Jamaica's National Heroes
How it all began...
The Tainos
Jamaica or Xaymacas which means the 'land of wood and water' or the 'land of forest and water' as it was known by the Taino, the first inhabitants of this our island home. Jamaica is one of the islands in the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean region. The others are Cuba, Hispaniola which includes the countries Dominica Republic and Haiti and Puerto Rico. Jamaica has a rich cultural heritage which began with its first inhabitants and continues to evolve even today.
The Tainos belonged to the Stone Age. They were peace-loving people. They settled down in Jamaica and continued to live there for almost 900 years. The existence of the Tainos was threatened when the Spanish invaded Jamaica in 1494. The search of Cathay, the land of gold in the East motivated the Spanish Conquest.
The Tainos became an extinct race within 50 years of the arrival of the Spanish. People were killed, some died of hunger, some were unable to survive the diseases brought in by the Spanish. Many committed suicide to escape being enslaved by the Spanish.
With the extinction of the Taino from Jamaica, their language Arawak was almost led to complete annihilation. The ups and downs in the history of Jamaica was enough to erase the Arawak language. The language belongs to the Arawakan Group of languages. Though some parts of the Caribbean still has other dialects belonging to the group, the Arawak as spoken by the Taino is absent.
Arawak has however contributed certain words to the English language. The list of Arawak words adopted into English include words like 'hammock', 'hurricane', 'tobacco', 'barbeque', 'cassava', 'guava' and 'canoe'.
Interestingly the word Jamaica has been derived from the Arawak word 'xaymaca' which means the 'land of wood and water' or the 'land of forest and water'. Arawak as a language of the Tainos may not be in vogue but it has definitely contributed to the enrichment of the English language.
The Tainos belonged to the Stone Age. They were peace-loving people. They settled down in Jamaica and continued to live there for almost 900 years. The existence of the Tainos was threatened when the Spanish invaded Jamaica in 1494. The search of Cathay, the land of gold in the East motivated the Spanish Conquest.
The Tainos became an extinct race within 50 years of the arrival of the Spanish. People were killed, some died of hunger, some were unable to survive the diseases brought in by the Spanish. Many committed suicide to escape being enslaved by the Spanish.
With the extinction of the Taino from Jamaica, their language Arawak was almost led to complete annihilation. The ups and downs in the history of Jamaica was enough to erase the Arawak language. The language belongs to the Arawakan Group of languages. Though some parts of the Caribbean still has other dialects belonging to the group, the Arawak as spoken by the Taino is absent.
Arawak has however contributed certain words to the English language. The list of Arawak words adopted into English include words like 'hammock', 'hurricane', 'tobacco', 'barbeque', 'cassava', 'guava' and 'canoe'.
Interestingly the word Jamaica has been derived from the Arawak word 'xaymaca' which means the 'land of wood and water' or the 'land of forest and water'. Arawak as a language of the Tainos may not be in vogue but it has definitely contributed to the enrichment of the English language.
The Spaniards
The journey began with the Spanish explorer, Christopher Columbus was commissioned by King and Queen of Spain to seek out new territories for the crown. He arrived in Jamaica on May 4, 1494 on his fleet of there ships, the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria.. This was actually his second visit to the new world.
On arriving in Jamaica, he was greeted by the Tainos, a gentle people who were farmers, fishermen and gathers. The Spaniards swiftly enslaved them and put them to difficult tasks. Some of the Tainos got strange diseases from the Spaniards such as small pox and because they had no resistant to The Spaniards treated the Arawaks so harshly that in about fifty years all of them were dead. The had been approximately sixty thousand Tainos.
The Africans
After the Spaniard destroyed the Tainos they looked to Africa for a workforce to take their place. Up until the early 1690s Jamaica's population was relatively equally mixed between white and black people. The first Africans to arrive came in 1513 from the Iberian Peninsula after having been taken from West Africa by the Spanish and the Portuguese. They were servants, cowboys, herders of cattle, pigs and horses, as well as hunters. When the English captured Jamaica in 1655, many of them fought with the Spanish who gave them their freedom and then fled to the mountains resisting the British for many years to maintain their freedom, becoming known as Maroons. Between 1500 and 1800, some eleven million Africans were moved to the Caribbean. They were captured by war, as retribution for crimes committed, or by abduction, and marched to the coast in "coffles" with their necks yoked to each other. They were placed in trading posts or forts to await the horrifying six to twelve week Middle Passage voyage between Africa and the Americas during which they were chained together, underfed, kept in the ship's hold in the thousands packed more like sardines than humans. Those who survived were fattened up and oiled to look healthy prior to being auctioned in public squares to the highest bidders.
The British
In 1655 on May 10, a body of English sailors and soldiers landed at Passage Fort, in Kingston harbour, and marched towards Spanish Town. They were commanded by Admiral Penn and General Venables, who had been sent by Oliver Cromwell to capture the island of Hispaniola. Penn and Venables failed to take the city of Santo Domingo and sailed on to Jamaica. On May 11, the Spaniards surrendered. They were allowed a few days to leave the island. Some of them went to Cuba, but others secretly went to the northside of Jamaica.
The Maroons
When the British captured Jamaica in 1655 the Spanish colonists fled leaving a large number of African slaves. Rather than be re-enslaved by the British, they escaped into the hilly, mountainous regions of the island, joining those who had previously escaped from the Spanish to live with the Taínos. The Maroons intermarried with Amerindian natives, establishing independence in the back country and survived by subsistence farming and by raiding plantations. Over time, the Maroons came to control large areas of the Jamaican interior.
Their plantation raids resulted in the First Maroon War. The two main Maroon groups in the 18th century were the Leeward and the Windward tribes, the former led by Cudjoe in Trelawny Town and the latter led by his sister Queen Nanny (and later by Quao).[1] Queen Nanny, also known as Granny Nanny (died 1733) is the only female listed among Jamaica's National Heroes, and has been immortalised in songs and legends. She was known for her exceptional leadership skills, especially in guerrilla warfare, which were particularly important in the First Maroon War in the early 18th century. Her remains are reputedly buried at " Bump Grave" in Moore Town, the main town of the Windward Maroons who are concentrated in and around the Rio Grande valley in the northeastern parish of Portland.
In 1739-40 the British governor in Jamaica signed a treaty with the Maroons, promising them 2500 acres (10 km²) in two locations. They were to remain in their five main towns Accompong, Trelawny Town, Mountain Top, Scots Hall, Nanny Town, living under their own chief with a British supervisor. In exchange, they agreed not to harbour new runaway slaves, but rather to help catch them. They were paid a bounty of two dollars for each returned slave. This last clause in the treaty naturally caused tension between the Maroons and the enslaved black population, although from time to time runaways from the plantations still found their way into Maroon settlements. Originally, Jamaican Maroons fought against slavery and maintained their independence from the British. However, in the treaty of 1738, they were also paid to return captured slaves and fight for the British in the case of an attack from the French or Spanish.
However, when a new Governor took power in 1795 and began to mistreat the Maroons tensions between planters and Maroons grew and a Second Maroon War broke out. The Accompong Maroons remained neutral and the British left them alone. The British fought with 100 Cuban dogs and brought in 5,000 troops. By the end of the war, the other Maroon settlements in Jamaica had been destroyed, and Accompong alone remained. Despite the fact that the Maroons surrendered on the condition that they would not be exported, just a year later 568 were taken to Canada.
Their plantation raids resulted in the First Maroon War. The two main Maroon groups in the 18th century were the Leeward and the Windward tribes, the former led by Cudjoe in Trelawny Town and the latter led by his sister Queen Nanny (and later by Quao).[1] Queen Nanny, also known as Granny Nanny (died 1733) is the only female listed among Jamaica's National Heroes, and has been immortalised in songs and legends. She was known for her exceptional leadership skills, especially in guerrilla warfare, which were particularly important in the First Maroon War in the early 18th century. Her remains are reputedly buried at " Bump Grave" in Moore Town, the main town of the Windward Maroons who are concentrated in and around the Rio Grande valley in the northeastern parish of Portland.
In 1739-40 the British governor in Jamaica signed a treaty with the Maroons, promising them 2500 acres (10 km²) in two locations. They were to remain in their five main towns Accompong, Trelawny Town, Mountain Top, Scots Hall, Nanny Town, living under their own chief with a British supervisor. In exchange, they agreed not to harbour new runaway slaves, but rather to help catch them. They were paid a bounty of two dollars for each returned slave. This last clause in the treaty naturally caused tension between the Maroons and the enslaved black population, although from time to time runaways from the plantations still found their way into Maroon settlements. Originally, Jamaican Maroons fought against slavery and maintained their independence from the British. However, in the treaty of 1738, they were also paid to return captured slaves and fight for the British in the case of an attack from the French or Spanish.
However, when a new Governor took power in 1795 and began to mistreat the Maroons tensions between planters and Maroons grew and a Second Maroon War broke out. The Accompong Maroons remained neutral and the British left them alone. The British fought with 100 Cuban dogs and brought in 5,000 troops. By the end of the war, the other Maroon settlements in Jamaica had been destroyed, and Accompong alone remained. Despite the fact that the Maroons surrendered on the condition that they would not be exported, just a year later 568 were taken to Canada.
The Abolition of Slavery
Slavery was fully abolished in Jamaica and throughout all British colonies on August 1 1838. The Emancipation Act (1833) declared that as of August 1, 1834, all slaves would be granted their freedom,
on condition that those who were six years and older, serve a period of Apprenticeship for up to six years.
On August 1 1838, thousands of apprentices gathered at the Spanish Town square in St. Catherine to hear the reading of the Emancipation Declaration, which finally set them free. For the freed slaves,
Emancipation meant they had control over their own lives and they could share in the building of their communities. A description of the celebratory activities which took place in churches and public squares is presented by Dr. Swithin Wilmot in Freedom in Jamaica: Challenges and Opportunities 1838 – 1865 (JIS, 1997).
A meeting at the Salters Hill Baptist Church in St. James (pages 1 -2) was described as:
“A hymn being sung, preparations were made for the burial of slavery. The whip, the chain and the shackle, were separately produced, and the question asked, what is to be done with the old slave whip? ‘Cut it up’ was the reply. It was done. What with the chain? ‘Break it’. This was also done. What with the shackle? “To be destroyed’. After each was exhibited, three enthusiastic cheers were given, that they were no longer to be liable to the evils of slavery but released from its terrors.”
And, in a public meeting in Falmouth, Trelawny, William Kerr said (ibid, page 2):
“Let me remember that we been on Sugar Estate from sunrise a-morning till eight o’clock at night: the rain falling, the sun shining, we was in it all. Many of we own colour behind we, and many before; we get whip, our wives get beat like a dog, before our face, and if we speak we get the same; they put we in shackle; but thank our heavenly Father we not slave again! (Cheers)”
A freed man speaking at a dinner to commemorate the anniversary of Emancipation in Mount Regale in Clarendon on August 2, 1842 said:
“My dear brodders and sisters, me head quite full of joy to see you all so free and happy here today. At dis hour in slave time, we all go to de field to dig cane holes or pick coffee and if we sick Buckra flog we for true, and no hear when we cry for mercy. But now no Overseer can come and drive we off to the field. Now we can work when we like, and stay at home when we sick. We can buy our own land, build our own house, and go to we own church.”
www.jis.gov.jm/special
on condition that those who were six years and older, serve a period of Apprenticeship for up to six years.
On August 1 1838, thousands of apprentices gathered at the Spanish Town square in St. Catherine to hear the reading of the Emancipation Declaration, which finally set them free. For the freed slaves,
Emancipation meant they had control over their own lives and they could share in the building of their communities. A description of the celebratory activities which took place in churches and public squares is presented by Dr. Swithin Wilmot in Freedom in Jamaica: Challenges and Opportunities 1838 – 1865 (JIS, 1997).
A meeting at the Salters Hill Baptist Church in St. James (pages 1 -2) was described as:
“A hymn being sung, preparations were made for the burial of slavery. The whip, the chain and the shackle, were separately produced, and the question asked, what is to be done with the old slave whip? ‘Cut it up’ was the reply. It was done. What with the chain? ‘Break it’. This was also done. What with the shackle? “To be destroyed’. After each was exhibited, three enthusiastic cheers were given, that they were no longer to be liable to the evils of slavery but released from its terrors.”
And, in a public meeting in Falmouth, Trelawny, William Kerr said (ibid, page 2):
“Let me remember that we been on Sugar Estate from sunrise a-morning till eight o’clock at night: the rain falling, the sun shining, we was in it all. Many of we own colour behind we, and many before; we get whip, our wives get beat like a dog, before our face, and if we speak we get the same; they put we in shackle; but thank our heavenly Father we not slave again! (Cheers)”
A freed man speaking at a dinner to commemorate the anniversary of Emancipation in Mount Regale in Clarendon on August 2, 1842 said:
“My dear brodders and sisters, me head quite full of joy to see you all so free and happy here today. At dis hour in slave time, we all go to de field to dig cane holes or pick coffee and if we sick Buckra flog we for true, and no hear when we cry for mercy. But now no Overseer can come and drive we off to the field. Now we can work when we like, and stay at home when we sick. We can buy our own land, build our own house, and go to we own church.”
www.jis.gov.jm/special
Independence
Jamaica gained its Independence from Britain on August 6, 1962. It was all of fifty years ago at midnight on August 5, 1962, the Union Jack was lowered and the flag of Jamaica was hoisted for the first time. Thus, Jamaica became an independent nation. Today, Jamaicans celebrate the day to commemorate that historic movement, and to reflect on the struggles that our forefathers underwent to ensure that we can now be a free people. It is a day of national pride and commemorates the country's achievements.
Independence Day in Jamaica is a grand celebration. The populace pause to remember to people who made Jamaica what it is today -our national heroes-, awards and distinctions are given to present heroes who have made outstanding contributions to development of Jamaica in their own niches and to citizens who have displayed bravery in the face of danger in service to their fellow Jamaican. Jamaicans celebrate by indulging in entertainment, music, dance, and parades with people attired in ethnic costumes. Independence in Jamaica It is a world renowned occasion of great pomp and fanfare!
Meaning of the Jamaican Flag
“The sun shineth, the land is green and the people are strong and creative” is the symbolism of the colours of the flag. Black depicts the strength and creativity of the people; Gold, the natural wealth and beauty of sunlight; and green, hope and agricultural resources.
With Independence also came other national symbols which includes:
*National emblem
*National fruit
*National bird
*National tree
*National flower
*Motto
Independence Day in Jamaica is a grand celebration. The populace pause to remember to people who made Jamaica what it is today -our national heroes-, awards and distinctions are given to present heroes who have made outstanding contributions to development of Jamaica in their own niches and to citizens who have displayed bravery in the face of danger in service to their fellow Jamaican. Jamaicans celebrate by indulging in entertainment, music, dance, and parades with people attired in ethnic costumes. Independence in Jamaica It is a world renowned occasion of great pomp and fanfare!
Meaning of the Jamaican Flag
“The sun shineth, the land is green and the people are strong and creative” is the symbolism of the colours of the flag. Black depicts the strength and creativity of the people; Gold, the natural wealth and beauty of sunlight; and green, hope and agricultural resources.
With Independence also came other national symbols which includes:
*National emblem
*National fruit
*National bird
*National tree
*National flower
*Motto