Aluku women clearing field for cultivation, Diitabiki, Suriname, 1991.
Photograph by Bart Kamphuis


"All the Maroons in the Guianas see themselves as one people . . . it provides for a great deal of solidarity."

— Gaanman Gazon Matodja, paramount leader of the Ndjuka Maroons, Suriname, 1992

 

Painted paddles are a specialty of Ndjuka and Aluku men in Suriname and French Guiana. Given as gifts to women, the paddles are often decorated with carvings signifying love and affection.

Woman’s painted paddle made by young Ndjuka man, Village Moitaki, Suriname, 1997.
Courtesy of Thomas Polimé

 

Aluku Maroons (Boni)

 

"The Aluku people were the first who escaped by boats . . . .The Aluku people are still alive. The Boni people are still alive. We’re still here."

— Gaanman Joachim-Joseph Adochini, paramount leader of the Aluku Maroons, French Guiana, 1992

 

Ndjuka Maroons (Aukaner and Okanisi)


Like other Guianese Maroons, the Ndjuka,  are expert boat builders and navigators.  As children, Maroons in Suriname and French Guiana learn how to navigate the rivers that are the main means of transportation in the rainforest areas where they live.

Young Ndjuka boatman negotiating rapids on the upper Tapanahony River, Suriname,1990s.  Photograph by Thomas Polimé

 

 

Saramaka Maroons

 

 

Saramaka Maroons taking part in a ponsu, Asindóópo, Suriname, 1991
Photograph by Diana Baird N’Diaye

A ponsu is a community fishing event that the Saramaka learned from indigenous groups in Suriname. Fish are drugged with herbs to make them easier to catch.