Kwintis
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The Kwinti are a
Maroon people Maroons are descendants of Africans in the Americas and islands of the Indian Ocean who escaped from slavery, through flight or manumission, and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with Indigenous peoples, eventually evolving into ...
, descendants of runaway African slaves, living in the forested interior of
Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...
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 are ...
, 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 cr ...
with
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
, Portuguese 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, Boni (guerrilla leader), Bokilifu Boni. History The ...
and
Paramaccan The Paramaccan or Paramaka (French language, French: Pamak) are a Maroon people, 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 ...
Maroons, and split from
Sranan Tongo Sranan Tongo (Sranantongo, "Surinamese tongue", Sranan, Surinamese Creole) is an English-based creole language from Suriname, in South America, where it is the first or second language for 519,600 Surinamese people (approximately 80% of the popu ...
in the middle 18th century. The Kwinti had a population of about 300 in 2014 and adhere to the
Moravian Church The Moravian Church, or the Moravian Brethren ( or ), formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohemian Reformation of the 15th century and the original ...
.


History

There are two possible origins of the Kwinti people. One oral account mentions the
Berbice slave uprising The Berbice Rebellion was a slave rebellion 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, 20 ...
of 1763 in
Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...
, 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 led by Boku who died in 1765. Boku was succeeded by Kofi, who is claimed to be a 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 or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
signed a peace treaty with the
Saramaka The Saramaka, Saamaka or Saramacca are one of six Maroon (people), 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-Ameri ...
. In 1769, the
Matawai Matawai can refer to: *Matawai people, an ethnic group of Suriname *Matawai language Saramaccan () is a creole language spoken by about 58,000 people of West African descent near the Saramacca and the upper Suriname River, as well as in Paramar ...
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 are ...
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 Kwin ...
''. 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, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
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 people, Kwinti village in Suriname on the Coppename River at the crossing of the Southern East-West Link (Suriname), East-West Link from Paramaribo to Apoera in West-Suriname. In the local language ''Bitagron'' ...
. In 1987, during the
Surinamese Interior War The Surinamese Interior War () was a civil war fought in eastern Suriname between 1986 and 1992. The conflict primarily involved the Jungle Commando, a rebel group composed largely of Saramaka (Maroon) fighters and led by former soldier Ronnie ...
, 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 for ...
. Later the other villages were isolated from the outside world by the Tucayana Amazonas. 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 Suriname. It is a syncretization of the different African religious beliefs and practices brought in mainly by enslaved Akan, Fon and Kongo people during the Dutch slave tra ...
. In the shared area with the Matawai, the
Moravian Church The Moravian Church, or the Moravian Brethren ( or ), formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohemian Reformation of the 15th century and the original ...
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. Biograp ...
, 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 List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
started missionary activities in the Coppename area.


Villages

*
Bitagron Witagron (or Bitagron) is a Kwinti people, Kwinti village in Suriname on the Coppename River at the crossing of the Southern East-West Link (Suriname), East-West Link from Paramaribo to Apoera in West-Suriname. In the local language ''Bitagron'' ...
*
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 villag ...
*
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 ...


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kwinti People Ethnic groups in Suriname Kwinti Surinamese Maroons