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The Bush Negroes or Maroon

© Jeanette Nelson

The Bush Negroes are decendants of black slaves brought as plantation laoborers from Africa to Surinam. They are know also as Refugee Black or as Maroons. Maroon comes from the Spanish word "Maron' which means Fierce. Their numbers started to increase drastically within the Eighteenth century and well increased into the ninteenth. Now, their numbers are estimated to be somewhere around 47,000. The Bush Negroes have been found mostly to thrive along the rivers of Surinam.

There are six Bush Negro tribes, the Djuka, the Aluku, the Paramaka, the Saramaka, the Matawai, and the Kwinti. The Djuka and Saramaka are the largest of the tribes while the smallest tribe is the Kwinti.

Three main creole languages are spoken in Surinam. Sranan, Ndjuka, and Saramaccan. The tribes share cultures, but vary in many things. Language, diet, dress, marriage, residence, and labour are among these many. Each tribe, except the Kwinti, have a leader or chief and other 'political figures.'

Because of the harsh life these people have endured, it is not surprising to many that the tribes consist of warriors. They would raid plantations to obtain weapons, ammunition, provisions, and to liberate women. Sometimes, they would burn the plantation down to seek revenge for what was done to them. By being able to adapt and to merge, The Bush Negroes have been able to form a new and more unique cultural that has carried on.