“Mother of all Jamaicans” - Queen Nanny’s title
(Queen Nanny)
Queen Nanny was born in 1686 in Ghana and was apart of the Ashanti tribe. Nanny and several other relatives were captured and sold into slavery. She was sent to Jamaica. Nanny was sold to a plantation in Saint Thomas Parish. She suffered hard conditions under slavery. Nanny and a few other slaves ran away and hid in the Blue Mountains area of northern Saint Thomas Parish.
(A drawing of Queen Nanny)
Nanny and another slave founded communities in Portland Parish. Due to Nanny’s community being strategically placed so that there was one way in and out of it they were able to fight off the British who wanted to take them back as slaves. The name of her community was called Nanny Town. It consisted of 500 acres. The people living in Nanny Town were called Maroons. The Maroons were known for raiding plantations for weapons and food, burning the plantations, and leading slaves back to their communities. Nanny was very adept at organizing plans to free slaves. Over 30 years she freed over 1000 slaves.
(A painting of Queen Nanny)
A lot of her leadership skills were attributed to her religion, Obeah. She also served as a physical and spiritual healer to her community. On March 30th 1733 Queen Nanny was killed in the 1st Maroon war in Nanny Town, Jamaica. She was about 47 years old.
(Nanny on the Jamaican $500 bill)
Today is the 284th anniversary of her death. Take time to remember this great revolutionary today.
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