THE MAROONS

TO WHAT EXTENT DID THE MAROONS OF JAMAICA

USE THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT TO SECURE

AND MAINTAIN THEIR FREEDOM FROM THE 18TH

CENTURY?
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NAME: JADE CHEN

CANIDATE NUMBER: 1000491444

SUBJECT: CARIBBEAN HISTORY

TERRITORY: JAMAICA

NAME OF SCHOOL: HOLY CHILDHOOD

TEACHER’S NAME: MS BAILEY

CENTRE: 100049

YEAR OF EXAM: 2020

RESEARCH QUESTION

To what extent did the maroons of Jamaica use the physical environment to secure and
maintain their freedom from the 18thcentury?

 
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First, I would like to thank God for giving me the strength to do this SBA. My aunt and cousin
who stayed up with me countless nights ensuring my work were up to par. My younger sister
who didn’t understand what I was doing yet she motivated me and told me everything would be
perfect. My mother who provided me with the books I needed in order to source some of my
information for my SBA. Lastly, I would like to thank my teacher who has gone out of her way
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to help me understand what I was doing and helping me formulate my responses properly so that
my SBA could be one of the best.
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. TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE

RATIONALE…………………………………………………………………………....….5

THESIS STATEMENT………………………………………………………………..…….6

INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………….............................7-8

BODY OF RESEARCH.......................................................................................................9-12

CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………......13

APPENDIX............................................................................................................................14

BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………….……..15
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RATIONALE

The researcher chose this topic due to an avid interest in the condition of blacks during the 18th
century and how a small group had managed to use their cunning nature and their wits to create a
dent in Caribbean history. The researcher continues to find interest in a female who has
contributed tremendously, her leadership qualities and strength to help the Maroons to overcome
the British. More importantly the researcher desires to understand the specifics that enabled the
Maroons in securing and maintaining their freedom. There were many methods that the Maroons
applied while different aspects of their physical environment helped them to gain an advantage
over their European colonizers .This researcher are interested in exploring them.
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THESIS STATEMENT

The mountainous Terrains of Jamaica, with its vegetation, rivers, land, valleys, ravines, flora and
faunas and caves aided the maroons in maintaining their freedom from the Europeans.
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INTRODUCTION

The Maroons were indeed a cunning group and they demonstrated that in many efficient and
resourceful ways. They were able to outsmart their colonizers and withhold a level of freedom
that many others had not gained. They lead the black resistance and played an integral role in the
freedom of many slaves.

1
The word maroon was derived from the Spanish word cimarrones which means
“mountaineers” and this in itself explains the escape route often times insurmountable for the
whites. The maroons would climb the rough terrains of the mountains and set traps for anyone
who followed them. They would use the vegetation, the isolation and the inaccessibility of lands
to outsmart the whites. This would assist in the ambushing of the whites as they had an
advantage because they knew the land while the whites did not.

2
Maroon means a fugitive slave whose spirit could not be broken by man to the
Jamaicans. Maroons were already present on the island before 1655 when the English came and
captured Jamaica from the Spaniards, causing them to free their slaves; leaving them in the hilly
interior of the island to torture the British with irregular warfare. The Tainos played an integral
role in helping these freed slaves learn to adapt to the mountains. The Spaniards saw this as an
opportunity so they could leave and collect their armies and capture Jamaica once again. The
Spaniards lost the battle in the end and these free slaves became the core of the Jamaican
maroons.

3
The Maroons took complete control of their surroundings; they would take advantage of
the mountains, climbing trees so they could locate their antagonists and gain an advantage
through camouflage. They established communities and managed to create safe environments for
themselves and escaped slaves. The methods in which the maroons used to maintain their
freedom is truly admirable.

1
Thompson, Alvin. "Flight to Freedom: African runaways and maroons in the amercas." Guyana: university of the
West Indies Press, 2006.pg 45-65.
2
Discovering Bristol. 24 June 2016. 10 December 2019 <http://www.discoveringbristol.org.uk/slavery/against-
slavery/black-resistance-against-slavery/the-maroons-of-jamaica/>.

3
Hamilton-Willie, Doris. "The Maroons of Jamaica." Hamilton-Willie, Doris. Lest You Forget- Resistance And Revolt.
Kingston: Jamaica Publishing House LTD, 2005. pgs. 19-26.
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The mountainous Terrains of Jamaica, with its vegetation, rivers, land, valleys, ravines,
flora and faunas and caves aided the maroons in maintaining their freedom from the Europeans.
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BODY OF RESEARCH

The parts of Jamaica that the Maroons took refuge in were some of the most discrete and
ideal look-out spots on the island. The Leeward Maroons occupied St. James and Trelawny while
the Windward Maroons occupied Portland. They were hidden so skilfully so one could mistake a
Maroon for the natural vegetation. The domain of the Leeward Maroons was described as
“mountainous country, intersected by a labyrinth of hills, valley, rivers, deep ravines and
awesome cockpits, with narrow passes and countless caves”4 (A.Thompson 2006). Most attempts
by the British militia to overthrow the Maroons were futile as the Maroons used the environment
and the ignorance of the British soldiers to defeat them. The British struggled greatly with trying
to destroy the natural fortress the Maroons had created for themselves in the interior of the
island.

Moreover, the Primary locations for Maroon settlement in Jamaica in the 18th Century was
high up in the mountains .The mountainous terrain of Jamaica, was the perfect place for the
Maroons to develop their communities. The Maroons in Jamaica made full use of its
geographical conditions in resisting capture and in establishing their independence. The Maroons
used the mountains as their defence system against a British attack. “The high elevation of these
towns gave them a commanding view of the lowlands from whence the parties would approach.”
(A.Thompson 2006). The mountains provided ideal lookout points giving the Maroon an
advantage over the British so they could secure their freedom. The mountains were also difficult
to access as stated by M.T.A. Ashcroft “The John Crow Mountains must be the most deceptive
in the world. Beneath a gentle and benign exterior they are harsh and implacable, utterly useless
to man and exceptionally difficult to penetrate” (A.Thompson 2006). The Maroons had
knowledge about the topography of the mountains and used it as an advantage when fighting the
British as they were not used to the methods of fighting that the Maroons introduced them to
(guerrilla warfare). The Mountains provided all the natural resources the Maroons needed to
secure their freedom.

Rivers were used as a means of irrigation; they would use this to plant fruits and vegetables
so they could sustain themselves. The Maroons would also use the rivers as a source of direction,
4
Thompson, Alvin O. Flight to Freedom: African Runaways and Maroons in the Americas. University of the West
Indies Press, 2006.
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they would set traps in parts of the rivers that were deeper, this would trick the British as they
would feel that part of the water is shallow when in fact it was deep and this would sometimes
take the life of a British Soldier. The water from the rivers was used for domestic purposes and
drinking. “At this mouth, which looks like a great fissure made through a rock by some
extraordinary convulsion of nature, from two hundred yards to half a mile in length, and through
which men can pass only in a single file, the Maroons, whenever they expected an attack,
disposed of [sic] themselves on the ledges of the rocks on both sides . . . and lay covered by the
underwood, and behind rocks and the roots of trees, waiting in silent ambush for their
pursuers”(A.Thompson 2006).

Research conducted found there to be about 1073 caves in Jamaica, seven of which are over
three hundred feet long.5 Majority of these caves have not been explored so the uses of most of
these caves are not yet known. An expedition sent against the Windward Maroons in 1730
reported finding a large cave with two troughs for holding water. One use of caves was for
storing water. Some caves that were used to store water are Runaway cave, Nanny Cave, Slave
Cave, Liberty cave and retreat gully cave. The Maroons would hide in caves and roll boulders
onto any British Solider that came near the cave.

A ravine is a deep, narrow gorge with steep sides. They would often ambush the Europeans
in the ravines as they would be scattered at strategic points around and above the ravines. Their
European enemies had no knowledge of how to bend the environment to their wish and so they
were constantly defeated by the Maroons. 6The Maroons had a signalling system called Abengs
which were made from cow horns and used to blow messages by a series of code notes. The
British did not know of their signalling system so if they heard the abeng they would not know
what they were meant, giving the Maroon another advantage in securing their freedom. When
they were communicating over longer distances they would use the drum and conch shells to
communicate.

The maroons came from Africa which is known for its vast vegetation and landscape and as
such the Maroons were expert trackers and skilled marksmen. The Maroons also used the
5
“Physical Organization of Maroon Communities.” Flight to Freedom: African Runaways and Maroons in the
Americas, by Alvin O. Thompson, University of the West Indies Press, 2006, pp. 192.
6
The Maroon Lifestyle. 31 December 2016. 01 January 2020 <https://jis.gov.jm/information/get-the-facts/the-
maroon-lifestyle/>.
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vegetation to obtain food. For example the Maroons planted and ate yam, plantain and cocoa as
well the heart of palm trees. They practised guerrilla warfare techniques which they used against
the British. Guerrilla warfare is the means by which the Maroons would ambush, sabotage, raid
slave villages, petty warfare, hit and run tactics, and mobility, along with camouflaging
themselves. The Maroons would camouflage themselves using leaves, branches and mud
provided by the natural vegetation around them to blend in with their surroundings. This made it
easier for them to hide in plain sight making their attacks more impactful. The maroons made
spears which they called ‘Junga’ as well as bow and arrows from trees. The trees were also used
as ‘jege’- a medium through which the maroons would communicate with their ancestor before
they went to war. The forests helped the Maroon to develop a defence system for them which
included stakes, trenches and traps. The Maroons were also able to build houses for themselves
with natural vegetation provided to them by the earth and they would use the leaves to make
clothing for themselves. (See figure 1 in the appendix)

The Maroons reared animals, they also hunted wild animals (wild pigs and cows) that were in
the mountains these animals provided the Maroon with their main source of nutrients. In
communities far away from plantations large quantities of livestock, including cattle, horses,
hogs and chickens were reared.7 Just like trees, animals were also used as ‘jege’. They would
contact their ancestors before war using this. The Maroons would domesticate animals for
hunting and also to warn against the presence of a stranger (enemy); the Maroons would also
imitate the sounds of animals in times of war to communicate with each other which was a very
clever way to communicate as it blended in with the sounds of the mountainous environment.
The British could not distinguish between the Maroons and birds as they mastered the technique
of imitating a bird perfectly.

Overall the Maroons utilized their knowledge of the terrains, mountains, caves and ravines to
cunningly devise a plan that would defeat the British militia. This was the Maroons greatest
strength; they knew where every river, ravine and valley was so they could lure the British and
attack them so they could have an advantage over them; thus securing their independence. The
Maroons ability to creatively utilize the resources available to them by the natural resource is

7
Beckles, Shepherd “Revolt and Maroonage.” Liberties Lost: the Indigenous Caribbean and Slave
Systems,Cambridge University Press, 2004, pp. 170–180.
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what helped them secure and maintain their freedom in the 18th century earning privileges and
rights no other slave could imagine receiving.

CONCLUSION
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The mountainous Terrains of Jamaica, with its vegetation, rivers, land, valleys, ravines,
flora and faunas and caves aided the maroons in maintaining their freedom from the Europeans.
The mountainous terrains aided the Maroons in their quest for freedom. The maroons established
settlements primarily in the mountains of Jamaica. The mountains provided other necessary
means of their survival such as rivers, forest, and animals.

Jamaica is a very dense mountainous island and the maroons used this to their advantage
as they would, camouflage themselves using sticks and leaves. The maroons had a different type
of warfare they used guerrilla which included ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit and
run tactics and mobility, to fight a larger and less- mobile traditional military. The Maroons
knowledge of the island helped them in setting traps and lookouts at ideal spots in rivers and
caves.

They cultivated their own food and reared their own animals which helped them elude the
British Militia as they would have no use raiding plantations The Maroons vast knowledge of the
countryside aided them in eluding their enemies and planning counter attacks against them. The
Maroons had knowledge of the land which vastly outdone the armies that the British had over
them. The maroons were skilful in the ways in which they utilized their surroundings to secure
and maintain their freedom. The mountains provided the other necessary means of their survival
such as rivers, vegetation, caves, forests and animals. For instance the rivers provided them with
water that used for irrigation as well as domestic purposes. They grew their own food as well as
utilize the ones that were around them. The caves were used to store water as well as an ambush
point for the Maroons. The forests were used as the defence grounds for the Maroons.

Whether it was food, shelter or clothing, the Maroons were able to cleverly use the
resources which were accessible to them to create a way of life for themselves which included
their freedom.
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APPENDIX

Figure 1
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Beckles, Hilary McD. and Verene A. Shepherd. "Revolt And Marronage." Beckles, Hilary McD.

and Verene A. Shepherd. Liberties Lost - Caribbean Indigenous Societies And Slave

Systems. Dubai: Cambridge University Press, 2009 , 2010.

Hamilton-Willie, Doris. "The Maroons Of Jamaica." Hamilton-Willie, Doris. Lest You Forget-

Resistance And Revolt. Kingston: Jamaica Publishing House LTD, 2005.

Thompson, Alvin. "Flight to Freedom:African runaways and maroons in the amercas." guyana:

university of the West Indies Press, 2006.

DiscoveringBristol. 24 June 2016. 10 December 2019

<http://www.discoveringbristol.org.uk/slavery/against-slavery/black-resistance-against-

slavery/the-maroons-of-jamaica/>.

“The Maroon Lifestyle.” Jamaica Information Service, 31 Dec. 2016, jis.gov.jm/information/get-

the-facts/the-maroon-lifestyle/.