Kwinti people
Total population | |
---|---|
1,000[1] (2014, est.) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Bitagron and Heidoti, Suriname | 300 |
Languages | |
Kwinti, Sranan Tongo, Dutch | |
Religion | |
Christianity mainly Moravian Church | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Saramaka, Matawai, Ndyukas |
Granman of the Kwinti people | |
---|---|
Incumbent Remon Clemens since 2020 | |
Residence | Bitagron |
The Kwinti are a
History
There are two possible origins of the Kwinti people. One oral account mentions the
On 19 September 1762, the Dutch signed a peace treaty with the Saramaka.[10] In 1769, the Matawai split from the Saramaka, and asked the Government for weapons against the Kwinti who had raided the Onoribo plantation in November 1766.[9] During the late 18th century the tribe was attacked many times by either the Matawai or the colonists.[11] In the 1850s,[7] the Kwinti had made a peace treaty with the Matawai granman, and settled among the Matawai in Boven Saramacca.[12] There are currently two villages which are inhabited by both tribes.[13] Another part of the tribe, settled on the Coppename River where they founded Coppencrisie (Coppename Christians). Later the village was abandoned, and the villages of Bitagron and Kaaimanston were established.[14]
During the 19th century the tribe is hardly ever mentioned until a peace treaty with the Surinamese Government is signed in 1887.
In 1970, when the Dutch government organised a well published tour with the five Surinamese Maroon nations to Ghana and other African countries, the Kwinti were not invited.[18] In 1978, Matheus Cornells Marcus was appointed as head captain in Bitagron.[19] In 1987, during the Surinamese Interior War, Bitagron was partially destroyed during the fighting with the Jungle Commando.[20] Later the other villages were isolated from the outside world by the Tucayana Amazonas.[19] The other villages were in Matawai territory, and under the control of Lavanti Agubaka who was allied with the Tucayana Amazonas. On 30 September 1989, the Kwinti announced that they no longer recognized Lavanti, and demanded a granman for their nation.[19] In 2002, André Mathias was the first tribal chief to rule as granman over all villages except for those where the Kwinti were in a minority;[21] he died in 2018.[22] Remon Clemens was named as granman in 2020.[23]
Religion
The traditional religion of the Maroons is Winti. In the shared area with the Matawai, the Moravian Church had been highly successful after Johannes King, a Matawai, became their first Maroon missionary.[24] The Moravian Church operated a mission in Kaaimanston,[25] and in the 1920s, the Catholic Church started missionary activities in the Coppename area.[26]
Villages
The Kwinti are in a minority in the following villages:[29]
- Pakka-Pakka
- Makajapingo
References
- ^ . Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ^ Borges 2014, p. 195.
- ^ Hoogbergen 1992, p. 123.
- ^ Borges 2014, p. 188.
- Albert Helman (1977). "Cultureel mozaïek van Suriname". Digital Library for Dutch Literature (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ Hoogbergen 1992, p. 28.
- ^ a b Scholtens 1994, p. 32.
- ^ Elst 1973, p. 11.
- ^ a b Hoogbergen 1992, p. 42.
- ^ "Twee rechtssystemen Suriname botsen in Saramaka-vonnis". Dagblad Suriname (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ a b Hoogbergen 1992, p. 52.
- ^ de Beet 1981, p. 40.
- ^ de Beet 1981, p. 11.
- ^ Elst 1973, p. 12.
- ^ a b Scholtens 1994, p. 33.
- ^ Scholtens 1994, p. 70.
- ^ a b Elst 1973, p. 9.
- ^ Elst 1973, p. 108.
- ^ a b c Scholtens 1994, p. 126.
- ^ "Des Wissembourgeois au coeur de la jungle du Suriname..." Amapa3 (in French). Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- ^ "Commissie Kwinti moet stam der Kwinti's overleden stamhoofd bijstaan". GFC Nieuws via Nieuws Suriname (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ "Opperhoofd der Kwinti's, André Mathias, ingeslapen; RO krijgt rapportage". Suriname Herald (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ Pinas, Jason (23 November 2020). "Granman pleit voor versnelde ontwikkeling Kwintigebied". De Ware Tijd (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ "Creole drum". Digital Library for Dutch Literature. 1975. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ Elst 1973, p. 15.
- ^ Elst 1973, p. 16.
- ^ Migge & Léglise 2013, p. 83.
- ^ de Beet, Chris (1981). "People in between: the Matawai Maroons of Suriname". Digital Library for Dutch Literature (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ Borges 2014, p. 181.
Bibliography
- Borges, Roger (2014). The Life of Languagedynamics of language contact in Suriname (PDF) (Thesis). Utrecht: Radboud University Nijmegen.
- Elst, Dirk van der (1973). "The Coppename Kwinti: Notes on an Afro-American tribe in Suriname". Nieuwe West-Indische Gids - Year 15. University of Florida.
- Hoogbergen, Wim (1 January 1992). "Origins of the Suriname Kwinti Maroons". New West Indian Guide / Nieuwe West-Indische Gids. 66 (1–2): 27–59. .
- Green, E.C. (1974). The Matawai Maroons: An Acculturating Afro American Society (PhD. dissertation). Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America.
- Migge, Bettina; Léglise, Isabelle (2013). Exploring Language in a Multilingual Context: Variation, Interaction and Ideology in Language Documentation. New York: Cambridge University Press.
- Scholtens, Ben (1994). Bosneger en overheid in Suriname. Radboud University Nijmegen (Thesis) (in Dutch). Paramaribo: Afdeling Cultuurstudies/Minov. ISBN 9991410155.