Meeting under a pole dwelling in Langatabiki (1947)
| |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 11,000[1] (2014, est.) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Paramacca, Suriname | 4,300 |
| Urban French Guiana | 3,900 |
| Languages | |
| Paramaccan | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity, Winti | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ndyuka | |
| Granman of the Paramaccan people | |
|---|---|
Incumbent | |
| Residence | Langatabiki |
The ParamaccanorParamaka (French: Pamak[3]) are a Maroon tribe living in the forested interior of Suriname, mainly in the Paramacca resort,[4][5] and the western border area of French Guiana.[3] The Paramaccan signed a peace treaty in 1872 granting the tribe autonomy.
The administrative centre for the tribe is located in Snesiekondre,[6] but the main village of the resort is Langatabiki which is also the residence of the granman (paramount chief) of the Paramaccan people.[7] The tribe controls 13 villages in Suriname,[8] and the village of Providence in neighbouring French Guiana.[9]
The total population in 2014 was estimated at 11,000 people with 4,300 people living in the tribal areas in Suriname, and 1,000 living in the interior of French Guiana.[1]
The Paramaccans were runaway slaves from the Handtros or Entros plantation who fled around 1830.[10] In 1856, the August Kappler reported that the tribe had established villages near the Paramacca Creek.[11] In 1872, they had signed a peace treaty with the Dutch colony giving the tribe autonomy,[12] and Frans Kwaku, the leader of the expedition to Paramaribo, was officially appointed granman by the Governor.[11] In 1879, a group of about 90 Paramaccans led by Apensa created a settlement on an island in the Marowijne River near the mouth of the Paramacca Creek. The town was named Langatabiki (Long Island).[13] During the Surinamese Interior War, the Paramaccans sided with the Jungle Commando,[14] which resulted in a large migration to French Guiana.[3]
Paramaccan is also the eponymous term for their language, which is English-based[15] with influences from Dutch, African languages,[16] and other languages. It is similar to the languages spoken by the Ndyuka and Kwinti, and mutually intelligible with Sranan Tongo.[17] Paramaccan is the youngest of the Surinamese pidgin languages.[18] The language had an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 speakers in 1991.[19]
Brother Mambo: Finding Africa in the Amazon, JD Lenoir with Phil Ceder (Kutukutu), Black Rose Writer, 2022.
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