Queen Nanny of the Maroons was a Jamaican freedom fighter who fought against British colonial rule in the 18th century. Her leadership of the Windward Maroons, Africans who escaped slavery and fought for their freedom, made her a national hero in Jamaica and a legendary figure in the country’s history.
Little is known about her early life, but it’s generally believed that she was born in West Africa and belonged to the Akan people, an ethnic group that lives in present day Ghana, Ivory Coast and Togo.
She is thought to have been enslaved and sent to Jamaica in the late 1600s or early 1700s, likely to be sold and put to brutal work on plantations.
At the time the British were profiting off the horrific practices of colonialism and the Transatlantic slave trade to power their Industrial Revolution. In establishing their colonies, they instituted a policy of ethnic cleansing and wiping out the indigenous population.
Enslaved Africans like Nanny were then brought in and forced to work on sugarcane, coffee and other cash crop plantations; the foundation of colonial Jamaica’s economy.
The Windward Maroons were a community of formerly enslaved Africans who escaped from plantations in Jamaica and formed independent settlements in the eastern part of the island. The terrain was mountainous and heavily forested with thick vegetation, narrow trails and deep valleys; an ideal environment from which to resist the British.
The name ‘Maroons’ was originally derived from the Spanish word, ‘Cimarrón’, which referred to domestic animals that had escaped and had gone wild. It’s unsurprising, given how the British viewed enslaved peoples, that this word would be used and later evolve to ‘Maroon’ to describe enslaved Africans who had escaped and lived in self-sufficient settlements outside of colonial control.
Little is know about how Nanny escaped from slavery. She could have escaped alone or as some accounts suggest, she may have escaped as part of a larger rebellion. Over time, Nanny took on a leadership position among the Windward Maroons.
It’s understood that she descended from peoples in West Africa who were known for their warrior culture and matrilineal leadership traditions. Her knowledge of forest warfare and herbal medicine would have highlighted her capabilities to those seeking competent leadership to fight back against British terror.
Nanny established a settlement, later known as Nanny Town, which served as a sanctuary for escaped enslaved people. But more than just a refuge, it operated as a self-sufficient, organized and strategically designed base from which the fight for freedom would persist.
Hidden deep in the Blue Mountains, Nanny Town was protected by lookout posts on the periphery, where warning systems such as horns or drums would be deployed in case of British incursions. Warriors were trained in guerrilla tactics and they launched hit-and-run raids on British plantations, likely helping many slaves to escape in the process. Nanny Town also practiced subsistence farming.
By the early 1700s, the British saw the Windward Maroons as a threat to their plantation economy, which generated huge profits via the exploitation of enslaved people. Rather than end their exploitation, the British chose to conduct military operations to crush the resistance. The conflict would be called the First Maroon War and it lasted from around 1720 to 1739.
Not only did Nanny lead as a military strategist, but she also emerged as a spiritual leader; a combination of which earned her the name Queen Nanny. The belief that Queen Nanny had mystical powers served as inspiration for the Windward Maroons to fight for their freedom despite British superiority in numbers and firepower.
The British sent thousands of troops over the years but they were continually repelled. Ambushes, attacking supply lines and vanishing into the jungle after raids frustrated the British. Queen Nanny also implemented psychological warfare, blowing horns at unexpected times to disorient the British and planting footprints to throw them off track.
After years of battles that placed a heavy toll in money and men, the British realized they couldn’t defeat the Maroons and signed a peace treaty in 1739. In exchange for stopping the raids, the British recognised the freedom of the Maroons and their lands.
One controversy of the peace treaty was the requirement for the Windward Maroons to return future runaway slaves. Though some historical records suggest there was enforcement of this clause, other records point to Queen Nanny not complying and continuing to protect those who escaped slavery.
Whilst historical records are scarce, it’s understood that Queen Nanny continued to serve as a leader of her people later on in life. She is believed to have passed away in the mid to late 1700s.
In 1975, Queen Nanny was named a National Hero of Jamaica, the only woman to hold this honour. Today, her legacy represents defiance against slavery, colonialism and racial oppression. She is depicted on the Jamaican $500 note and her story is taught in schools throughout the country.
