Paramakans
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The Paramaccan or Paramaka ( French: Pamak) are a
Maroon Maroon ( , ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word , meaning chestnut. ''Marron'' is also one of the French translations for "brown". Terms describing interchangeable shades, with overlapping RGB ranges, inc ...
tribe 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 ...
, mainly in the Paramacca resort, and the western border area of
French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...
. 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 Paramaccan people, Paramacca Maroon people, 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 ...
, but the main village of the resort is Langatabiki 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 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 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 (; ) is a river in South America that forms the border between French Guiana and Suriname. Course The Maroni runs through the Guianan moist forests ecoregion. It originates in the Tumuk Humak Mountains and forms ...
near the mouth of the Paramacca Creek. The town was named (Long Island). During the Surinamese Interior War, the Paramaccans sided with the Jungle Commando, which resulted in a large migration to French Guiana.


Language

Paramaccan is also the eponymous term for their language, which is English-based with influences from Dutch,
African languages The number of languages natively spoken in Africa is variously estimated (depending on the delineation of language vs. dialect) at between 1,250 and 2,100, and by some counts at over 3,000. Nigeria alone has over 500 languages (according to SI ...
, and other languages. It is similar to the languages spoken by the Ndyuka and Kwinti, and mutually intelligible with
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 ...
. Paramaccan is the youngest of the Surinamese
pidgin A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a grammatically simplified form of contact language 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 f ...
languages. The language had an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 speakers in 1991.


Villages

* Langatabiki (Suriname) * Lokaloka (Suriname) * Nason (Suriname) * Providence (French Guiana) *
Snesiekondre Snesiekondre (also: Snesikondre ) is a village of Paramaccan people, Paramacca Maroon people, 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 ...
(Suriname)


See also

*
Ndyuka language Ndyuka , also called Aukan, ''Okanisi, Ndyuka tongo'', Aukaans, ''Businenge Tongo'' (considered by some to be pejorative), Eastern Maroon Creole, or ''Nenge'' is a creole language of Suriname and French Guiana, spoken by the Ndyuka people. The sp ...
Brother Mambo: Finding Africa in the Amazon, JD Lenoir with Phil Ceder (Kutukutu), Black Rose Writer, 2022.


References


Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Paramaccan People Paramaka Surinamese Maroons