What was nanny the maroon famous for

Nanny has been described as a practitioner of Obeah, a term used in the Caribbean to describe folk magic and religion based on West African influences. Nanny Town, placed as it was in the mountains away from European settlements and difficult to assault, thrived. Nanny limited her attacks on plantations and European settlements and preferred instead to farm and trade peacefully with her neighbors.

She did however make numerous successful raids to free slaves held on plantations and it has been widely accepted that her efforts contributed to the escape of almost 1, slaves over her lifetime. The British colonial administration became embarrassed and threatened by the successes of the Maroons.

Some even claim that there were several women who were leaders of the Maroons during this period of history. But all the legends and documents refer to Nanny of the First Maroon War, as the most outstanding of them all, leading her people with courage and inspiring them to struggle to maintain that spirit of freedom, and life of independence, which was their rightful inheritance.

Skip to content Jamaica Information Service. Government of Jamaica. Photo of the day. Click to view more. Latest stories. Foreign Affairs. 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. Thomas Get Its Name?

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