Who Are the Maroons?
Maroon is a word used to describe an escaped slave who has run away from their captors in order to return to freedom. Some suggest that the word Maroon refers to a “fugitive slave taking to the woods�. This relates to the African slaves who fled to the hills of Jamaica upon their arrival. They remained in hiding there for approximately 140 years. The Maroons were brought to Jamaica as slaves from Africa in two waves, first by the Spanish in 1517, and second by the British in 1655.
First Maroon War The first war that broke out in Jamaica between the Maroons and the British. This war started in 1725 and ended in 1739.
Second Maroon War
The second war that broke out in Jamaica between the Maroons and the British. This war started in 1795 and ended in 1796.
The Leeward Maroons and the Windward Maroons
Fig. 2
The Leeward Maroons and the Windward Maroons There were two categories of Maroons in Jamaica: the Windward Maroons, who occupied the East side of the island, and the Leeward Maroons who occupied the West side. The Leeward Maroons included those in Trelawny Town, St. James Parish Jamaica, who would later arrive in Nova Scotia.
