Surinamese Maroons

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Surinamese Maroons
KITLV - 104055 - Maroon family in Surinam - circa 1900.tif
Maroon family in Suriname, c. 1900.
Total population
117,567 (2012)
21.7% of Suriname's population [1]
Languages
Saramaccan, Aukan, Kwinti, Matawai, Sranan Tongo, Dutch
Religion
Christianity, Winti
Related ethnic groups
Afro-Surinamese

Surinamese Maroons (also Marrons, Businenge or Bushinengue, meaning black people of the forest) are the descendants of enslaved Africans that escaped from the plantations and settled in the inland of Suriname. The Surinamese Maroon culture is one of the best-preserved pieces of cultural heritage outside of Africa. Colonial warfare, land grabs, natural disasters and migration have marked Maroon history. In Suriname six Maroon groups — or tribes — can be distinguished from each other.

Contents

Location of Indigenous and Maroon groups in Suriname Tribal communities Suriname.png
Location of Indigenous and Maroon groups in Suriname

Demographics

There are six major groups of Surinamese Maroons, [2] who settled along different river banks:


Distribution

Districts of Suriname showing concentration of Maroons as a percentage of total population Choropletenkaart Marrons Suriname.png
Districts of Suriname showing concentration of Maroons as a percentage of total population

Language

The sources of the Surinamese Maroon vocabulary are the English language, Portuguese, some Dutch and a variety of African languages. Between 5% and 20% of the vocabulary is of African origin. Its phonology is closest to that of African languages. The Surinamese Maroons have developed a system of meaning-distinctive intonation, as is common in Africa.

Religion

Maroons in Suriname, 1955 Maroon women with washing Suriname River 1955.jpg
Maroons in Suriname, 1955

The traditional Surinamese Maroon religion is called Winti. It is a syncretization of different African religious beliefs and practices brought in mainly by the Akan and Fon enslaved peoples. Winti is typical for Suriname, where it originated. The religion has a pantheon of spirits called Winti. Ancestor veneration is central. It has no written sources, nor a central authority. Practising Winti was forbidden by law for nearly one hundred years. Since the 1970s, many Maroons have moved to urban areas and have become evangelical. After the turn of the millennium Winti gained momentum. It is becoming more popular, especially in the Maroon diaspora.[ citation needed ]

Religion of Surinamese Maroons (2012) [3]
ReligionNumber of adherents %
Christianity 74,392 63.3%
Catholic 27,62623.5%
Pentecostal 21,74618.5%
Moravian Church 19,09316.2%
Other christian5,9275.1%
No religion25,27021.5%
Winti 9,6578.2%
No answer5,1164.4%
Other1,7551.5%
Don't know1,3771.2%
Total117,567100.0%

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maroons</span> African and black native refugees who escaped from slavery in the Americas, and their descendants

Maroons are descendants of Africans in the Americas and Islands of the Indian Ocean who escaped from slavery, through flight or manumission, and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with indigenous peoples, eventually evolving into separate creole cultures such as the Garifuna and the Mascogos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saramaka</span> Maroon ethnic group of Suriname and French Guiana

The Saramaka, Saamaka or Saramacca are one of six Maroon peoples in the Republic of Suriname and one of the Maroon peoples in French Guiana. In 2007, the Saramaka won a ruling by the Inter-American Court for Human Rights supporting their land rights in Suriname for lands they have historically occupied, over national government claims. It was a landmark decision for indigenous peoples in the world. They have received compensation for damages and control this fund for their own development goals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aluku</span> Maroon nation in French Guiana and Suriname

The Aluku are a Bushinengue ethnic group living mainly on the riverbank in Maripasoula in southwest French Guiana. The group are sometimes called Boni, referring to the 18th-century leader, Bokilifu Boni.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramaccan people</span> Maroon ethnic group of northeast Suriname

The Paramaccan or Paramaka are a Maroon tribe living in the forested interior of Suriname, mainly in the Paramacca resort, and the western border area of French Guiana. The Paramaccan signed a peace treaty in 1872 granting the tribe autonomy.

The Kwinti are a Maroon people, descendants of runaway African slaves, living in the forested interior of Suriname on the bank of the Coppename River, and the eponymous term for their language, which has fewer than 300 speakers. Their language is an English-based creole with Dutch, Portuguese and other influences. It is similar to the languages spoken by the Aluku and Paramaccan Maroons, and split from Sranan Tongo in the middle 18th century. The Kwinti had a population of about 300 in 2014 and adhere to the Moravian Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ndyuka language</span> Creole language of Suriname and French Guiana

Ndyuka, also called Aukan, Okanisi, Ndyuka tongo, Aukaans, Businenge Tongo, Eastern Maroon Creole, or Nenge is a creole language of Suriname and French Guiana, spoken by the Ndyuka people. The speakers are one of six Maroon peoples in the Republic of Suriname and one of the Maroon peoples in French Guiana. Most of the 25 to 30 thousand speakers live in the interior of the country, which is a part of the country covered with tropical rainforests. Ethnologue lists two related languages under the name Ndyuka, the other being a dialect of Lutos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cottica</span> Place in Sipaliwini District, Suriname

Cottica Lawa, often shortened to Cottica and also called Cotticadorp is a village in the district of Sipaliwini, Suriname. It is located in the east, along the Marowijne River and the border with French Guiana. The village has a school, and a clinic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tapanahony</span> Resort in Sipaliwini District, Suriname

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apatou</span> Commune in French Guiana, France

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papaichton</span> Commune in French Guiana, France

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ndyuka people</span> Maroon ethnic group of Suriname and French Guiana

The Ndyuka people or Aukan people (Okanisi), are one of six Maroon peoples in the Republic of Suriname and one of the Maroon peoples in French Guiana. The Aukan or Ndyuka speak the Ndyuka language. They are subdivided into the Opu, who live upstream of the Tapanahony River in the Tapanahony resort of southeastern Suriname, and the Bilo, who live downstream of that river in Marowijne District.

Afro-Surinamese are the inhabitants of Suriname of mostly West African and Central African ancestry. They are descended from enslaved Africans brought to work on sugar plantations. Many of them escaped the plantations and formed independent settlements together, becoming known as Maroons and Bushinengue. They maintained vestiges of African culture and language. They are usually split into two ethnic subgroups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granman</span> Paramount chiefs of Maroon nations in Suriname

Granman is the title of the paramount chief of a Maroon nation in Suriname and French Guiana. The Ndyuka, Saramaka, Matawai, Aluku, Paramaka and Kwinti nations all have a granman. The paramount chiefs of Amerindian peoples in Suriname are nowadays also often called “granman”.

Bokilifu Boni was a freedom fighter and guerrilla leader in Suriname, when it was under Dutch colonial rule. Born in Cottica to an enslaved African mother who escaped from her Dutch master, he grew up with her among the Maroons in the forest. He was such a powerful leader that his followers were known as Boni's people after him. They built a fort in the lowlands and conducted raids against Dutch plantations along the coast. Under pressure from Dutch regular army and hundreds of freedmen, they went east across the river into French Guiana. Boni continued to conduct raids from there, but was ultimately killed in warfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boniville</span> Village in French Guiana, France

Boniville is a village of Aluku Maroons in the commune of Papaïchton located on the Lawa River in French Guiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara Creek (river)</span> River in Suriname

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Saramaka is a neighbourhood of Kourou, French Guiana. The neighbourhood is mainly populated by Saramaka maroons from Suriname who settled in the area during the construction of the Guiana Space Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">France–Suriname relations</span> Bilateral relations

Diplomatic relations between France and Suriname were established on 25 August 1976. Suriname and the French overseas department of French Guiana share a common border of 520 kilometres (320 mi). Suriname operates an embassy in Paris, a consulate in Cayenne, and an honorary consulate in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. France operates an embassy in Paramaribo, a consulate in Georgetown, Guyana, and an honorary consulate in Albina.

References

  1. "Censusstatistieken 2012" (PDF). Algemeen Bureau voor de Statistiek in Suriname (General Statistics Bureau of Suriname). p. 76. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  2. Cf. Langues de Guyane, sous la direction de Odile RENAULT-LESCURE et Laurence GOURY, Montpellier, IRD, 2009.
  3. Tabel 7.3. Totale bevolking naar geloofsovertuiging/godsdienst en etnische groep . Gearchiveerd op 5 februari 2023.

Further reading