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QUEEN NANNY OF THE JAMAICAN MAROONS (1686 -1730?)

 Queen Nanny of the Windward Maroons has largely been ignored by historians who have restricted their focus to male figures in Maroon history. However, amongst the Maroons themselves she is held in the highest esteem. Biographical information on Queen Nanny is somewhat vague, with her being mentioned only four times in written historical texts and usually in somewhat derogatory terms. However, she is held up as the most important figure in Maroon history. She was the spiritual, cultural and military leader of the Windward Maroons and her importance stems from the fact that she guided the Maroons through the most intense period of their resistance against the British, between 1725 and 1740.

Queen Nanny is presumed to have been born around the 1680’s in Africa’s Gold Coast (now known as Ghana). She was reported to belong to either the Ashanti or Akan tribe and came to Jamaica as a free woman. It is possible that Queen Nanny brought slaves of her own, reportedly being of royal African blood. It was not uncommon for African dignitaries to keep slaves. She was said to be married to a man named Adou, but had no children. She died in the 1730’s. Moore Town is now the primary town of the Windward Maroons – it was founded in 1734 after the British destroyed the original Maroon town, which was known as ‘Nanny Town’.

Historical Maroon Identity and Culture Slaves imported to Jamaica from Africa came from the Gold Coast, the Congo and Madagascar. The dominant group among Maroon communities was from the Gold Coast. In Jamaica this group was referred to as Coromantie or Koromantee. They were fierce and ferocious fighters with a preference for resistance, survival and above all freedom and refused to become slaves. Between 1655 until the 1830’s they led most of the slave rebellions in Jamaica.

Spiritual life was of the utmost importance to the Maroons which was incorporated into every aspect of life, from child rearing to military strategies. Almost every slave rebellion involved African spiritual practices. Leaders, such as Queen Nanny usually practiced Obeah and were able to instill confidence in their followers. Spiritual practices such as Obeah (and voodoo in Haiti) evolved from Africa, and during slavery times were of great significance to the black population. However, under colonial rule as Western culture was imposed on the Caribbean, these African practices became ‘outlawed’ and took on negative connotations.

Among Maroon culture, their ancestors are revered and their importance to everyday life is recognized. The past is a source of pride which is both taught and shared. Amongst modern day Maroons, the history of their resistance against slavery is an extreme form of pride that forms a large part of Maroon identity. The story of the Maroons endurance and ability to hold off the British troops for almost eighty years is one that has never been repeated in history. What saw the Maroons through to freedom were their unfailing courage and determination. Their resistance to slavery drew on the strength of their memory of Africa and its culture. Their African culture and identity instilled in them great confidence and self esteem. So much so, that this diluted the stigma of inferiority imposed by the plantocracy. Therefore, the resistance against slavery by the Maroons was a defense of their culture and identity, their spiritual and political values and preservation of African civilization. This is why Maroon ancestors are an integral part of their day to day lives. At each annual Maroon celebration of the 1739 Peace Treaties there is a ‘private’ element of the festivities at which only Maroons may attend, where the ancestors are said to visit, including Queen Nanny who is honored. 

The Significance of Women Maroons On the plantations women did not escape the brutality of slavery. Marriage and partnerships among slaves were prohibited. For those that managed to form unions in secret, they were forced to endure the removal of their offspring who were separated from their mothers soon after birth and sold into slavery. Many women opted for abortions rather than see their babies endure the same fate (slavery) that had befallen them. Furthermore, women on the plantations were physically exploited by their slave masters by rape and other sexual practices that were often quite sadistic. They too endured hard physical labor within the household doing domestic work and rearing the children of their slave masters. Some occasionally worked on the plantation itself. 

By contrast, the Maroon women raised crops and were responsible for most of the agricultural output within their communities. The men hunted wild hogs and raided the plantations for food and supplies and to free slaves. Often, the plantations were ‘raided’ to bring back women into the Maroon communities, without which they would be unable to increase their numbers and ensure the survival of the Maroons as a race. There are legends of great women Maroon warriors who raided the plantations and freed slaves, wielding huge knives that they used to cut off the heads of the British. The strength of women in Maroon communities stemmed from their position within traditional Ashanti or Akan culture. The Ashanti culture was based on a tradition of warrior nations and a history of proud and respected women. Many Ashanti elements were retained in Maroon language and culture.

The Legend of Queen Nanny Queen Nanny is credited with being the military leader of the Windward Maroons who employed clever strategies which led to their repeated success in battles with the British. She was a master of guerilla warfare and trained Maroon troops in the art of camouflage. Oral history recounts that Nanny herself would cover her soldiers with branches and leaves, instructing them to stand as still as possible so that they would resemble trees. As the British soldiers approached completely unaware that they were surrounded they would swiftly be picked off by the Maroons.

Maroon settlements were sited high up in the mountains with only a narrow path leading to their town. In this way, the British soldiers could clearly be seen on approach as they advanced in single file, allowing them to be picked off one by one. This method was particularly successful with large numbers of British soldiers being killed by a comparatively small number of Maroons. A famous legend about Queen Nanny is that during 1737 at the height of the Maroon resistance against the British, Nanny and her people were near starvation and she was on the brink of surrender, when she heard voices from her ancestors telling her not to give up. When she awoke she found pumpkins seeds in her pocket which she planted on the hillside. Within a week the seeds grew into large plants laden with pumpkins that provided much needed food for the starving community. To this day, one of the hills near Nanny Town is known as ‘Pumpkin Hill’.

There are two versions of the story of Nanny catching bullets. The first is that Queen Nanny was able to catch bullets with her hands, which was a highly developed art form in some parts of Africa. The other story is that Nanny was able to catch bullets with her buttocks and fart them out again. Renowned historian Edward Braithwaite suggests that the original story took a vulgar twist on account of British colonialists who were known to detest Nanny and were being deliberately offensive about her when they relayed this tale.

The last legend about Queen Nanny is that she placed a large cauldron on the corner of a narrow mountain path near the edge. The pot was said to be boiling even though there was no fire beneath it. British soldiers approaching would curiously look inside, fall in and die. Some were said to collapse and fall over the hill. There have been suggestions that the pot contained special herbs with anaesthetic properties, as Nanny was said to be an herbalist. Contemporary historians maintain that the pot was in fact a circular basin formed by the hollowed out rocks of the Nanny River, joined by the waters of the Stony River. The continuously flowing river kept the water constantly frothy, giving it the appearance of a boiling pot.

The Legacy of Queen Nanny Queen Nanny is credited with being the single figure who united the Maroons across Jamaica and played a major role the preservation of African culture and knowledge. She was hated by the British. Early historians wrote in derogatory terms about the Maroons, trying to present them as savages no better than animals. Queen Nanny was often portrayed as being bloodthirsty. Thickness’ journal published in 1788 described an encounter with a woman presumed to have been Nanny herself, wearing bracelets and anklets made from the teeth of British soldiers. “The old hag had a girdle around her waist with nine or ten different knives hanging in sheaths to it, many of which I have no doubt have been plunged in human flesh and blood”.

Much of the work compiled by Edward Braithwaite was instrumental in seeing Queen Nanny made a National Hero of Jamaica in 1976.This brought about a national recognition of the contribution made by the Maroons in securing liberty from slavery from the British.

For nearly two decades, the small Caribbean island nation of Jamaica has been the epicenter of female sprinting prowess, producing athletes such as Veronica Campbell-Brown, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah whose lightning speed and unyielding determination have rewritten the records and captured the world's imagination. Yet, amidst their individual triumphs on the track, there's one enigma that has eluded Jamaica's grasp, the 4x100m relay world record. As the sporting world gathers its breath for another exciting chapter in the history of track and field, the question emerges louder than ever: Could this year be the moment when Jamaica's unparalleled sprinting legacy finally coincides with the elusive world record that has stood firm since the London 2012 Olympics?

History: Except for 2008, Jamaica has medaled in every Olympics since the year 2000 with two golds (2004,2020) and three silvers (2000,2012,2016) and over the eighteen editions of the World Championships, Jamaica has medaled in sixteen occasions including 5 golds (1991,2009,2013,2015,2019). Jamaica only ranks 2nd on the all time by country list and 3rd on the all time list with a time of 41.02 seconds set by a team of Briana Williams, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson during the Tokyo Olympics on route to the gold medal. They only rank behind America's 41.01 second run to win the 2016 Rio Olympics and their incomparable world record of 40.82 seconds which they ran in the London 2012 Olympics to obliterate the world record.

Failed Record attempts: In 2008, the Jamaican Women were on the verge of breaking the then world record of 41.37 seconds held by East Germany and with the Jamaicans having Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the individual 100m gold medalist, Sherone Simpson, the joint 100m silver medalist, Kerron Stewert, the joint 100m silver medalist and the individual 200m bronze medalist and Veronica Campbell-Brown, the individual 200m gold medalist the stage was set for fireworks to blaze the track. However, a nightmare pass from Simpson to Stewert left Jamaica with a DNF and not a world record. In 2021, it seemed as though the Jamaican women were destined to at last break the World Record as on their team they had the two fastest women alive, Elaine Thompson-Herah (with a then personal best of 10.61) and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (with a then personal best of 10.63). Joint with fast starter Briana Williams and strong finisher Shericka Jackson on the first and fourth leg respectively. With a team average of 10.74 seconds, the world record seemed guaranteed as they were over a tenth of a second faster than the United States team average of 10.86 seconds when they set the world record back in 2012. However, a mix of sloppy handoffs, an insufficient relay order and little to no practice led to the Jamaican women only barely beating their national record putting them 3rd on the all time list.

Budapest 2023: With the Budapest 2023 World Championships looming, Jamaica is set to line up once again on the track for the 4x100m relay. With an inform Shericka Jackson and a recovering Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce joined by seasoned runners Natasha Morrison and Sashalee Forbes it seems as though this year the world record might be out of reach as Jamaican sprint superstar Elaine Thompson-Herah, due to injury, is only set to run the heats and bullet relay starter Briana Williams is also set to only compete in the heats. Last year at the world championships, one of the biggest upsets was team USA shocking the world as their team of newcomers was able to hold off the mighty Jamaica. This result comes down to a few problems mainly the relay order. For Jamaica to regain their world title in the sprint relay they need to set up the perfect order. For the relay heats Briana Williams with her bullet start must run the first leg and hand off to Natasha Morrison who famously held her own on the backstretch against the great Allyson Felix back in 2015. Morrison should hand off to Sashalee Forbes who is known as a great bend runner and then pass the baton to Elaine Thompson-Herah who incredibly ran down Darryl Neita in 2017 for one of the best anchor legs of all time. With the absence of Williams in the final, the first leg should be run by Natasha Morrison who herself is known as a good starter and should then hand over to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce who is known for running excellent backstretches in 2009 and 2019 and being the most experienced makes her crucial on the most vital leg. Fraser-Pryce should then hand the baton over to Sashalee Forbes who is a brilliant curve runner to put the fast finishing Shericka Jackson in a good position to run away the gold.

The Future: With the Paris 2024 Olympics arriving next year, could that be the year where the Jamaican women at last fulfill their potential. If so, they need a perfect team of inform athletes in the perfect order just like the following: Briana Williams to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to Elaine Thompson-Herah to Shercika Jackson. If those 4 women come to Paris in form and healthy with the perfect order of good baton exchanges, don't be surprised if the world record finally falls. Even if all that fails, Jamaica has a fresh crop of up and coming sprinters including the Clayton twins, Brianna Lyston and Serena Cole who have already broken the world under-20 record in the sprint relay.