Dear Traveler, you are not the first and you will not be the last
There was a time when the whole world was a cage. When every map, every law, every decree insisted there was no place for the enslaved to be free.
And yet, they ran.
They ran into the swamps, up the mountains and deep into the wilderness. They became architects of their own freedom, building homes where there were no foundations, raising families under canopies of resistance, singing songs that carried their names forward through time.
Maroons and Maroon Communities existed all over the world. They were self-sustaining, self-defining and self-emancipated.
Like them, we aim to create in defiance of those who would rather erase us. Their legacy is our foundation. Their defiance is our inheritance.
Dear Traveler, we have gathered for your refreshment five remarkable Maroon histories. Let their stories guide you. Let their resilience fortify you. Let their belief in the impossible inspire you.
1. The Great Dismal Swamp (Virginia & North Carolina, USA)
For decades, the vast, mosquito-ridden terrain of the Great Dismal Swamp was home to thousands of Maroons who fled plantations in the American South. The swamp—spanning the border of Virginia and North Carolina—was nearly impossible for outsiders to navigate. Like many who chose the wilderness, they used the rough terrain to shield themselves from slave catchers and other outsiders. The Maroons who lived there created fully functioning communities with cabins, forges and armed watch towers. In recent years, archeologists have started excavating the area with the hopes of learning more about these notoriously secretive societies.
To read more about the archeological dig at the Great Dismal Swamp site click HERE.
Watch YouTube Short from PBS on The Great Dismal Swamp HERE
2. San Basilio de Palenque (Colombia)
Founded in the 1600s by Benkos Biohó, a formerly enslaved African, San Basilio de Palenque was established over two centuries before Colombia gained independence from Spain. In 1603, a peace agreement was reached between the Spanish and the community of formerly enslaved people. It remains one of the most significant Maroon communities in history and it is still surviving to this day.
Remarkably, the people of Palenque have preserved their culture, language, and traditions for generations, leading UNESCO to designate it a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005.
See and hear the Palenque people in this 2 min documentary from Tipofthespear HERE
3. Harriet Jacobs (North Carolina, USA)
While many Maroon communities thrived in groups, some Maroons lived in solitude, hiding in swamps, forests, or concealed spaces to ensure their survival. Isolation increased the probably of never being caught, but it also folks to remain close to loved ones still in bondage. Instead of fleeing north, Harriet Jacobs hid in a tiny attic crawl space above her grandmother’s house in Edenton, North Carolina. For nearly 7 years she watched her children, who were still enslaved, through a tiny hole in the wall. Harriet was able to read and write and became the first woman to write what historians call a “slave narrative”.
Jacobs autobiography, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" begins with the following sentence:
“Reader, be assured this narrative is no fiction. I am aware that some of my adventures may seem incredible; but they are, nevertheless, strictly true.”
4. Nanny and the Windward Maroons (Blue Mountains, Jamaica)
Queen Nanny is one of the most famous Maroon figures in history. Under her leadership in the 18th century, the Jamaican Maroons fought against British forces in what is known as the First Maroon War. Using the rugged terrain of the Blue Mountains as a backdrop for guerrilla warfare, Queen Nanny led the Maroons in a fight for freedom. The Maroons forced the British to sign a peace treaty in 1739, granting them land and autonomy.
Click HERE to check out this video full of interesting facts about Queen Nanny (Did you know she’s on the Jamaican $500 bill?)
Check out the trailer for the Queen Nanny (and learn more about Maroons) HERE.
5. Jean Saint Malo and the St. Malo Maroons (Louisiana, USA)
The San Malo Maroons, named after leader their leader Jean Saint Malo, formed hidden enclaves in the swamps and bayous outside New Orleans. They built a community that was nearly half women, including Jean St. Malo’s wife Cecilia. In addition to surviving off the land, they had mutual aid agreements with free and enslaved people in New Orleans, as well as the Indigenous people, especially members of the Choctaw Nation. This adds further context to the Mardi Gras Indian ritual in New Orleans. The Maroons fiercely defended their territories with an open warning to trespassers “Woe betide the white man who crosses these bounds.” When members of the group were attacked and captured, Jean Saint Malo went after them, freeing his comrades and slaying the kidnappers.
Learn more about the St. Malo Maroons and the fate of Jean St. Malo HERE
Listen to the Dirge of St. Malo- an Oral History Artifact- HERE. See a performance in Louisiana Creole HERE
From the swamps of the American South to the mountains of Jamaica, Maroon communities remind us that freedom is an inherent right. They are an example of radical imagination and a model of survival and resilience in the face of the impossible.
In Solidarity
