Saramaka
South Americaother subsistence combinationsMap
expand_more Description
The Saramaka are one of six Maroon (or "Bush Negro") groups in Suriname. The ancestors of the Saramaka were slaves who escaped into the dense rain forest where for nearly 100 years they fought a war of liberation before gaining emancipation in 1762. They speak variants of a Creole language called Saramaccan. The Saramaka live in the northern extension of the Amazonian forest along the Suriname River and its tributaries, the Gaánlío and the Pikílío. For subsistence, the Saramaka depend on shifting (swidden) horticulture, hunting, and fishing, supplemented by wild forest products and a few key imports such as salt. Men make periodic work trips by to the coast to bring back Western goods.
Identifier
Region
- South America
Subregion
- Amazon and Orinoco
Subsistence Type
- other subsistence combinations
Samples
Countries
- Suriname