EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was first published in 2018.
Today is the 12th of July.
Today we remember the Maroons and pay tribute to their contribution to our history.
We have chosen the anniversary of the death in battle of Chief Jacko, most respected and long-lived leader of the Maroons (Neg Mawon) of Dominica to symbolize the whole Maroon presence in our history.
The Maroons were the Africans who, since 1761 at least, refused to accept the system of slavery and took up arms against it. At their height, they were probably around 3000 men, women and children. They organized themselves in military camps that later developed into strong social communities. Some of the most developed camps resembled the kinds of villages that would emerge among the freed slaves after emancipation more than half a century later.
It is truly remarkable that in the very difficult circumstances that they found themselves, fighting for their lives in dense mountain jungles thousands of miles from their native lands, these Africans were still able to survive and create sufficiently stable communities to raise children and cultivate. A significant proportion of Maroon society were women. At the time of Jacko’s death, there were thirteen such Maroon Communities (camps), scattered in the forested mountains. Their military campaigns were coordinated by the Grand Camp which both Bala and Jacko seemed to have controlled at various times and which was probably located in the area of Morne Neg Mawon in the Belles Area.
They had an economy also with a well-developed trade in agricultural products which were traded not only with the plantation slave/labourers, but free people in Roseau also. They could be very productive farmers, said, in one case to have more than 4 acres extensively cultivated with a diversity of crops. Wah-wah was a staple item of exchange, but all sorts of forest produce were involved.
By the time of the second and last Maroon Wars, 1814/1815, Maroon numbers had dwindled and marroonage had lost much of its appeal among the plantation slaves from which they recruited, but they never lost the boldness in action that made them famous in the region. When Governor Ainslie sent captured Maroons to Chief Quashie in 1814 with an ultimatum to surrender or face death, and a bounty of £2000 put on his head, the Great Chief immediately proclaimed a similar bounty back on Ainslie’s head.
The Maroons are hugely important to our self-identity as a society and nation. Their story says loudly to us that our past is not defined just by slavery; but also resistance to slavery also. It shows us that wired in our cultural DNA is an attitude not just to power and governance, but the limits of power of governance; and that it is always open to the body of ordinary citizens to take action to end tyranny and abuse of power by those who govern.
This cultural trait has surfaced over and over in our relatively short history – in what was called the Negro Riots of 1844; the LaPlain insurrection of 1891; the Kalinago Revolt of 1932, the “Back to the Land” Dred Movement of the early 70s, the Castle Bruce Cooperative Revolt in 1972, the Geneva Uprising of 1974 and of course the Great Political Uprising which toppled the elected Government of Patrick John in 1979. This same cultural trait may yet accomplish even greater feats in the future! Its roots go right back to the Maron Resistance and to the Resistance of our Kalinago ancestors which had been crushed a century earlier in the 1720s, but which may also have inspired Maroon resistance.
And yet the story of the Maroons remains largely unknown, in spite of Dr. Honychurch’s recent book, “Neg Mawon”. This is the worst of ironies considering that it is no longer the white slave master, but the descendants of those same suffering slaves, who now rule the land. We are nowhere close to being truly free. We are still constrained by the dead hand of the past. Either by design or ignorance, we are ourselves the agents of a system made to keep us down. The education system is an effective tool for misrepresenting or deliberately ignoring the significance of our Maroon past.
The 12th of July Movement is a movement for cultural transformation; a movement aimed at tackling our longest and most persistent foe – slavery of the mind, Bob Marley’s “mental slavery”, the biggest obstacle to our progress and the greatest threat to our survival as a people.
But we can take small steps to begin to bring forward the message and raise the consciousness of our people: We call on the government to officially declare the 12th July as National Maroon Day; transform the old market from a private to a public space as a national monument of remembrance of the Maroon legacy in our history; that we burn a flame eternally, to forever mark the time of the Maroons and what they stood for, the most precious things for humans apart from their basic needs – liberty, human dignity, community.
Will not the younger generation help make the change? Young Dominicans, this is a message to you. Let us locate and reconstruct those 13 Maroon camps in tribute to the memories of such an illustrious ancestry for the education and enjoyment of our people and our visitors.
Elizabeth I can understand ‘you’ would like to move on, but not so fast. Just because they let you buy a car, house, and shop without shackles ‘you’ satisfied and want to move on. The Europeans who miseducation your parents into believing the cr×p you wrote can only get credit for not putting adult shackles on the little children they took from Kush aka Africa. They actually made smaller ones for the kids. Oh how you’d like to forget that, but we’re can’t.
You’d also like to forget that they only gave you 10 out of the 43 commandments and carefully left out one that said ‘One shall not enslave his brother’, then, after enslaving their own people went to Kush aka Africa with blessings from edicts by the famous Vatican. You’re up to mischief. I know you reading this, be guided accordingly!
I join in solidarity with you, my brother, in honouring our forefathers and what they stood for, especially their adamant resistance against those evil and wicked forces of evil. They decided that they would not be conquered by those despots, thereby, leaving us their legacy. We, as an African people, should not be ashamed of who they were and what they stood for. Their Story should be a part of the schools’ curriculum and their lives should be celebrated on a grand scale every July 12th. They were not weak and coward but rather they were resilient, brave and strong. Dr. Arikana Chihombori, a medical doctor and activist said that the slaves were Africa’s strongest and brightest. We should also divorce ourselves from slave-oriented christianity and observe our African Spirituality.
Some of our great African Historians and Scholars are, Dr. Ben Yosef Yochanan, Dr. John Henrik Clarke, Dr. Amos Wilson, Professor James Smalls, Dr. Carter G. Wilson, Dr. Frances Cress Welsing and many…
Thanks for the list, should be published all over so we get used to reading it. I will surely research them for education on Africa and heritage. Heard Dr Joy De Gruy and Kaba Kamene and learned so much about Africa’s majesty. Wow
Yes, Annon, unless we educate ourselves no one will do do for us. Many of us are known to read one book, which does not encourage our history but rather teaches us to be meek even when we get spate in the face. We must continue to stand up and defy what have been set against. We are the ones to make a difference if change must come to pass. Our children need to know their ancestors’ Story and not His-story. Who ever said that we are independent? Why is that queen’s face still on the dollar bills and why do we still have these Europeans’ streets on the island? And what about the word commonwealth? Whose wealth are we sharing? We ought to pay close attention to words because sometimes they have subliminal messages. We have been fed too many lies and that’s why we have to rewrite our Story. Yes, brother Kamene is very deep. Proud of you, my brother!! Keep up the good work.
HOTEP
The Province of Nova Scotia in Canada is well-populated with black people. I learned that those people are the descendants of the Maroons (runaway slaves) another name for them. The trace of slavery and its impacts will never be wiped off as long as we continue to keep it alive.
As a matter of fact, I believe that we are simply plugging the minds of our younger generation with ideas or concepts they will never understand.
When I was a child I used to hear my grandmother speak about “Neg-Mawon”, but what she spoke about them did not sound very nice–at least not to me.
My mother never spoke about those things to us; neither did we, to our children. If I go to Dominica and mention “Neg–Mawon” to one of my niece or nephew, he/she will have no idea what I am saying.
And if the story of the Maroons remains largely unknown, why should it affect or freedom. How can we move ahead, if we continue to dwell in the past which is covered by darkness?
Yes I agree with you Elizabeth, the British didn’t wanted us to know about ourselves and black history only to know about crap such as William Shakespeare, or mainly white history to brainwashed us today we all can see the results of it all
Lennox Linton, Francisco, Viewsexpressed, Ibo France, and more all trying to play that same game that the slave masters handed down to us little do they know we are much wiser now, Labour one love 😍 Linton get back to where the sun never shines.
Are you kidding me? You have no idea? Clueless? In this day, after all It’s 2020. Mam, if you have nothing to say you are not obliged to write a comment.
First of all, ignorance is not bliss. Why is it that we, as African people, always want to forget our Story? Do the Europeans ever forget their history? I know that many of us are ashamed of our history but that is because we do not study or research our African Story. Our ancestors became slaves in the Americas and did not come to the West as slaves. Before then, Africa was the cradle of civilisation and all manner of learning occurred there. It seems like we prefer to celebrate European history than ours. Don’t you worship a dead European figure on a cross? Is that part of your history? The Europeans are the ones who enslaved our ancestors and we are ashamed to tell our children about them? How could a race of people, who killed, raped, lynched and did and still do all manner of evil turn around and save us by giving us a dead white figure on a cross? The cross is a symbol of death and not life. Educate yourself before you make illegitimate comments.
UNAPOLOGETIC
Well put padna. I just can’t believe the still are people so naive remaining in this world in this day. She is all about a white jesus, what a shame.
Wow! are you for real? did you read what you wrote before you posted it?. That is the reason why some people are so backward, they have no clue where they came from, who they are, or how they got here. History is good, and knowing our roots is part of that history. Are you suggesting we forget the sacrifices our forefathers made for us, I am totally shocked at your response to our heritage, and even bringing Canadian maroons into this. I am sure the Canadians know their history so you should know yours. There is too much literature available these days to make excuses and blame parents for not telling us , take the opportunity to learn and not be so negative apparently you never heard of ancestors or tribes maybe not even family tree I am not sure what you know about Dominica’s history and culture but, you should research it. You must know where you came from to be able to assess where you are and plan where you are going or the future.
Tell me about it my brother!!! You see, the enemies of African people really did a great job by captivating the minds of some of our people. At one time I did not think outside of the box but when I came in contact with our African Story, I had to emancipate my mind from MENTAL Slavery and Slave-oriented CHRISTIANITY. That is what CHRISTIANITY was used for. To eradicate our Story from our psyche. Like you mentioned, “there’s too much literature available these days.” You see, they worked on our psyche so much that we became scared of reading anything outside of the European BIBLE. Our African Spirituality was considered devilish and Christianity took it’s place. We have such an African Story that is second to none and it is pitiful that we are ashamed of it.
PEACE
For those who do not know African history, they will always take offense because we have been taught to elevate the ones who enslaved our fore-parents and to shun/despise each other. The Willie Lynch Letter is proof of that type of behaviour. It is rather sad that in 2020 many of our people still continue to live a life of Mental oppression. If we do not resist oppression, we will never be Mentally free. One way of doing so is to reject that white saviour that was given to us when slavery was conceived. Many continue to feed that to their spirit, thus suffocating our Africaness and Spirituality. We need to liberate our minds in order to be spirituality free, my people.
UNAPOLOGETIC
Some recommended Historians are: Dr. John Henrik Clarke, Dr. Amos Wilson, Dr. Ben Yosef Yochanan, Dr. Carter G. Wilson, Dr. Ivan Van Sertima, Dr. Anthony Browder, Dr. Frances Cress Welsing, Professor Ashra Kwesi, Professor James Smalls, Professor Kaba Hiawatha Kamene,