Maroon Culture

This project is a portal for Maroon groups throughout the Americas, and a product and sister to the Facebook group of the same name: Maroon Culture.

WHO AND WHAT ARE MAROONS?

The word Maroon is said to stem from the spanish word 'Cimarron', which means (from the colonialist's perspective) uncontrollable, 'wild, and untamed'. The etymological root of 'Cima' means top, as it relates to the mountains. The etymological root of 'Maron' goes back to antiquity and stems from an old rustic god coming from the region of modern day Ethiopia and Yemen.

So in that context, Maroons are gods of the mountaintop.

Examples of Maroons are:

• the Seminoles,
• the Garinagu/Garifuna,
• the Miskito,
• the Gullah/Geechee,
• the Ndyuka,
• the Yankankoo or Jamaican Maroons,
• the Palenques of Colombia,
• the Boni,
• and many more.

Many Maroon groups are recognized by the United Nations as Indigenous Peoples. Some Maroons are not called by the name Maroon but by their tribal name, while others embrace the name Maroon as a name of pride and distinction.

PURPOSE

This group is about Maroons, and their cultural and historical impact upon the world (past and present).

We believe in the support and defense of the Indigenous Status of various Maroon communities, in particular, those within the Caribbean and the Americas.

We also believe in helping people connect to Indigenous Maroon Heritage by introducing genealogical tools that may help those that may feel that they have Maroon heritage in their background.

References, Resources and Links

• WRITING IN NDYUKATONGO - A CREOLE LANGUAGE IN SOUTH AMERICA
• Maroon Societies and Creole Languages
• Maroon Archaeology
• Review of Slavery, Atlantic Trade and the British Economy, 1660-1800, by Kenneth Morgan
• Slave Rebellion
• Marowijne District
• How Cuban Villagers Learned They Descended From Sierra Leone Slaves