When was nanny of the maroons born and died

Nanny and her brothers became folk heroes. Her most famous brother, Cudjoe, went on to lead several slave rebellions in Jamaica with the aid of her other brothers. By , Nanny and Quao had settled and controlled an area in the Blue Mountains. It was given the name Nanny Town, and consisted of the acres 2. Nanny Town had a strategic location as it overlooked Stony River via a foot m ridge making a surprise attack by the British practically impossible.

The Maroons at Nanny Town also organized look-outs for such an attack as well as designated warriors who could be summoned by the sound of a horn called an Abeng. Maroons at Nanny Town and similar communities survived by sending traders to the nearby market towns to exchange food for weapons and cloth. The community raised animals, hunted, and grew crops, and was organized very much like a typical Ashanti tribein Africa.

The Maroons were also known for raiding plantations for weapons and food, burning the plantations, and leading slaves back to their communities. Nanny was very adept at organizing plans to free slaves. For over 30 years, Nanny freed more than slaves, and helped them to resettle in the Maroon community.

Nanny was a leader of the Maroons at the beginning of the 18th century. She was known by both the Maroons and the British settlers as an outstanding military leader who became, in her lifetime and after, a symbol of unity and strength for her people during times of crisis. She was particularly important to them in the fierce fight with the British, during the First Maroon War from to Both legends and documents refer to her as having exceptional leadership qualities.

She was a small, wiry woman with piercing eyes. Her influence over the Maroons was so strong, that it seemed to be supernatural and was said to be connected to her powers of obeah.

She was particularly skilled in organising the guerilla warfare carried out by the Eastern Maroons to keep away the British troops who attempted to penetrate the mountains to overpower them. The African term abeng means conch shell, but for the maroons, abeng was a cow horn with a hole drilled on one end allowing it to produce many sounds. The use of the abeng horn put the British at a great disadvantage because they had no way to communicate over long distances.

The maroons had very few guns, and the weapons they did manage to obtain were from dead soldiers. Fighting from the maroon perspective depended very much on guerrilla tactics. As an obeah priestess, Queen Nanny led the maroons in the practice of traditional African religion that believed that spiritual or supernatural abilities are powers inherited from one's ancestors.

The practice, itself known as "obi," includes rituals and magic. As "cheftainess" she encouraged the maintenance of customs, music, songs, and legends that had come with the people from Africa, believing that this strengthened and instilled their pride and confidence.

Even though the maroons were at times outnumbered ten to one by the better-armed British, Queen Nanny was able to lead them to victory from their base in the rugged Blue Mountains area of Jamaica. Eventually, the maroons were able to hold off countless British incursions, swooping down on plantations and freeing slaves to continue inciting rebellion. The Maroon Wars that started in finally ended under a treaty and land grant that included Nanny's name but not her signature and guaranteed autonomy and freedom for the maroons, including the Leeward Maroons who settled in the west naming their area Accompong.

Nanny was skeptical about Britain's ability to keep its side of the agreement and after the treaty did not actively participate in maroon political affairs. It is said that she was killed by a "quashee," a slave faithful to his white master, but this is not corroborated by evidence. Tire land given the maroons, originally called Nanny Town, is known today as Moore Town.

The area is regarded as sacred and few outsiders are allowed to visit it. It comprises 2, acres and is considered an autonomous territory where Nanny's final resting place, Bump Grave, is located. What saw the Maroons through to freedom were their unfailing courage and determination. Their resistance to slavery drew on the strength of their memory of Africa and its culture. Their African culture and identity instilled in them great confidence and self esteem.

So much so, that this diluted the stigma of inferiority imposed by the plantocracy. Therefore, the resistance against slavery by the Maroons was a defense of their culture and identity, their spiritual and political values and preservation of African civilization. This is why Maroon ancestors are an integral part of their day to day lives.

On the plantations women did not escape the brutality of slavery. Marriage and partnerships among slaves were prohibited. For those that managed to form unions in secret, they were forced to endure the removal of their offspring who were separated from their mothers soon after birth and sold into slavery. Many women opted for abortions rather than see their babies endure the same fate slavery that had befallen them. Furthermore, women on the plantations were physically exploited by their slave masters by rape and other sexual practices that were often quite sadistic.

They too endured hard physical labor within the household doing domestic work and rearing the children of their slave masters. Some occasionally worked on the plantation itself. By contrast, the Maroon women raised crops and were responsible for most of the agricultural output within their communities.

The men hunted wild hogs and raided the plantations for food and supplies and to free slaves. There are legends of great women Maroon warriors who raided the plantations and freed slaves, wielding huge knives that they used to cut off the heads of the British. The strength of women in Maroon communities stemmed from their position within traditional Ashanti or Akan culture. The Ashanti culture was based on a tradition of warrior nations and a history of proud and respected women.

Many Ashanti elements were retained in Maroon language and culture. Queen Nanny is credited with being the military leader of the Windward Maroons who employed clever strategies which led to their repeated success in battles with the British.

She was a master of guerilla warfare and trained Maroon troops in the art of camouflage. Oral history recounts that Nanny herself would cover her soldiers with branches and leaves, instructing them to stand as still as possible so that they would resemble trees. As the British soldiers approached completely unaware that they were surrounded they would swiftly be picked off by the Maroons.

Maroon settlements were sited high up in the mountains with only a narrow path leading to their town.