"Accompong Town is one of five Maroon settlements in Jamaica. It is deeply rooted in the mountain range of North St. Elizabeth and is surrounded by vast areas of luscious vegetation. This quaint village is governed by an elected chief who assumes the title of 'Colonel'. The position of 'Colonel' was initially a lifetime role but was later amended to a 5 year tenure with his council consisting of men and women appointed by him."
"The community was named after its founder, Accompong, who was said to be a trained Ashanti warrior from West Africa and was the brother of Maroon leaders, Cudjoe and Nanny of the Maroons. Subsequent to defeating the local British militia, a Treaty was signed in 1739 where the runaway slaves led by their leader Cudjoe, were guaranteed freedom along with the land they had settled on."
On a rainy day in October, Gather for Good founder Priscilla Dyer, board member Rinella Binns Harty, and community partner Katya Joseph, had the honor of visiting Accompong Town to learn more about its rich history. We were introduced to one of the elders in the community, Melville Currie, Deputy Colonel (pictured above). We loved his New York t-shirt! He was kind enough to give us a brief history of the Maroons in his words. This is a very small part of a wonderful exchange. We look forward to many more.
Gather for Good is looking forward to partnering with this remarkable community! Contact us at info@gather-4-good.org to learn more about future projects.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PRISCILLA DYER is the Founder and Executive Director of Gather for Good, Inc..
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