Born around the 1680's in Africa's Gold Coast (modern day Ghana). She is described as being from either the Ashanti or Akan tribe and arrived in Jamaica as a free woman. It's possible Nanny brought her personal slaves, as she was believed to have been a member of African royalty. It was common practice for African dignitaries to own slaves. Nanny was also said to have been married to a man named Adou, but had no children. However, she is most famous for being the leader of the Windward Maroons during the height of their rebellion against British authorities between 1725-40. Unfortunately, very little concrete information is available about Queen Nanny's life, as she was only mentioned 4 times in various historical texts and typically in somewhat derogatory tones. And has so often happened throughout history, she was ignored while more attention was given to her male contemporaries.
The African slaves imported to Jamaica were mostly from the Gold Coast, the Congo and Madagascar. The largest majority were from the Gold Coast, in Jamaica they were referred to as the Coromantie or Koromantee. They were fierce and determined fighters and constantly resisted enslavement. Between the 1655 & the 1830's, they led most of the slave rebellions in Jamaica. Maroon women also played a distinctly more active roles in their communities, they cultivated crops and were largely responsible for the output of crops. Men hunted wild pigs and raided plantations for food and supplies. There are legends about other "warrior Maroon women" like Nanny; this likely stemmed from women's positions in Akan and Ashanti cultures, in these cultures there was a long history of powerful and venerated women.
Spirituality was also integral to the Maroon way of life and almost all of the rebellions involved aspects of African spiritualism. Many leaders including Nanny practiced Obeah and served as both guide and inspiration for their people. Religions like Obeah and Haitian voodoo evolved from religions the slaves brought from Africa. However, due to colonization these religious practices were outlawed and took on more dark overtones. Nonetheless, the black communities throughout the Americas and the Caribbean clung to these religions as a way to maintain their identities under such systems of oppression.
Nanny also lead the Maroons into battle using clever strategies. She was an expert in guerilla warfare and personally trained her troops in camouflage. They would than ambush the unsuspecting British and picked them off. The Maroons had another advantage too, their communities were located high in the hills and so approaching British forces could be spotted from a long way off. This also made it easier to overcome the larger British forces.
A famous legend about Nanny tells how in 1737, at the height of the Maroon resistance against the British, Nanny & her people were on the brink of starvation and strongly considering surrender. It was in this moment of despair Nanny heard the voices of her ancestors, urging her to fight on. She awoke the next morning and found pumpkin seeds in her pocket and planted them on the hillside. In just a week, the seeds had grown to large pumpkins, providing vital nutrition for the starving community. To this day there is a hill near Nanny Town called, Pumpkin Hill.
Another legend retells how Nanny caught flying bullets. In one version, it tells how Nanny caught bullets with her hands, which was a highly-developed skill in some parts of Africa. In a far less flattering version, Nanny is said to have caught the bullets in her buttocks and farted them back out. The historian, Edward Braithwaite, has said this account is more than likely a racist portrayal by British colonists, who were well-known to had a great loathing for Nanny and would often write about her in highly offensive terms.
The last famous legend about Nanny is how she placed a cauldron on a narrow mountain path, the cauldron was said to boil even though there was no fire beneath it. British soldiers passing by would look inside, collapse and die. It has been suggested that the cauldron may have contained herbs with anesthetic properties. This may've been a theory as Nanny was herself, a skilled herbalist. Others have said the cauldron was actually, a circular basin formed in the rocks along the Nanny River. The rapidly flowing water, had a "frothy" appearance, causing it to appear much like boiling water.
Nanny died at some point in the 1730's. She is revered as the most important figure in Maroon history and is held by the Maroons of Jamaica in the highest regard. The current main town of the Windward Maroons is called Mooretown, it was founded in 1734, after the British destroyed the original town called "Nanny Town". Nanny was made a National Hero of Jamaica in 1976, largely thanks to the famed historian, Edward Braithwaite. This also paved the way for the Maroons to be recognized for their instrumental role in the freeing of slaves in Jamaica.
https://jamaicans.com/queennanny/
YOU ARE READING
We Won't Stay Silent
Non-Fiction"We need women who are so strong they can be gentle, so educated they can be humble, so fierce they can be compassionate, so passionate they can be rational and so disciplined they can be free" ...
