Paramaccan
Meeting under a pole dwelling in Langatabiki (1947)
Total population
11,000[1] (2014, est.)
Regions with significant populations
Paramacca, Suriname4,300
Urban French Guiana3,900
Languages
Paramaccan
Religion
Christianity, Winti
Related ethnic groups
Ndyuka
Granman of the Paramaccan people
Incumbent
Jozef Misajere Forster[2]
since 2020
ResidenceLangatabiki

The Paramaccan or Paramaka (French: Pamak[3]) are a Maroon tribe living in the forested interior of Suriname, mainly in the Paramacca resort,[4][5] and the western border area of French Guiana.[3] The Paramaccan signed a peace treaty in 1872 granting the tribe autonomy.

Overview

The administrative centre for the tribe is located in Snesiekondre,[6] but the main village of the resort is Langatabiki which is also the residence of the granman (paramount chief) of the Paramaccan people.[7] The tribe controls 13 villages in Suriname,[8] and the village of Providence in neighbouring French Guiana.[9]

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.[1]

History

The Paramaccans were runaway slaves from the Handtros or Entros plantation who fled around 1830.[10] In 1856, the August Kappler reported that the tribe had established villages near the Paramacca Creek.[11] In 1872, they had signed a peace treaty with the Dutch colony giving the tribe autonomy,[12] and Frans Kwaku, the leader of the expedition to Paramaribo, was officially appointed granman by the Governor.[11] In 1879, a group of about 90 Paramaccans led by Apensa created a settlement on an island in the Marowijne River near the mouth of the Paramacca Creek. The town was named Langatabiki (Long Island).[13] During the Surinamese Interior War, the Paramaccans sided with the Jungle Commando,[14] which resulted in a large migration to French Guiana.[3]

Language

Paramaccan is also the eponymous term for their language, which is English-based[15] with influences from Dutch, African languages,[16] and other languages. It is similar to the languages spoken by the Ndyuka and Kwinti, and mutually intelligible with Sranan Tongo.[17] Paramaccan is the youngest of the Surinamese pidgin languages.[18] The language had an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 speakers in 1991.[19]

Villages

See also

Brother Mambo: Finding Africa in the Amazon, JD Lenoir with Phil Ceder (Kutukutu), Black Rose Writer, 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 Richard Price (2013). "The Maroon Population Explosion: Suriname and Guyane". New West Indian Guide. New West Indian Guide / Nieuwe West-Indische Gids Volume 87: Issue 3-4. 87 (3–4): 323–327. doi:10.1163/22134360-12340110. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  2. ↑ "Pamaka stam in Suriname heeft nieuwe granman". Waterkant (in Dutch).
  3. 1 2 3 "Pamak". Populations de Guyane (in French). Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  4. ↑ "Distrikt Sipaliwini". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  5. ↑ "Paamaka en Ndyuka leggen grens vast". Regional Development.gov.sr (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  6. ↑ "Bestuurscentra Sipaliwini bouwtechnisch opgeleverd". Star Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  7. ↑ "Planning Office Suriname - Districts" (PDF). Planning Office Suriname (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  8. ↑ Plan Bureau 2014, p. 169.
  9. ↑ Mallé, Marie-Pascale (2004). "Les maisons des Noirs marrons de Guyane". In Situ. Le patrimoine rural. 2004 #5 (5): 4. doi:10.4000/insitu.2373.
  10. ↑ Marten & Schalkwijk 2018, p. 3.
  11. 1 2 Marten & Schalkwijk 2018, p. 19.
  12. ↑ Marten & Schalkwijk 2018, p. 19, :"Original publication:Koloniaal Verslag van 1872 page 543"
  13. ↑ "Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch West-Indië - Page 155 - Boschnegers" (PDF). Digital Library for Dutch Literature (in Dutch). 1916. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  14. ↑ Thoden van Velzen 1988, p. 215.
  15. ↑ Borges 2014, p. 124.
  16. ↑ Borges 2014, p. 167.
  17. ↑ Jacques Arends (1989). "Syntactic Developments in Sranan". Digital Library for Dutch Literature. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  18. ↑ Borges 2014, p. 187.
  19. ↑ "Languages of Surinam". Suriname.nu. Retrieved 20 July 2020.

Bibliography

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