The first thing you want to know, of course, is why they’re called “Maroons.” The origin of the Maroon people dates back at least to 1512, and the word is a Spanish one, “cimarrones” which meant wild, or feral. To the early Spanish settlers in the Caribbean, Maroon people were feral people, slaves who had escaped their servitude, in the same way that feral dogs are dogs that have escaped the rule of humans.

The word is also related to the practice of “marooning” meaning to leave someone in the wilderness. Once again, the word speaks to someone who is “out of place.”

To the former African slaves who became Maroons, it was quite a different story. These people, taken from their homes during Africa’s internal wars, knew that they didn’t belong in chains. They broke free and formed subsistence settlements on the wildest parts of the islands they inhabited. The Caribbean is full of mountainous terrain, heavy brush and downright jungle. Determined people could find a place to hide out.

Many of the escaped slaves were from the Ashanti tribe. It was common at the time for the winner in a battle or war to take the soldiers of the defeated tribe or nation as slaves (think of what the ancient Romans did). However, groups captured together were still effective fighting forces, being trained warriors who wanted to escape.