Paramaccan people

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.

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

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. 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. "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. 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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