Figure 1.--The photo was taken in an interior Suriname village (1947). It shows two Maroon boys looking for the first time at light bulbs. Creole boys along the coast would have been well aquinted with such modern amenities.

The Suriname population is very diverse etnically, including Africans, Creole, European, Hindustani,Javanese, Maroons, South Asians, and others The Blacks include both former slaves and Maroons-- escaped slaves. This leaves Suriname with an extrodinarily diverse populations. The largest ethnic group is Hindustanis/East Indians. They rather than Blacks are the dominant population. This is because the death rate on the sugar plantations during the Slavery Era was so high. When the freed slaves refused to work on the plantations, the Dutch recruited indentured workers from India (mid-19th century). The British did the same for their Caribbean possessions. Most came from northern India. Over 35 percent of the Surimanme population is Hindustani. The Creole (mixed White and Black) population is another amjor group (30 percent). This is more of a cultural designation, including both Blacks and Mulattoes, mostly the offspring of slave women and Durch plantation owners. The Javanese are another important group (15 percent). Java was a part of the Dutch East Indiaes and the Dutch recruited workers there as well. There is also a Maroon population in the interior, sometime referred to as Djukas/Bush Negroes (10 percent). They are the decendents of captive Africans brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves to work the sugar plantations, but who escaped into the interior. Maroon in Suriname is a cultural term. They have a life style and culture more like the Aner-Indian population thsn the Creole population. Smaller groups include the native Amer-Inbian popukation (2 percent). They include the Arawak, Carib, and Warrau peoples who live along the riverbanks and coastal plains. The Trios, Akurios, and Wyanas live along the upper reaches of the rivers. Chinese are also present (2 percent) along with Europeans (1 percent). And there are small numbers of various other groups. the great ethnic diversity resulted from Dutch rule. Te Dutch were one of thegreat maritime coununtries. Theyb played a major role in the skave trade as well as colonies and trading posts in Asia and Oveania. Thus they were moving people of various ethnicities from all over the world. There has been a degree of cultural intermingling, but therec has not been a amalgamation and development of a single national culture to the degree that has occurred in many other Latin Amerucan countries. Each of the different ethnic group has maintained its cultures to a consuiderable degree.

Africans

The Guianas were part of the wider Caribbeann cultural area, although located outside the Caribbean. The Dutch played a major role in developing the Caribbean sugar industry. And the Black populatiin in most countries is largely a function of the extent to which the sugar industry was developed. The Africans or Blacks include both the descendents of former plantation slaves and Maroons -- escaped slaves. Theyb originated primarily from West Afria and to a lesser exent Central Adrica. The native Amer-Indian popuation proved impossible to ensalave. As a result, the Dutch began importing captive Africans. The Dutch did not have African colonies, but were major participants in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. The maroons make a large share of the African group. This has increased subtnitally in recentyears and may be more self-identification than real histoiric differences.

Hindustani/East Indian

The largest ethnic group is Hindustanis/East Indians. They rather than Blacks are the dominant population. This is because the death rate on the sugar plantations during the Slavery Era was so high. The Dutch abolished slavery (1863). When the freed slaves refused to work on the plantations, the Dutch recruited indentured workers from India and the Dutch East Indies (Java). The British did the same for their Caribbean possessions, including neighnoring Guyana. Most came from northern India (Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand). We are not sure what has caused the regional centralizatiion. Over 35 percent of the Surimanme population today Hindustani.

Creole

The Creole (mixed White and Black) population is another major group (30 percent). This is more of a cultural designation, including both Blacks and Mulattoes, mostly the offspring of slave women and Dutrch plantation owners and managers. The reason there is no major European/Amer-Indian mix is that there was so little contact between the two grouops. The Aner-Indians died in large numbers after contactwith the Dutch. And most simplly diusappeared into remote areas iof the interior. The Creole group includes both some of mostly Africn extraction and others with miore European extraction. There is relastively little Hindustani and Amer-Indian mixing in this group. Likev the African group, this is a population that came out of the sugar plastations.

Javanese

Java was a highly productuive island in the Dutch East Indies. Even so, the islabd was over populated. This the Dutch began recruiting contract wokers. The Javanese became another important group (15 percent). Java is one of the important islands in modern Indonesia. Java was a part of the Dutch Empire--the Dutch East Indies and the Dutch recruited workers there as well. They came after emancipation as contravt laborers.

Maroon

There is also a Maroon population in the interior rain forests, sometime referred to as Djukas/Bush or Forest Negroes (10 percent). They are the decedents of captive Africans brought to the country in the 17th - early-19th as slaves to work the sugar plantations, but who escaped into the interior and established communities there along the major rivers.. Maroon in Suriname is a cultural term. They have a life style and culture in many ways more like the Amer-Indian population than the Creole population. This varied because they lived in isolation and not as one centralized group. The Surinamese Maroon culture has been described as 'one of the best-preserved pieces of African cultural heritage outside of Africa.' This is because many escaped from the plantations with their African identities still in place. They were affected by colonial warfare, Dutch slave hunting operations, land grabs, natural disasters, and migration, The rivers are very important, basically serving as highways. They run from the interior highlands north into the ocean. None rune east to west and thus travel in those directions is difficult. There are six Maroon groups, sometimes called tribes based along the rivers where they settled. The Aluku/Boni) settled along the Commewijne/Marowijne River. The Kwinti settled along the Coppename River. The Matawai settled along the Saramacca River. The Ndyuka/Aukan settled along the Marowijne and Commewijne Rivers. The Paamaka/Paramaccan) settled along the Marowijne River. And the Saamaka/Saramaccan settled along the Suriname River. Despite the separation, the various maroon communities are remarkably similar. The Maroon villages are located along Suriname rivers. Until the mid-19th century, the Maroons could not have permanent villages on the rivers because that would have made them vulnerable to Dutch slave catching operations. Villages today or located on the rivers, but can only be accessed by canoes or shallow draft boats. There are no roads into the interior. The villages tend to be about 100-200 people. Each Maroon group except the Kwinti is organized a around a leader called the the 'granman' meaning paramount chief. As a result of the separation along the different rivers for the most part without connections are different forest creole languages developed, but with many common words. They all have the same base, the creole that developed on the sugar plantations. Once they moved into he interior, differences developed which remain to his day. Because of the separation and isolation there are different Forest Creole languages. This includes Ndyuka, Saramaccan, and Kwinti. They are a varying mixture of West African languages, Dutch, and English. I think this is because there were escapees from both Dutch and English plantations. French does not appear to have been a part of these creole languages in Suriname. As the slaves escaped at different times, this also was a factor affecting the presence of the African languages.

Amer-Indian

Smaller groups include the indigenous Amer-Indan population (3.5 percent). The Spanish or in the case of Surinam, the Dutch, tried to enslave the natives. It did not work. The native people began dieing in large numbers or fled into the interior. It was easier and cheaper forv the Dutch tonimprt more vAfricans than chasev after the Amer-Induians deepinto the interior,especaillynas theubwerev likelyb ton dievaferv theybwere caught. As a result, they began importuing captive Africans. This began to reach numbers, when the highly profitable sugar industry took hold. The indigenous population included the Arawak, Carib, and Warrau peoples living along the riverbanks and coastal plains. The Trios, Akurios, and Wyanas live along the upper reaches of the rivers. The tribal distriubution often follows the course of the major rivers. The Amer-Indian poulation today are a small part of the population because indigenous people throughout the Americas had no resistance to Euroopean diseases. In the wider Caribbean the indeigenous population was basically wiped out. Unlike the Guianas, small islands had no interior where the native prople could flee. Even with a large interior, however, the indugenous population of the Guianas was desimated.

Others

Chinese are also present (2 percent) along with Europeans (1 percent). There are two Chinese grouos. The most recent are jnown as 'New Chinese'. This is to dstinguish them from the Chinese brought in as contract laborors in the 19th century. There are also small numbers of various other groups.

Created: 6:53 AM 2/27/2021
Last updated: 2:52 AM 2/26/2024