Who was Nanny of the Moorns? Long before the world debated women’s liberty, one small island was crowning female leaders. These women faced challenges that transformed them into mothers, sisters, and heroines. One of them was Nanny, a warrior queen.
Who Was Nanny of The Maroons?
Nanny was born in Ghana in 1886 and was sold as a slave during the British-led slave trade. She was taken to the Caribbean Island of Jamaica to join other Africans as cane and banana farmers. Somehow, she managed to escape captivity and joined a guerrilla group called the Winward Maroons.
Her talents and skills soon led to her crowning as queen and leader of the group. Its sole existence was to destroy the British stronghold and win their freedom. The Maroons’ constant attacks against the English plantations became noticeable and a declaration of war was made against them.
The war was often fought in the thick forest under hazardous weather conditions. These include continuous rainfall, abundant mosquitos, and snakes. This proved costly to the British forces which sustained heavy losses to the Windward Maroons who were used to such an environment.
There are some legends that accredit supernatural power to Nanny. She successfully fought the British forces with wooden spears, bows, and arrows. The stories describe a bullet catcher, a cannon stopper, and even an invisible Nanny.
Unable to defeat a Nanny-led Maroons, the British force signed a peace treaty with her on April 26, 1740. The Maroons won their freedom and a 500-acre home known to this day as Moore Town. Jamaica celebrates this date as a national holiday and has added Nanny as one of its National Heroes.
There are contradicting accounts of the death of Nanny. Some believed she died before the treaty in 1740, while others point to her signing the treaty. Whichever school of thought is correct, history still documents that Nanny was a leader, sister, mother, and heroine.
