Saramaka
 |
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (55,000) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Suriname and French Guiana | |
| Languages | |
| Saramaccan | |
| Religion | |
| Saramaka religion (80%), Christianity: Moravian, Catholic, Evangelical (20%) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ndyuka, Matawai, Paramaka, Aluku (Boni), Kwinti |
The Saramaka or Saramacca are one of six Maroon peoples (formerly called "Bush Negroes") in the Republic of Suriname and one of the Maroon peoples in French Guiana. (Note that beginning in mid-2010, the people formerly known as “Saramaka” began identifying themselves, in their official documents in English, as "Saamaka," to conform to their own pronunciation.) In 2007, the Saramaka won a ruling by the Inter-American Court for Human Rights supporting their land rights in Suriname for lands they have historically occupied, over national government claims. It was a landmark decision for indigenous peoples in the world. They have received compensation for damages and control this fund for their own development goals.
The word "Maroon" comes from the Spanish cimarrón, which was derived from an Arawakan root. Since 1990 especially, some of the Saramaka have migrated to French Guiana due to extended civil war in Suriname. By the early 16th century, the term "maroon" (cimarron) was used throughout the Americas to designate slaves who had escaped from slavery and set up independent communities beyond colonists' control. Together with five other Maroon tribes in Suriname and French Guiana, the Saramaka form the largest group in the world of Maroon peoples of African descent.
Suriname, formerly called Dutch Guiana, has been independent from the Netherlands since 1975. The 90,000 Saramaka (some of whom live in neighboring French Guiana) are one minority within this multi-ethnic nation, which includes approximately 27 per cent Hindustanis (East Indian descendants of contract laborers brought in after the abolition of slavery); 14.5 per cent Creoles (descendants of Africans brought as slaves); 14 per cent Javanese (descendants of contract workers brought during the early 20th century from Indonesia); 23.5 per cent Maroons (descendants of Africans brought as slaves); 3 per cent Chinese, Levantines, and Europeans; and 3.7 per cent Amerindians.
...
Wikipedia