The Kwinti are a
Maroon people
Maroons are descendants of African diaspora in the Americas, Africans in the Americas who escaped from slavery and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous peoples, eventually ethnogenesi ...
, descendants of runaway African slaves, living in the forested interior of
Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
on the bank of the
Coppename River
The Coppename is a river in Suriname (South America) in the district of Sipaliwini, forming part of the boundary between the districts of Coronie and Saramacca.
Course
The Coppename river begins in the Wilhelmina Mountains. Its tributaries ar ...
, and the eponymous term for their language, which has fewer than 300 speakers.
Their language is an
English-based creole
An English-based creole language (often shortened to English creole) is a creole language for which English was the '' lexifier'', meaning that at the time of its formation the vocabulary of English served as the basis for the majority of the cre ...
with
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
,
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
and other influences. It is similar to the languages spoken by the
Aluku
The Aluku are a Bushinengue ethnic group living mainly on the riverbank in Maripasoula in southwest French Guiana. The group are sometimes called Boni, referring to the 18th-century leader, Bokilifu Boni.
History
The Aluku are an ethnic gro ...
and
Paramaccan
The Paramaccan or Paramaka ( French: Pamak) are a Maroon tribe living in the forested interior of Suriname, mainly in the Paramacca resort, and the western border area of French Guiana. The Paramaccan signed a peace treaty in 1872 granting the ...
Maroons, and split from
Sranan Tongo
Sranan Tongo (also Sranantongo "Surinamese tongue," Sranan, Surinaams, Surinamese, Surinamese Creole) is an English-based creole language that is spoken as a ''lingua franca'' by approximately 550,000 people in Suriname.
Developed originally amo ...
in the middle 18th century. The Kwinti had a population of about 300 in 2014
and adhere to the
Moravian Church
The Moravian Church ( cs, Moravská církev), or the Moravian Brethren, formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination, denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohem ...
.
History
There are two possible origins of the Kwinti people. One oral account mentions the
Berbice slave uprising
The Berbice slave uprising was a slave revolt in Guyana that began on 23 February 1763Cleve McD. Scott"Berbice Slave Revolt (1763)" in Junius P. Rodriguez, ''Encyclopedia of Slave Resistance and Rebellion'', Vol. 1, Westport, Ct: Greenwood Press, 2 ...
of 1763 in
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
, the other mentions a plantation in the
Para District
Para is a district of northern Suriname. Para's capital city is Onverwacht, with other towns including Paranam, and Zanderij. Para has a population of 24,700 and an area of 5,393 km2. The district is the mining and forestry centre of Sur ...
. The tribe was initially lead by Boku who died in 1765. Boku was succeeded by Kofi, who is claimed to be an brother of
Boni. The tribe was known from the early 18th century, and there had been several raids on plantations conducted by the Kwinti.
On 19 September 1762, the
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
signed a peace treaty with the
Saramaka
The Saramaka, Saamaka or Saramacca are one of six Maroon peoples (formerly called "Bush Negroes") in the Republic of Suriname and one of the Maroon peoples in French Guiana. In 2007, the Saramaka won a ruling by the Inter-American Court of Hum ...
. In 1769, the
Matawai split from the Saramaka, and asked the Government for weapons against the Kwinti who had raided the Onoribo plantation in November 1766. During the late 18th century the tribe was attacked many times by either the Matawai or the colonists. In the 1850s, the Kwinti had made a peace treaty with the Matawai granman, and settled among the Matawai in
Boven Saramacca
Boven Saramacca is a resort in Suriname, located in the Sipaliwini District. Its population at the 2012 census was 1,427. The dominant geographical feature of this resort is the Saramacca River. The resort is mainly inhabited by Maroons of the M ...
. There are currently two villages which are inhabited by both tribes. Another part of the tribe, settled on the
Coppename River
The Coppename is a river in Suriname (South America) in the district of Sipaliwini, forming part of the boundary between the districts of Coronie and Saramacca.
Course
The Coppename river begins in the Wilhelmina Mountains. Its tributaries ar ...
where they founded Coppencrisie (Coppename Christians). Later the village was abandoned, and the villages of Bitagron and Kaaimanston were established.
During the 19th century the tribe is hardly ever mentioned until a peace treaty with the Surinamese Government is signed in 1887. The treaty appointed Alamun as a head captain and not as a ''
granman
Granman (Ndyuka language: ''gaanman'') is the title of the paramount chief of a Maroon (people), Maroon nation in Suriname and French Guiana. The Ndyuka people, Ndyuka, Saramaka, Matawai people, Matawai, Aluku, Paramaccan people, Paramaka and Kwint ...
''. The treaty gives him control over the Kwinti living along the Coppename River, the Kwinti living on
Saramacca River
Saramacca River is a river in Suriname. The Arawaks named this river "Surama", and today's name "Saramacca" is probably derived from it. It originates in the Wilhelmina Mountains and flows northwards and enters the Atlantic Ocean together with t ...
remained under the authority of the Matawai. In 1894, the area of control was delimited around Bitagron and Kaaimanston, because of nearby wood and
balatá
''Manilkara bidentata'' is a species of ''Manilkara'' native to a large area of northern South America, Central America and the Caribbean. Common names include bulletwood, balatá, ausubo, massaranduba, quinilla, and (ambiguously) " cow-tree".
D ...
concessions. Also a ''posthouder'' (post holder) was installed to represent the government. Until the early 20th century, there used to be a trail connecting both sides, but it had fallen into disuse and was reclaimed by the jungle.
In 1970, when the Dutch government organised a well published tour with the five Surinamese Maroon nations to
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
and other African countries, the Kwinti were not invited. In 1978, Matheus Cornells Marcus was appointed as head captain in
Bitagron
Witagron (or Bitagron) is a Kwinti village in Suriname on the Coppename River at the crossing of the Southern East-West Link from Paramaribo to Apoera in West-Suriname.
In the local language ''Bitagron'' means 'Land of my forefathers'. Witagron ...
. In 1987, during the
Surinamese Interior War
The Surinamese Interior War ( nl, Binnenlandse Oorlog) was a civil war waged in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname between 1986 and 1992. It was fought by the Tucayana Amazonas led by Thomas Sabajo and the Jungle Commando led by Ronnie Brunswij ...
, Bitagron was partially destroyed during the fighting with the
Jungle Commando
The Jungle Commando (formally known as the Suriname National Liberation Army) was a guerrilla commando group in Suriname. It was founded by Ronnie Brunswijk in 1986 to ensure equal rights for Suriname's minority Maroon population. The group was fo ...
. Later the other villages were isolated from the outside world by the
Tucayana Amazonas
The Tucayana Amazonas was an Amerindian guerrilla warfare, guerrilla commando group in Suriname.
Prior to the Tucayana Amazonas, many of the fighters had been soldiers during the Surinamese Interior War who fought on the side of the National Army ...
. The other villages were in Matawai territory, and under the control of Lavanti Agubaka who was allied with the Tucayana Amazonas. On 30 September 1989, the Kwinti announced that they no longer recognized Lavanti, and demanded a ''granman'' for their nation. In 2002, André Mathias was the first tribal chief to rule as ''granman'' over all villages except for those where the Kwinti were in a minority;
he died in 2018.
Remon Clemens was named as ''granman'' in 2020.
Religion
The traditional religion of the Maroons is
Winti
Winti is an Afro-Surinamese traditional religion that originated in the colony Suriname, part of the Dutch Empire. It is a syncretization of the different African religious beliefs and practices brought in mainly by Akan and Fon slaves durin ...
. In the shared area with the Matawai, the
Moravian Church
The Moravian Church ( cs, Moravská církev), or the Moravian Brethren, formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination, denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohem ...
had been highly successful after
Johannes King
Johannes King (born: Adiri circa 1830 - 24 October 1898), was the first Maroon missionary, and the first important writer in Sranan Tongo. King belonged to the Matawai tribe, and performed his missionary activities for the Moravian Church.
Biogra ...
, a Matawai, became their first Maroon missionary.
The Moravian Church operated a mission in Kaaimanston, and in the 1920s, the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
started missionary activities in the Coppename area.
Villages
*
Bitagron
Witagron (or Bitagron) is a Kwinti village in Suriname on the Coppename River at the crossing of the Southern East-West Link from Paramaribo to Apoera in West-Suriname.
In the local language ''Bitagron'' means 'Land of my forefathers'. Witagron ...
*
Heidoti
Heidoti is a village in Boven Saramacca municipality (resort) in Sipaliwini District in Suriname. Heidoti is home to Maroons of the Kwinti tribe.
Heidoti had been built as a camp by the Geological and Mining Services, and was later settled by Ni ...
*
Kaaimanston
The Kwinti are in a minority in the following villages:
*
Pakka-Pakka
Pakka-Pakka or Pakkapakka, also Pakkapakka 1 (right side river) and Pakkapakka 2 (left side), is a Maroon village in the rainforest of Boven Saramacca resort in Sipaliwini District in Suriname. The village is inhabited by Matawai people. The villa ...
*
Makajapingo
Makajapingo is a village in Boven Saramacca (resort) in Sipaliwini District in Suriname. The village is inhabited by Matawai people.
Nearby towns and villages include Pakka-Pakka (8.6 nm), Moetoetoetabriki (7.0 nm), Tabrikiekondre (3.2 ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
* Hoogbergen, Wim (1992).
Origins of the Suriname Kwinti Maroons', New West Indian Guide / Nieuwe West-Indische Gids 66, no: 1/2, Leiden, 27–59,
KITLV
The Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies ( nl, Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, lit = Royal Institute for the Linguistics, Geography and Ethnology, abbreviated: KITLV) at Leiden was founded ...
. Green, E.C., The Matawai Maroons: An Acculturating Afro American Society, PhD. dissertation, Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America, 1974.
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kwinti People
Ethnic groups in Suriname
Kwinti
Surinamese Maroons