guyane Francaise) [Comparative demographic report of the Oyana Indians too the Boni refugee Blacks of the Upper Maroni (French Guiana). Population, fourteen (1959): p. 509-534.
• Kobben, Andre J. F, “Participation too quantification; plain operate amid the Djuka (Bush Negroes of Surinam).” In D. G. Jongmans too P.C. W. Gutkind, eds. Anthropologists inward the Field. Assen, Van Gorcum, 1967.
• Kobben, Andre J. F. Review of Jean Hurault 1961, “Les Noirs Refugies Boni de la Guyane Francaise. Caribbean Area Studies,” (1965): p. 63-65.
• Price, Richard, “The Guiana Maroons: a historical too bibliographical introduction.” Baltimore too London, the Johns Hopkins University Press, 1976.