Surinamese Maroons Explained
Surinamese Maroons (also Marrons, Businenge or Bushinengue, meaning black people of the forest) are the descendants of enslaved Africans that escaped from the plantations and settled in the inland of Suriname. The Surinamese Maroon culture is one of the best-preserved pieces of cultural heritage outside of Africa. Colonial warfare, land grabs, natural disasters and migration have marked Maroon history. In Suriname six Maroon groups — or tribes — can be distinguished from each other.
Demographics
There are six major groups of Surinamese Maroons,[1] who settled along different river banks:
Language
The sources of the Surinamese Maroon vocabulary are the English language, Portuguese, some Dutch and a variety of African languages. Between 5% and 20% of the vocabulary is of African origin. Its phonology is closest to that of African languages. The Surinamese Maroons have developed a system of meaning-distinctive intonation, as is common in Africa.
Religion
The traditional Surinamese Maroon religion is called Winti. It is a syncretization of different African religious beliefs and practices brought in mainly by the Akan and Fon enslaved peoples. Winti is typical for Suriname, where it originated. The religion has a pantheon of spirits called Winti. Ancestor veneration is central. It has no written sources, nor a central authority. Practising Winti was forbidden by law for nearly one hundred years. Since the 1970s, many Maroons have moved to urban areas and have become evangelical. After the turn of the millennium Winti gained momentum. It is becoming more popular, especially in the Maroon diaspora.
| Religion of Surinamese Maroons (2012)[2] |
|---|
| Religion | Number of adherents | % |
|---|
| Christianity | 74,392 | 63.3% |
| 27,626 | 23.5% |
| 21,746 | 18.5% |
| Moravian Church | 19,093 | 16.2% |
| Other christian | 5,927 | 5.1% |
| No religion | 25,270 | 21.5% |
| Winti | 9,657 | 8.2% |
| No answer | 5,116 | 4.4% |
| Other | 1,755 | 1.5% |
| Don't know | 1,377 | 1.2% |
| Total | 117,567 | 100.0% | |
|---|
See also
Further reading
- Book: Betian, Desmo . Parlons saramaka . Betain . Wemo . Cockle . Anya . L'Harmattan . 2000 . 978-2-7384-9835-9.
- Book: Bindault, Michel . Lexique français-bushi-nenge et bushi-nenge-français . Michel Bindault . 1993 . Grand-Santi . 463856989 . .
- Book: Dakan, Philippe . Napi tutu : l'enfant, la flûte et le diable : conte aluku : contes de tradition orale en Guyane . CRDP de Guyane . 2003 . 978-2-908931-47-1.
- Book: Godon, Élisabeth . Les enfants du fleuve. Les écoles du fleuve en Guyane française: le parcours d'une psy . L'Harmattan . 2008 . 978-2-296-19243-0 . fr.
- Book: Goury, Laurence . Le ndyuka : une langue créole du Surinam et de Guyane française . L'Harmattan . 2003 . 978-2-7475-4314-9 . Paris.
- Book: Goury, Laurence . Grammaire du nengee : introduction aux langues aluku, ndyuka et pamaka . Migge . Bettina . IRD . 2003 . 978-2-7099-1529-8 . Paris.
- Les leçons d'Ananshi l'araignée, conte bushinengué . SCEREN-CRDP de Guyane . 2007 . 978-2-908931-83-9 . fr.
- Book: Price, Richard . First-time: the historical vision of an Afro-American people . Johns Hopkins University Press . 1991 . 978-0-8018-2984-0 . Baltimore.
- Book: Price, Richard . Les premiers temps : la conception de l'histoire des Marrons saramaka . Seuil . 1994 . 978-2-02-014754-5 . fr.
- Book: Van Lier, Willem F. . Notes sur la vie spirituelle et sociale des Djuka (Noirs réfugiés Auca) au Surinam . Universiteit Leiden . 1939 . Kousbroek . H. R. . 1887.1/item:970471 . fr.
- Book: Vernon, Diane . Les représentations du corps chez les Noirs Marrons Ndjuka du Surinam et de la Guyane française . ORSTOM . 1992 . 2-7099-1106-X.
Notes and References
- Cf. Langues de Guyane, sous la direction de Odile RENAULT-LESCURE et Laurence GOURY, Montpellier, IRD, 2009.
- Tabel 7.3. Totale bevolking naar geloofsovertuiging/godsdienst en etnische groep https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sources/census/wphc/Suriname/SUR-Census2012-vol1.pdf. Gearchiveerd op 5 februari 2023.
