In 1655, a British expedition seized Jamaica from the Spanish colonists, who released their slaves and left the island. Many freed slaves disappeared into the mountains. Known as "maroons," many remained free and cultivated their own way of life. The British brought more enslaved Africans to work on their sugarcane plantations. In 1838, all slaves were declared free. Many African Jamaicans opted not to work on the plantations, so British plantation owners brought indentured workers from Central Africa, India, China, and Britain. Some became slaves for other countries. In fact, until slavery was abolished in 1838, Jamaica served as the chief slave market of America.
Maroons in Jamaica may have up to four ancestral lines, from Ghana (formerly the Gold Coast), the area from Burkina Faso to Benin (formerly the "slave coast"), creoles born in Jamaica, and Arawak and Miskito indigenous peoples from Central America. Maroons all share a spirit of freedom: They fought against slavery and they fought for Jamaican independence from the British. They share a bond with Africa and have kept their ancestral traditions alive.
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