Glossary
African diaspora
The global dispersion of people of African descent, largely due to the transatlantic slave trade, leading to the spread and adaptation of African cultures and traditions worldwide.
Example:
Maroon communities emerged across the African diaspora, from the Caribbean to Brazil, showcasing widespread acts of defiance.
Bayano
A significant leader of a Maroon community in Panama who led successful raids against Spanish settlements and plantations before his eventual capture and execution.
Example:
Bayano's leadership in Panama inspired fear in Spanish colonists and hope among the enslaved population.
Collective Identity
A strong shared sense of belonging, purpose, and solidarity among members of a Maroon community, crucial for their survival, internal cohesion, and resistance against slavery.
Example:
A powerful collective identity united the Maroons, enabling them to work together for their common freedom and defense.
Cultural Blends
The unique synthesis of various African traditions, languages, and practices, often combined with indigenous or European influences, that characterized Maroon societies.
Example:
Maroon communities developed rich cultural blends, preserving elements of their African heritage while adapting to new environments and forging new identities.
Diverse Skills
The wide range of abilities and expertise, such as warrior tactics, craftsmanship, farming, and healing, possessed by individuals within Maroon communities, essential for their self-sufficiency and defense.
Example:
The diverse skills of Maroon community members, from expert farmers to skilled warriors, ensured their survival and autonomy.
Great Dismal Swamp
A large, inhospitable wetland region on the border of Virginia and North Carolina that served as a significant refuge for self-emancipated Africans forming Maroon communities in North America.
Example:
Many freedom-seekers found refuge and built communities within the challenging terrain of the Great Dismal Swamp.
Guerrilla warfare
A form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants use tactics such as ambushes, raids, and sabotage to fight a larger, less mobile traditional army, often leveraging knowledge of local terrain.
Example:
The Maroons effectively used guerrilla warfare tactics, leveraging their knowledge of the dense forests and mountains to ambush colonial troops.
Leonard Parkinson, a Captain of the Maroons (Image Significance)
A rare 1796 visual representation of a Maroon leader, significant for challenging the narrative of enslaved people as powerless and highlighting their political and military structures and self-governance.
Example:
The portrait of Leonard Parkinson, a Captain of the Maroons, offers a rare glimpse into the organized leadership and dignity within these autonomous communities.
Maroon Wars
Strategic military conflicts fought between Maroon communities and colonial forces, primarily to protect Maroon autonomy, defend their freedom, and negotiate peace treaties.
Example:
The Maroon Wars in Jamaica demonstrated the sophisticated military strategies employed by self-liberated communities to secure their independence.
Maroon communities
Self-liberated societies formed by formerly enslaved Africans who escaped bondage, representing a powerful form of resistance against slavery and colonialism.
Example:
The Maroon communities of Jamaica successfully defended their autonomy against British forces for decades.
Palenques
The term used in Spanish colonies (such as Colombia, Cuba, and Mexico) to refer to self-liberated Maroon communities.
Example:
In colonial Cuba, the Palenques were formidable strongholds of freedom for escaped slaves, often engaging in raids against plantations.
Queen Nanny
A legendary female leader of the Windward Maroons in Jamaica, renowned for her tactical brilliance in guerrilla warfare and her pivotal role in negotiating a peace treaty with the British in 1740.
Example:
Queen Nanny's strategic genius allowed the Jamaican Maroons to secure their freedom through a historic treaty, making her a national hero.
Quilombo dos Palmares
The most famous and enduring *quilombo* in Brazil, which existed for nearly a century and housed thousands of self-emancipated Africans, becoming a symbol of organized resistance.
Example:
Quilombo dos Palmares stood as a beacon of freedom and a testament to organized resistance in colonial Brazil, challenging Portuguese authority.
Quilombos
The term used in Brazil to refer to self-liberated Maroon communities, often large and well-organized, serving as centers of African culture and resistance.
Example:
The Quilombos of Brazil, like Palmares, were powerful symbols of resistance against Portuguese slavery and colonial rule.
Remote Locations
Geographically isolated or difficult-to-access areas, such as swamps, mountains, or dense forests, strategically chosen by Maroons for their communities to evade capture and maintain autonomy.
Example:
The remote locations of Maroon settlements made them incredibly challenging for colonial forces to infiltrate and destroy.
Resilience
The capacity of Maroon communities to recover quickly from difficulties and adapt to challenging conditions, including illness, scarcity, and constant threats from colonial powers.
Example:
The resilience of the Maroons allowed them to sustain their freedom and communities despite immense pressure and hardship.
Resistance
The act of opposing or defying slavery and colonial rule, often through the formation of autonomous communities and armed struggle, as exemplified by Maroon societies.
Example:
The very existence of resistance through Maroon communities challenged the institution of slavery and inspired others.
Self-emancipated Africans
Enslaved individuals who freed themselves from bondage, typically by escaping to remote areas to form independent communities.
Example:
The courage of self-emancipated Africans to forge new lives in challenging environments is a testament to human spirit.
The Hunted Slaves (Image Significance)
An 1862 painting by Richard Ansdell that portrays the brutal reality of slavery and the relentless pursuit of escaped individuals, emphasizing the constant fear and danger faced by those seeking freedom.
Example:
The Hunted Slaves serves as a stark reminder of the perilous journey and constant threat faced by those attempting to escape bondage and join Maroon communities.
The Maroons in Ambush on the Dromilly Estate in the Parish of Trelawney, Jamaica (Image Significance)
An 1801 depiction illustrating Maroon guerrilla warfare tactics and their strategic use of terrain, underscoring the complex dynamics of slave resistance and European anxieties about maroon communities.
Example:
The image The Maroons in Ambush on the Dromilly Estate vividly portrays the strategic cunning of Maroon fighters and their mastery of their environment.