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21.03.2020 Feature Article

Queen Nanny,(Nana Obiyaa) and the Coromantins Of Jamaica.

Nana Obiyaa
Queen Nanny,Nana Obiyaa and the Coromantins Of Jamaica.
21.03.2020 LISTEN

Nana Obiyaa (Queen Nanny) was born, in the Gold Coast, one hundred and thirty years earlier than Harriet Tubman.

The Asante kingdom was formed in 1670 by King Osei Tutu and Okomfo Anokye.

Between 1670 and 1744, Asante engaged in wars of conquest against Akyem, Denkyrira, Banda, Gyaman, Akwapim, and Akwamu.

The Asantes sold their prisoners of war to slave traders, in exchange for Firearms and Ammunition.

Nana Obiyaa was in her early youth, when her village was conquered. She and her townspeople, including several close family members ended up on the Caribbean Island of Jamaica.

They were sold to a sugar plantation in Saint Thomas, near Port Royal.

THE COROMANTINS.
The "Coromantin-slaves" was the name collectively, assigned to all slaves who were processed through Fort Amsterdam at Kormatin, before embarkation to the Caribbean.

Most of the slaves imported into Jamaica were from the Gold Coast, the Congo, and Madagascar.

The Coromantin-slaves were mainly from the Fanti, Akim, Asante, and Ga tribes.

Recorded documents indicate that between 1701 and 1725, the Coromantins formed 44.8% of the total number of slaves that arrived in Jamaica.

The Coromantins would later, lead most of the slave rebellions, not only in Jamaica, but also in other parts of the Caribbean and North America.

Finding life on the sugar plantation unbearable, Nana Obiyaa and her brothers: Akyeampong (Accompong), Kwadwo (Kojo), and Kwaku (Quaco) planned their escape.

They knew of other slaves who had seized the opportunity presented by the British capture of Jamaica from the Spanish in 1655 to escape into the Blue Mountains. They have been living freely on the steep Blue mountains since then.

Nana Obiyaa and her brothers made their way into the jungle of the steep blue mountains where it would be harder to find.

Nana Obiyaa’s sister Sikansuo was not involved with of the plot; she was left behind on the sugar plantation.

Nana was well versed in Akan Traditions and Religion. She introduced Ancestor Worship and performed many of the Akan Rituals and Ceremonies, for the inhabitants of the blue mountains. She practiced herbal medicine, too.

That made her a Chief Priestess, and a powerful person in the Windward Maroon settler community.

By the year 1720, Nana Obiyaa was fully, in charge of the Windward Maroon community on the Blue mountains. Her town was named “Nanny Town”.

Nanny Town was located on a 900- foot ridge, and Maroon guards were placed at strategic positions to look out for enemy invaders.

The guards relayed information to the Maroon community and their Warriors, by blowing “Nantwi-abeng" (horns derived from cattle).

Nanny Town could not be viewed from a lower position because of the steep mountain slope, and It was accessible by narrow-footpaths only.

That made it impossible for the British and their mercenaries to invade Nanny Town, without falling into traps set by Nana’s well-trained warriors.

From their hideouts in Nanny Town, the windward maroons visited the plantations at night and lured other slaves to escape and join them on the mountain. Their numbers grew gradually, and the area became a safe haven for other escaped-slaves.

Nana took over the recruitment and training of the windward maroon warriors (men and women). Psychologically, she performed rituals to boost the spiritual powers of the warriors.

Nana was well versed in Guerrilla-warfare too. She learned the art of camouflage during her childhood days.

She taught her warriors how to cover themselves with tree branches and leaves and stayed still like trees. Camouflaged warriors were placed at strategic positions to Ambush the attacking British soldiers and their mercenaries.

Most British troops and other invaders were led into an ambush, and got killed by the maroon warriors.

The British attacked Nanny Town several times without much success; they were beaten back, most of the time.

The British did not know the bush terrain very well, and their well-equipped force was no match for the scantily-equipped maroon warriors.

As Nanny Town became well-populated, Nana and her brothers decide to split up and spread their liberation struggle to other parts of Jamaica.

While Nana Obiyaa and Quaco remained on the blue mountains, Akyeampong and Kojo moved westward.

Akyeampong went to establish Accompong Town in present-day Saint Elizabeth parish.

Kojo helped to establish Cudjoe’s township (Trelaway Town) and later became the leader of the Leeward maroons, after winning the leadership contest against a Madagascan, at the age of 30 years.

Kojo welcomed Non-Coromantes (Congolese, Madagascans, Nigerians) into his Leeward Maroon community. The core of the maroon communities was formed by Coromantes.

Kojo introduced the swearing of oaths to all new community members. They swore an oath of allegiance to the gods. By swearing an oath to the gods, the heterogeneous Akan-speakers and non-Akans became united as one people with a common destiny.

Kojo forbade the use of any language other than English among the leeward maroons. He sought to avert ethnic factionalism.

Though English may have been the mandated language of use, Kromanti persisted. Even today, Kromanti is known as a ritual language, and elements of Kromanti are present in the everyday speech of modern Maroons.

THE BRITISH-MAROON WAR OF 1725-1734.
The Maroon warriors frequently raided plantations to release slaves and capture new weapons. On the windward front Nana Obiyaa was able to free about 1000 slaves.

The sugarcane plantation owners were unhappy; they were losing slaves, and their equipment and crops were frequently burned by the windward maroons. The colonial government reacted by sending British soldiers, freed-black mercenaries and militias to purge the blue mountains. The final British assault and eventual victory, came in 1734.

Captain Cuffee (Kofi) (Capt.Sambo)
Captain Cuffee was one of the Nana “brothers.” In the Akan tradition a brother could be a Sibling, a Cousin, someone of the same Clan, or even a person from the same town when they meet elsewhere.

Kofi had been with Nana and the windward maroons. He could not understand why Nana wielded so much authority and influence on the blue mountains. He decided to sell Nana to the British.

After conniving with the British, he led the 1733 invasion of Nanny Town. He knew the terrain very well. After the scouring and burning, he entered Nana’s hut, at a time she was asleep and fired into the hut and presumably killed Nana Obiyaa.

For his reward, the British honored Kofi, and gave him full freedom from slavery.

Nana Obiyaa and some of her followers escaped the 1733-1734 attack. She made a new hideout near the Rio Grande.

Later Nana Obiyaa wanted to join forces with her brother Kojo in the West, for the liberation struggle.

Kojo was however interested in a Peace Deal with the British. Nana Obiyaa was left frustrated; she eventually gave up on the struggle for freedom for all slaves. She became more interested in food production.

The maroon war was over in 1739. Peace treaties were signed between the British and the Nana’s “brothers” (Kojo, Quaco, Kofi, Johnny, Akyeampong) and several other leaders.

The British offered Nana Obiyaa, a new parcel of land, 500 acres. After initial resistance Nana acceded to the pressure from her brothers. She finally agreed and accepted the land the British had granted she and her people. She moved to the new land.

The old Nanny Town was never rebuilt. A new Nanny Township was established, and renamed Moore Town.

Nana lived peacefully with the British; she concentrated on crop farming and animal husbandry.

Nana Obiyaa was married to Adu, also a Coromantin. She had no surviving biological children at the time of her death. She died at the age of nearly 69 years in 1755.

The Government of Jamaica, declared her a National Hero in 1975, awarded Nana Obiyaa, now known as Queen Nanny, the title of “Right Excellence”.

A portrait of Queen Nanny, is found on the Jamaican $500 Bill.

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