Strategies!
The Maroons used many logistic and military strategies to insure that the security of their villages or towns were not breach. The first, was the formation of "Maroon Towns," as they were called by the island's authorities was based on strict security consideration. These towns were to be found in the mountains with the layout of the outer town relatively accessible at the lower slope of the mountain, with each becoming increasingly less so as you journey upward to the most strategic town. This town been at an almost inaccessible point. Hardly any whites ever reach such a town. Each town was planted with provisions and should the government parties capture one, the Maroons would simply retire to another, equally well supplied with food. The high elevation of the towns gave them a commanding view of the lowlands from where the parties would approach. And, at every approach to these towns sentries were constantly posted to watch for the enemies. When the enemies were sighted the sentries would alert the communities by blowing the abeng, the horn of a cow used as a trumpet, as was the practice in parts of West Africa. The abeng, is still used today in Maroon communities, and can be heard at a considerable distance. Its' sound would immediately alert other Maroons. At the sound of the Abeng the Maroons would listen attentively, since it was fashioned in such a way to produce many different sounds. These different notes were used to convey messages at a great distance. For instance, as the British approached the towns the sentries would blow the abeng telling the town's residents of the approaching troops, the amount of armaments they carries, the path they were using and so on. The sounding of the abeng put the whole community into battle readiness, the soldiers would prepare to ambush the enemy while the women and children retire to prearranged safe quarters. In time the British realized the significance and importance of the abeng and was terrified of its' sound. Also, the Maroons knew that the British found the sound of the abeng "hideous and terrible", and exploited it use to the fullest extent, by blowing on it continuously when the parties were close to their towns creating confusion and some time flight among the soldiers.
The second, guerrilla strategy employed by the Maroon of Jamaica, was concealment. They remain hidden from their enemies, their method of attack and ambush, used elaborate camouflage imitating the woods and shrubs around them. This make it difficult for the enemy to determine their numbers and to makeup demographically computation of their whereabouts on the island. Thus, among the Maroons, secrecy was of paramount importance. Secrecy make it difficult for the British colonial authorities to locate their camps. So, "most member of each community were bound by the awesome Akan oath where secrecy was enjoined ... all the ranking officials and soldier class were participants." Secrecy was a pivotal part of the Maroons strategy and all the men sworn an oath. Some historians believes that Maroon women were not bound by this oath since most insightful accounts of Maroon settlements come from captured Maroon womens.
Runaways, who wish to join any of these groups,also took the oath. The oath was to show loyalty and was held very sacred by those who took it. Any prisoner or runaway who refused to take the oath was instantly put to death. This seem very severe but the security of Maroon communities depends heavily on this secrecy oath. The Maroon learned from experience that the casual runaways were a security risk - those who stayed in their town for a short time. Such runaways might divulge to the authorities the locations of the towns, or actually lead raiding parties to them, with fatal consequences to the maroons. The few successes of government troops against the Maroons was due to the skill of the black soldiers or black guides who divulged the secret of Maroon communities to certain parties, that cause these parties to take them by surprise. The government had a unit of slave soldiers called the "Black Shots" that were adept as the Maroons at ranging the woods. A certain Captain Sambo was an outstanding slave soldier. He led many parties, and was good at shooting Boars. When compared with other white officers it was reported that whatever victory the parties had depended "more on him and the little Successful Party under his command than on Peters" (a white commanding officer who was later recalled for incompetence and misbehaviour). Between 1731 and 1734 "the record show that while the whites of the parties would often wish to halt from fatigue of long, arduous marches in impossible situations, Sambo, on the contrary would "use his utmost endeavour to get them forward and all to no purposes." By 1733, Sambo was freed and promoted to Captain. Later on, his wife and children were freed and they settle around the Nanny Town area.
The Maroons were organized into two major groups!
The early Maroons lived in some of the most inaccessible places in Jamaica - the
Cockpit Country.
There were two major groups - the Leeward Maroons lived in the South Central part of Jamaica with a strong central leader.
The most famous of the leaders of the Leeward Maroons was Cudjoe who signed the first Peace Treaty with the British. Cudjoe was autocratic and had an accommodationist policy towards the whites, when it suited him. He rules with iron decipline and had absolute power to set rules and punish those that violates them, even to carry out the sentence of death. During a state of martial law on the island the British were most successful against the Maroon and for the second time, captured Nanny Town. This was between May 8 and August, 1735, the dispersed rebels were extremely harassed by the raiding parties. They were driven from one place to another, running low on provisions and ammunition, and fatigue, hunger, and sickness cause many of them to die. Thus routed, the Windward Maroons separated into several groups of about 140 men, women and children and began a long walk to St. Elizabeth on the Leeward side of the island. A march from the eastern region to the western region of "some 150 miles." But, on reaching their destination they were not welcome by Captain Cudjoe. Some accounts say that there were not enough provisions for his people and the new comers. And, that he blamed them for great indiscretions in their conduct before the parties were sent out against them, "telling them that it was a rule with him never to provoke the whites unless forced to it." He showed them several graves where people were buried that he had executed for murdering white men against his orders. He told the windward Maroons that it was their "Barbarous and unreasonable cruelty and insolence to the white people was the cause of their fitting out parties who would in time destroy them all." But, historians believe that Cudjoe a despotic master of his group was unwilling to risk sharing leadership with the other chiefs of the windward rebels.
The second group the (Windward Maroons) lived in the North and North Eastern part of the island and did not have a central leader. They formed and was organized in politico - military groups. They lived in different communities under different leaders, but each group cooperated with each other. Each of the towns in the Windward group had a Headman, who by the 1730 "order" everything. In Nanny Town for example, if a man committed any crime he was put to death. A faith that not even the Headman could escape if his crime was serious enough. The most famous of these leaders was, Nanny,for whom a town was named after.
 |
 |
A strong relationship exists between resistance and African religions when we look at slave rebellions, in general, or the Maroon societies. Ethnic Africans - Yoruba, Ebo, Fon, or the Akan group - would invariably invoke the right loa (spirit) before going to war. The most popular of these deities was the loa ogun (Yoruba God of War) who was called upon before going into battle with the enemy. The warriors would take oath of allegiance and fidelity to the cause; rub magical concoctions and carry an assortment of charms or amulets on their person to war. A duty of religio - military leaders were to prepare and applied these magical portions, with the beliefs that it would render them impervious to their opponents bullets. The role of religious beliefs
"gave the unifying force, the conspiratorial locus, the rallying point to mobilize, to motivate, to inspire and to design strategies. It gave the ideology, the mystique, and pertinacious courage and leadership to Maroon societies to confront the mercantilist society with its awesome power."Maroon leaders were expected to possess the knowledge and to be able to unleash supernatural force. This was the beliefs of the Jamaican heroine Nanny and her followers.
The origins of Nanny is hidden in an intricate network of myths and legends that make it difficult to get the facts about her. It is said that she was a obeah woman with supernatural powers, the authorities claiming her exploits include sorcery or witchcraft. But, regardless of her origins, Nanny was a very influential person and in true African fashion a respected leader in her community. Nanny of the Maroons or Granny Nanny was very aggressive and uncompromising in her stand against the slave system and would not have been in agreement with Cudjoe treaty with the government. Perhaps a reason for this is the location of the different groups. The windward group lived on the east and northeast side of the island, an area known to the plantocracy, with fertile land needed for developing sugar cane plantations. On the other hand, Cudjoe and the Leeward group lived in a more isolated mountainous stronghold, their activities more settled and relax than if they were constantly routed by the authorities. "Cudjoe's group were virtually unknown until in the 1730, except to a few planters in St Elizabeth and St. James." Nevertheless, during the 1720, Maroons activities against the plantations increased on both sides of the island, mainly because of the governments' aggressive campaign against them. Both groups raided plantations for ammunition powder, arms, and supplies and abducted plantations slave, particularly women. Their capture of women was so successful that by 1730, in both Nanny Town and Guy's Town the number of women and children exceeded that of the men. "George Manning a planter in 1728, purchased twenty-six slaves for his estate, but by the end of the year, after the usual "seasoning" deaths and the Maroon raids, in addition to a few who ran away singly, only four remained."
Campbell, Mavis C., (1990) "The Maroons of Jamaica"
Return to Home Page.