The Moore Town Maroons

The Windward Maroons formed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries from people who escaped enslavement and took to the Blue and John Crow mountains, where the terrain let them fight the British to a treaty in 1739 that recognised their freedom and their land. Moore Town is the principal Windward settlement, and UNESCO inscribed its traditions in 2003: the Kromanti ceremonial language, drawn from Akan speech of what is now Ghana; the drumming; and the abeng, a cow horn used as a signalling instrument that could carry messages across valleys faster than anyone could walk. The community elects its own Colonel and manages its land under the treaty.

What to look for

• The abeng - the cow horn signalling instrument, still played.
• Kromanti drumming - the ceremonial tradition UNESCO recognised.
• Bump Grave - the memorial to Nanny, the Windward Maroon leader.
• The Rio Grande valley - the country the community holds under treaty.

When to go

December to April is drier and the valley road passable. Visits should be arranged in advance through the community office rather than turning up. The main commemoration is in October. Ceremonial practice is not performed on demand.

What to expect

This is a living community with its own governance, not an attraction, and arriving unannounced with a camera is not welcome; arrange the visit and pay the community fee. Kromanti ceremonies are sacred and generally not open to outsiders. The road up the valley is rough. Some tour operators offer Maroon experiences with no community involvement, and those are worth avoiding.

Nearby

Port Antonio is an hour down the valley; Nanny Falls is above the town.