The Paramaccan or Paramaka ( French: Pamak) are a

Maroon Maroon ( US/ UK , Australia ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word ''marron'', or chestnut. "Marron" is also one of the French translations for "brown". According to multiple dictionaries, there are var ...

tribe 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 ...

, mainly in the

Paramacca Paramacca (also Pamacca) is a resort in Suriname, located in the Sipaliwini District. The population is estimated between 1,500 and 2,000 people. In 1983, the Sipaliwini District was created, and the eastern part became the resort of Tapanahony. T ...

resort, and the western border area of

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

. The Paramaccan signed a peace treaty in 1872 granting the tribe autonomy.

Overview

The administrative centre for the tribe is located in

Snesiekondre Snesiekondre (also: Snesikondre ) is a village of Paramacca Maroons in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname. The village is located at the end of the road connecting Langatabiki to Patamacca and the rest of Suriname. History In 1977, a developmen ...

, but the main village of the resort is

Langatabiki Langatabiki (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Langatabbetje'') is a Paramaccan people, Paramacca village in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname. Langatabiki is the residence of the granman of the Paramaccan people. Langatabiki is located in the Pamacca re ...

which is also the residence of the (paramount chief) of the Paramaccan people. The tribe controls 13 villages in Suriname, and the village of

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

in neighbouring French Guiana. The total population in 2014 was estimated at 11,000 people with 4,300 people living in the tribal areas in Suriname, and 1,000 living in the interior of French Guiana.

History

The Paramaccans were runaway slaves from the Handtros or Entros plantation who fled around 1830. In 1856, the

August Kappler August Kappler (11 November 1815 – 20 October 1887) was a German researcher, naturalist and explorer who was a native of Mannheim. He is credited as the founder of Albina, Suriname. From January 1836, Kappler was stationed in Suriname as ...

reported that the tribe had established villages near the Paramacca Creek. In 1872, they had signed a peace treaty with the Dutch colony giving the tribe autonomy, and Frans Kwaku, the leader of the expedition to Paramaribo, was officially appointed granman by the Governor. In 1879, a group of about 90 Paramaccans led by Apensa created a settlement on an island in the

Marowijne River The Maroni or Marowijne (french: link=no, Maroni, nl, Marowijne, Sranan Tongo: ''Marwina-Liba'') is a river in South America that forms the border between French Guiana and Suriname. Course The Maroni runs through the Guianan moist forest ...

near the mouth of the Paramacca Creek. The town was named (Long Island). 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 ...

, the Paramaccans sided 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 ...

, which resulted in a large migration to French Guiana.

Language

Paramaccan is also the eponymous term for their language, which is

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

-based with influences from

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 ...

African languages The languages of Africa are divided into several major language families: * Niger–Congo or perhaps Atlantic–Congo languages (includes Bantu and non-Bantu, and possibly Mande and others) are spoken in West, Central, Southeast and Southern A ...

, and other languages. It is similar to the languages spoken by the Ndyuka and

Kwinti The Kwinti are a Maroon people, descendants of runaway African slaves, living in the forested interior of Suriname on the bank of the Coppename River, and the eponymous term for their language, which has fewer than 300 speakers. Their language i ...

, and mutually intelligible with

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 ...

. Paramaccan is the youngest of the Surinamese

pidgin A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a grammatically simplified means of communication that develops between two or more groups of people that do not have a language in common: typically, its vocabulary and grammar are limited and often drawn from s ...

languages. The language had an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 speakers in 1991.

Villages

(Suriname) * Lokaloka (Suriname) * Nason (Suriname) *

(French Guiana) *

(Suriname)

References

Bibliography