T H E M A R O O N OOfficial NewspaperBSERVER of the Jamaican Maroons JA$60 • January 2005 • SPECIAL EDITION • 267 Years of Independence Charles Town Maroons MAROONS CELEBRATE 267 YEARS OF in Touch with their Heritage INDEPENDENCE A Maroon museum, the Maroon town on the island an op- first of its kind, has been built in portunity to bring greetings and Charles Town bringing together do a cultural presentation. The the community and offering a only group unable to attend was cultural experience for visitors. Scotts Hall, but Charles Town, See more on pages Moore Town, and Accompong Town were all represented, per- 2 & 3 forming traditional dance, song and drumming. The festival brought in many Trelawny Town visitors, both from “foreign” and Maroons Exhiled to domestically, Maroons and non- Maroons alike, numbering some- Canada then Africa: On January 6, 2005, the Ac- where around 14,000. The festival Garvey’s Dream? compong Maroons hosted the provides that great economic op- Doniesha Prendergast, Bob Annual Accompong Maroon portunity for the Maroon towns Marley’s granddaughter, After being tricked by the Festival, commemorating the from both the guests and from 267th year of independence from the government. The Jamaican talks with Colonel Sidney British, the Trelawny Town Ma- Peddie next to Cudjoe’s roons were sent to Canada then Britain. The theme of this year’s government is hoped and expect- festival was “Keeping Maroon ed to offer gifts of political con- Sierra Leone. Did this accomplish 3 Monument Heritage and Culture Alive.” The what Marcus Garvey intended in cessions and public funds. This festivities started at 10:00 a.m. year, more action is being taken his “Back to Africa” movement? with a traditional ceremony at to make Accompong a more key hopes to increase cultural aware- See more on page the Kindah tree, reserved for tourist location with the help of ness and knowledge of the Ma- 5 Maroons only as a celebration of the government. The Minister roons, creating educational tours Cudjoe’s birthday and an hon- of Tourism and Industry was aimed at primary and secondary schools, which indirectly further oring of the ancestors. A large brought in as the guest speaker to 5 What do Jamaicans amount of food was roasted and the festival to address the desire increases the draw to the area. dedicated to Cudjoe and all those by Colonel Peddie to set up an With much energy, motiva- know about Maroons? before them. The night before the Accompong Maroon Foundation, tion and good leadership, it will festival there were also a number which would “enable the village to Surprisingly, not as much as be interesting to see how the Ja- of ceremonies for Maroons only acquire the much-needed funding maican Maroon communities, in you would think. Check out the to reconnect with the ancestral necessary for the development of conjunction with the government, top 3 lists of things Jamaicans spirits through music, dance, and the community as a major tourist continue to develop over the next know about the Maroons and 4 spiritual possession. The events of destination.” The community also few years. things misunderstood about the the night before are very impor- Maroons. tant for those taking part, as on See more on page the actual day of the festival, the spirits are very weary to become 9 incarnate in the bodies of Maroon participants because too many outsiders are seen as potential 1 � � � � � � � � � � enemies. And so, it is the events taking place the night before that Official Newspaper of the Jamaican Maroons hold the most importance for �������� Maroons. The actual day of the festival “The Maroon Observer”™ is more for administrative and is a registered trademark of economic reasons. In an interview Lynk Publishers International, with Colonel Cawley in 1988, he a subsidiary of MacAnthro, Inc. said, “The celebration unites the Maroons and keeps them aware of what is happening and where • • • • • • 2 the Maroons are going today.” Brittany Lynk, Junior Editor This was partially accomplished & Staff Writer, 651-278-7785 through the program that took [email protected] place at Cudjoe’s Monument in the afternoon. As tradition would Led by an abeng player, the Maroons march back to Jack Weatherford, Operations have, the program began with the Cudjoe’s Monument in the center of town after their Assistant & Advisor, 651-696-6144 blowing of the abeng and a prayer. [email protected] The next three hours gave each traditional ceremony in “Old Town” CURRENT NEWS Page 2 THE MAROON OBSERVER January 2005 MAROON TOWNS TODAY: SPECIAL FEATURE When initially beginning my distinct identity, they “do not see research on the Maroons, two themselves as being a nation state Jamaican friends told me that all to themselves; they will not live they were part Maroon. As if that to the exclusion of the Jamaican was not enough to excite me, I Charles Town society. They regard themselves then came to find out that one of as having a right to proper roads, their uncles is currently the colo- educational facilities and medical nel designate of Charles Town, care. Their use of the institutions a Maroon town in Portland in of the wider society and their the northeast part of the island. I exercising of the vote in national could not miss out on this won- elections may seem to indicate a derful opportunity to visit a real sense of identity with Jamaica on 5 Maroon town and talk first-hand their part” as well. with the man in charge. A gun found in Charles Town used by Maroons in the 18th Upon arrival in Charles century, on display in the museum Town, we immersed ourselves in the river for a few hours, then saying, “ethnic identity should be Maroons are also considered linked up with Colonel Frank seen here as a linking principle unique from other Jamaicans Lumsden, or Uncle Lumsden as 2 rather than a fixed attribute.” This because they do not pay taxes we called him. He took us from linking initially occurred through on their land, as no one is even Quao’s Village to Charles Town “the flexible sense of a common allowed to own land given to the proper, where the Maroon cem- heritage, the redefinition of ethnic Maroons in the signing of the etery, museum, and Asafu Yard identity, [and] the creation of a peace treaties. Unfortunately, can be found. The town has two common culture out of disparate because they do not pay taxes, the cemeteries: one for Maroons and materials…[allowing] Jamaican government does not feel obliged one for non-Maroons. It is un- Mr. Kenneth Douglas in the Maroons to overcome the cul- to help out much, leading to bad derstood by many Maroons that tural differences that various local roads and less accessibility to the Maroon museum with some being a Maroon is distinctly dif- communities had developed, and larger Jamaica. So although Ma- community children ferent from being Jamaican. to integrate their societies around roons see themselves as having a “The Maroons, by their daily struggle for freedom, forged for themselves an identity according to which they judge themselves. If that struggle and identity are not understood TRAVELOGUE: JOURNEY then any judgement of them is not valid. This entire complex is dedicated to this understanding.” TO A MAROON TOWN IN —Inscription in museum Maroon Ethnicity a more generalized Maroon eth- THE MOUNTAINS 3 Frank explained to me that nicity.” She continues to say that January 15, 2005—the day I January 16, 2005—If you can’t by the time the peace treaty was the treaty played an important was scheduled to visit the Charles get over ’em, you better go around signed in 1739, a new Maroon role in securing a special ethnicity Town Maroons in the parish of them. Today was the second at- ethnicity had been created, and by closing off “membership of the Portland, Jamaica, high up in the tempt to make it to Charles Town. this ethnicity is passed in blood, Maroon societies, thus insuring Blue Mountains. I woke up with This time, however, we made it. which determines which cemetery that in time they would become 1 excitement and readiness for We entered the town with such one can be buried. This idea of a entirely Creole…making them what was to come. My opportu- ease that I thought for sure we separate ethnicity is supported by unique, further [enhancing] their 4 nity to conduct real ethnographic were not in the right place. Go- Kopytoff, who first sets the stage developing ethnicity.” research with the Maroons, the ing around the mountains made people I have spent countless the town much more accessible. hours reading about and becom- It was very close to the sea and ing fascinated with, was just a just up from the town was a place drive away. This was easier said called Quao’s Village with a nice than done, as I was soon to find river running through, which out. An hour driving up curvy must have provided much water roads, through mud and around to the Maroons of the area. The quite regular obstacles in the trip to Charles Town was fabu- road, gazing down into the valleys lous, eating a lunch of fresh fish of sheer beauty, led us to a non- with two very influential men negotiable dead end. A closed in the community, being shown road. A tree and warning tape around the cemetery where many cutting off access to my research. important Maroons were bur- As is often the case, the journey ied, exploring the museum and was half the fun, and actually for Asafu Yard used for dancing and today had to count for all the fun.