Strong Maroon women

Gareth Davis Sr, Gleaner Writer

Moore Town, Portland:

From the days of transporting goods on their heads from Moore Town to Port Antonio, some 12 miles away, and having to do the bulk of farming, the lives of Maroon women have a rich history in Jamaica's society.

Such is the tale of two women, 54-year-old Melrose Minott and 57-year-old Rebecca Brown, who have held on to the maroon culture of Moore Town, which has helped to shape their lives systematically.

"I am proud to be a maroon," Minott said. "Our culture is preserved, and it is a rare treasure, which relates to the struggle of a group of black people, who fought gallantly for their freedom. We use creative and unconventional means to survive, and most of our meats were preserved by smoking them over a fire. We are proud farmers, and as women we work hard in the fields; clearing, tilling, and planting crops."

Minott explained that upon reaping the crops, they (women) would take the farm produce, including yam, banana, dasheen, and plantain, to market in Port Antonio by foot, in the 1960s and '70s, as there was only one bus plying that route during that period from 8 a.m., to 3 p.m., Mondays to Fridays.

She also explained that a rich part of the maroon culture was drumming and dancing, which was special and very dear to them. It was and continues to be one way of communicating with the spirits of their ancestors.

But for Rebecca Brown, maroon village has suffered over the years as a result of broken down infrastructure including roads. She pointed out that Moore Town is a village, which is totally dependent on farming, but that with the deplorable state of the roadway, they are unable to get their produce to market.

"The trucks have stopped coming to Moore Town," she said. "We have no other means of getting our goods to market, and as a result many have lost interest in farming. A rich part of Jamaica's history is in this village, and to think that our own national heroine fought the British, lived, and died here in the fight for freedom; it is painful to accept and live with the lack of attention from the powers that be."

Both women, who also reflected on the many different spices used in preparing meals, including pimento berries, turmeric, Scotch bonnet pepper, cinnamon, and ginger, while outlining their favourite meals of crayfish soup, jerked wild pigs, rundown, and duckunoo (blue drawers).

Love and unity

They boasted about the love and unity among community residents in a crime-free village. But as they recounted the years spent caring for their children, most of whom have grown up, there was hardly any boasting. This is because they take no pleasure in seeing their children being forced to adapt to the same kind of lifestyle they had, due to a lack of resources and opportunity. The women are, however, praying for light at the end of the tunnel.

Brown added, "We have our place in history, but the younger generation needs an opportunity to make their lives better. We had our own way of communicating by using the abeng, but today there are cellular phones available. Computers are now a way of life and transportation has improved and, therefore, new things are happening globally and this generation has to find its place in that setting. We have taught them all we can about the maroon way of life, which is their history, but they now need help to become professional men and women."